Steleops ecuadorensis, González-Obando & Calderón-Martínez & Carrejo-Gironza & Manchola, 2025

Steleops ecuadorensis sp. nov.

( Figs 96–109 View FIGURES 96–102 View FIGURES 103–109 )

Diagnosis. Belonging to group albertonetoi . As in S. braziliensis and S. caquetensis it has clearly globose compound eyes, but unlike the species of the group, it has the two pairs of medial acuminate processes of the hypandrium very close at their basal articulation ( Fig. 101 View FIGURES 96–102 ), phallosome with left paramere poorly developed ( Fig. 102 View FIGURES 96–102 ), aedeagus shorter and distally less widened than the right paramere, phallobase basally narrow.

Male. Color (in plate). Head ( Fig. 98 View FIGURES 96–102 ) pale brown. Black compound eyes. Forewing ( Fig. 96 View FIGURES 96–102 ) with brown spots, with four small spots in the cells r 3, r 5, m 1, y m 2. Pterostigma with brown apical spot, veins brown. Hindwings ( Fig. 97 View FIGURES 96–102 ) hyalines, veins brown. Legs pale brown. Epiproct and paraprocts light brown. Hypandrium brown.

Morphology. As in diagnosis, plus the following: Head ( Fig. 98 View FIGURES 96–102 ): H/MxW: 1.2; compound eyes large, pedunculate, H/D: 2.03, projected above the vertex; IO/MxW: 0.65. Vertex V–shaped wide, below upper level of compound eyes, with gently convex lateral margins. Outer cusp of lacinial tips narrow, with two denticles; Mx4/ Mx2: 1.08. Forewings ( Fig. 98 View FIGURES 96–102 ): L/W: 2.86. Pterostigma widened distally: lp/wp: 2.36, areola postica: al/ah: 0.80. Left and right forewing with Rs and M joined by a short transverse vein. Hindwings ( Fig. 97 View FIGURES 96–102 ): l/w: 3.13. Hypandrium ( Fig. 101 View FIGURES 96–102 ) asymmetrical, with tongue-shaped medial band covered by very small papillae; with two large reniform lamellar processes that bend toward the mesal line, with two pairs of thick acuminate processes, relatively close together, the anterior or most basal pair not located at the same level. Hypandrium arms thick, stake-shaped, curved inwards and narrower apically. Phallosome ( Fig. 102 View FIGURES 96–102 ) rhomboid, asymmetric, with poorly developed subtriangular left paramere, the right one in the form of an apically rounded and narrower lobe, partially fused to the aedeagus and directed towards the right; aedeagus distally projected and with a rounded apex, with a short curvature on the right margin. Phallobase short projected and somewhat pointed anteriorly. Epiproct ( Fig. 99 View FIGURES 96–102 ) projected on the clunium, pyriform in dorsal view, with rounded posterior edge and anterior area with narrow projection. Paraprocts ( Fig. 121 View FIGURES 117–123 ) oval, with apical process almost as long as the body of the paraproct, subright and apically acuminate and short curved, sensory fields with 20 trichobothria on basal rosettes.

Measurements (microns). FW: 2575, HW: 1875, F: 600, T: 1225, t1: 425, t2: 125, ctt1: 24, f1: 625, f2: 600, Mx4: 140, IO: 330, d: 280, D: 300, IO/d: 1.18, PO: 0.93

Female. Color (on plate). Essentially as in the male. Epiproct, paraprocts, valves and subgenital plate pale brown. Forewing ( Fig. 103 View FIGURES 103–109 ) with spots like those of the male, but more marked, with seven circular brown spots from cell r 3 to the areola postica; veins brown.

Morphology. As in diagnosis, plus the following: Head ( Fig. 105 View FIGURES 103–109 ): H/MxW: 1.28; compound eyes large, pedunculate, H/D: 2.43; IO/MxW: 0.68. Vertex V–shaped wide, below upper level of compound eyes, with gently curved margins. Outer cusp of lacinial tips narrow, with two denticles; Mx4/Mx2: 1.6. Forewings ( Fig. 103 View FIGURES 103–109 ): L/W: 2.61. Pterostigma: lp/wp: 2.70, areola postica: al/ah: 1.25. Hindwings ( Fig. 104 View FIGURES 103–109 ): l/w: 2.8. Paraprocts ( Fig. 106 View FIGURES 103–109 ) subtriangular, sensory fields with 25 trichobothria on basal rosettes. Epiproct ( Fig. 107 View FIGURES 103–109 ) subtriangular, rounded apically. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 108 View FIGURES 103–109 ) bell-shaped, with numerous apical and subapical setae. Gonapophyses ( Fig. 109 View FIGURES 103–109 ) with long, narrow ventral valve, dorsal valve with triangular ends, external valve oval, with medial-apical process little observable. Ninth sternum with bilobular anterior margin, circular spermapore, located in sclerotization in the shape of a coat of arms ( Fig. 109 View FIGURES 103–109 ).

Measurements (microns). FW: 2875, HW: 2100, F: 650, T: 1350, t1: 525, t2: 150, ctt1: 30, f1: 750, f2: 750, Mx4: 160, IO: 390, d: 240, D: 300, IO/d: 1.63, PO: 0.8

Material studied. Holotype Male. ECUADOR. Napo. 0°59’44.147’’S, 77°48’46.686’’W. Musenuv slide code: 32195. A. N. García Aldrete. Manual collection GoogleMaps . Paratypes: 1 female. Same location and collector. Musenuv slide code: 32196.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Ecuador, the country where the studied specimens were collected.