NEOTROPICAL MICROLEPIDOPTERA — DUCKWORTH 105 



Lethata invigilans (Meyrick), new combination 



Figures 2b,c, 36, 5a 



Stenoma invigilans Meyrick, 1915, Exotic Microlepidoptera, vol. 1, p. 476. 



Alar expanse 24-26 mm. 



Antenna bro\vnish. Head whitish; second segment of labial palpus 

 brown on outer side, whitish on inner side; apical segment whitish. 

 Legs whitish, heavily shaded with brown on outer surfaces. Thorax 

 light brown. Forewing light brown with scattered fuscous scales; 

 costa dull rose; three indistinct fuscous transverse lines, one at basal 

 thhd, one at middle, and one at apical third; large, conspicuous 

 fuscous spot at end of cell; marginal series of fuscous dots around apex 

 and termen; cilia whitish gray slightly shaded with rose. Hindwing 

 gray; cilia pale grayish. 



Male genitalia (slide WDD 2803): Uncus pointed, recurved; 

 gnathos very long, finger-like; harpe narrow, slightly recurved, pointed 

 at apex; anellar lobes sj'mmetrical, of near uniform width throughout, 

 platelike, only slightly recurved, aedeagus large, broad basally, anterior 

 lip of apex somewhat produced, vesica armed with ladder-like series 

 of large to small cornuti extending from base to apex. 



Female genitalia (slide WDD 2809) : Ductus bursae with corrugated, 

 ribbon-like sclerotized area from ostium to inception of ductus 

 seminalis; inception of ductus seminalis near corpus bursae. 



Type: In the British Museum (Natural History). 



Type locality: Maroni River, French Guiana. 



Distribution: French guiana: Maroni River, Caj^enne. Surinam: 

 Cottica River, Moengo (May). Venezuela: Sanariapo, Amazonas 

 (Aug.). 



For many years this species has been known only from the two 

 male specimens on which Meyrick based the original description. 

 During the course of the present study, four additional specimens, 

 three males and one female, were discovered among the unidentified 

 material in the U.S. National Museum collection. These specimens 

 not only broadened our knowledge of the distribution of the species 

 but also allowed description of the female, which was not previously 

 laio wn . 



The large, conspicuous, fuscous spot at the end of the cell on the 

 forewing provides the most distinct superficial character for recognition 

 of this species; however, one specimen studied had this spot consider- 

 ably reduced, suggesting that it is more variable than previously 

 thought and should be used with reservations. The ladder-like 

 arrangement of the cornuti in the aedeagus of the male genitalia and 

 the schlerotized ribbon-like ai-ea extendmg from the ostium to the 



