A new species of Eupithecia Curtis (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from the Andes of northern Chile

Abstract

Eupithecia copaquillaensis sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentiinae, Eupitheciini) is described and illustrated. Adults of this new species were discovered using a light trap in the Copaquilla ravine, at about 2800 m elevation on the western slope of the Andes of northern Chile. The morphology of the genitalia of E. copaquillaensis resembles that of E. atacama (Vojnits, 1985), which is also Chilean. However, the shape of the smaller cornutus and the signa in the male and female genitalia respectively enable accurate differentiation of the two species. DNA barcodes are used to associate male and female E. copaquillaensis.