Hellinsia strauszi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich

Ustjuzhanin, Petr, Kovtunovich, Vasily & Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2017, New data on the Pterophoridae fauna of Liberia (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae), Zootaxa 4247 (2), pp. 194-200 : 197

Hellinsia strauszi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3–5 )

Type material: Holotype, male, ( ZMJU 201612 ), LIBERIA, Nimba Mountains East Nimba Nature Reserve Radio Masts, 7°31'44.66"N, 8°31'38.81"W, 14–25.xii.2015, Sz., Sáfián ; Paratypes, 2 females, ( ZMJU 201613 , CUK 300 ), same data as holotype .

Description. External characters. Head with brown hair-like scales, thorax and tegula yellow. Labial palpus thin, straight, tapered, in length equal to longitudinal eye diameter. Antenna brown, pectinate. Wingspan 14 mm. Fore wing yellowish grey, interspersed with small brown scales. Dark brown elongated spot in front of cleft. Spots of brown scales on first lobe in apical part. Second lobe noticeably darkened with brown scales. Fringe inside cleft dark brown. Hind wing unicolorous, yellowish grey, fringe between lobes yellow grey. Hind leg yellow.

Male genitalia. Valvae oval, asymmetric. Harpe on left valva thin, long, slightly bent, its apex extends beyond middle of valva length. Right valva noticeably narrowed in distal part, well expressed sclerotized fold in middle part. Uncus straight, apex tapered. Saccus concave, arched. Anellus arms short, widened basally, narrowed apically. Left arm noticeably shorter and narrower than right. Phallus thin, ¾ of valva length, bent in distal part.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales wide, triangle. Posterior apophyses thin, three times as long as papillae anales. Anterior apophyses short, forked. Antrum short, rather wide, tubulate, located in left part of VIII sternum. Ductus short, wide, smoothly passing into pear-like bursa copulatrix. Bursa with two long ribbon-like signa.

Diagnosis. In male genitalia, by the asymmetric valvae and the phallus bent in the distal part, the new species is close to Hellinsia anikini Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2016 , but differs from it by the shape of the harpe on left valva. In female genitalia, the new species is similar to Hellinsia ambo Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2011 in the form of bursa copulatrix and the long ribbon-like signa, but differs from it by the posterior apophysis not being widened at apex and by the anterior forked apophyses.

Distribution. Liberia.

Flight period. December.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of the Austrian entomologist and conservationist Martin Strausz who assisted Sáfián's field work in the Putu Range in 2011 and in the Nimba Mountains in 2012.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 4. Hellinsia strauszi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. 3. Adult (Holotype, ZMJU); 4. Male genitalia (Holotype, ZMJU, 201612); 5. Female genitalia (Paratype, ZMJU, 201613).

FIGURE 5. Hellinsia strauszi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. 5. Female genitalia (Paratype, ZMJU, 201613)