Thubdora vernaculella Park & Karisch, 2021

Karisch, Timm, Dutton, Amy-Jayne, Yu, Tae-Uk & Park, Kyu-Tek, 2025, Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) from Nimba Mts. bordering Liberia and Guinea, Part I: The subfamily Torodorinae, with descriptions of 15 new species, Zootaxa 5728 (2), pp. 247-286 : 284

2. Thubdora vernaculella Park & Karisch, 2021

( Fig. 22 )

Thubdora vernaculella Park & Karisch, 2021: 585 . TL: Equatorial Guinea, Isl. Bioko.

Material examined. 4♂, Liberia, Nimba Mountains , alt. 1050 m, 4.2 km SE Yekepa, camp secondary forest on. SE slope, 7°32’35.6’’N 8°31’20.3’’W, 27 viii 2022, LF, leg. T . Karisch, gen. slide nos. 4148/ Karisch, 4188/ Karisch, 4192/ Karisch, & 4193/ Karisch, barcoding SEDI300027 ; 1♂, same locality, 1060 m, 4.4km SE Yekepa, 0.2 km SSW camp secondary forest nr. Parinari-forest 7°32’27.3’’N 8°31’24.3’’W, 28 viii 2022, LF (125 W HQL), leg. T . Karisch, gen. slide no. 4180/ Karisch, barcoding SDEI300055 , in SEDI; 1♂, same locality, 1060 m, 0.3 km SSW camp, secondary forest near Parinari-forest , 7°32’27.3” N, 8°31’24.3” W, 27 viii 2022, leg. T . Karisch & A.-J. Dutton, barcoding SDEI300052 , in SDEI; 2♀, 2♂, Nimba Mountains, alt. 1250 m, 7.2 km SE Yekepa, old Lamco mining area nr. old building, wet-grassland+rocks, 7°31’18.8’’N 8°31’46.1’W, 25 viii 2022, LF (125 W HQL), leg. T . Karisch & A.-J. Dutton, gen. slide nos. 4174/ Karisch ( ♀), barcoding SDEI300022 , 4175 / Karisch ( ♂), barcoding SDEI300023 , in SDEI; 4186/Karisch ( ♀), and 4198/Karisch ( ♂), in MNVD; 1♂, Guinea: Mt. Nimba area, ix 2009, coll. ZSM , gen. slide no. 4272/ Karisch , in ZSM .

Diagnosis. The female genitalia are very similar to those of T. ivoryensis Park & Karish, 2022 from Ivory Coast, but this species can be distinguished by both male and female genital structures as shown in Figs 22B, C . The female genitalia differ by having a shorter ductus bursae, gradually broader anteriorly, with the ductus seminalis as broad as ductus bursae, whereas in T. ivoryensis , it is more than twice the length of the corpus bursae, with ductus seminalis about half as wide as the ductus bursae. The female is here reported for the first time and its genitalia are described and illustrated.

Male genitalia ( Figs 22B, B 1 ): See also Park & Karisch (2021, fig. 8B).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 22C ): Abdominal sternite VIII emarginated medially, into V-shape.Apophyses anteriores about 2/3 the length of apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae nearly flat. Antrum sclerotized, jar-shaped; lateral margin remarkably concave beyond two-thirds. Ductus bursae broadened, gradually broader anteriorly, about twice the length of corpus bursae; ductus seminalis as broad as distal part of ductus bursae, arising from middle. Corpus bursae ovate; signum with a hood-shaped upper plate and a smaller low plate, divided by a narrow transverse groove medially.

Distribution. Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Island), Guinea, and Liberia (new record).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A, Topographic map of the Guinea Highlands (Wikipedia.org./wiki/Guinea_Highlands/, Tom Radulovich, CC BY- SA 4.0, colours adapted); B, Blue itabirit at Blue Lake in laminar formation with other minerals (photo: A.-J Dutton, 2022); C, View from the NW-SE-exposed mountain ridge to the main ridge of Nimba Mountains in Liberia, in the middle with the excavations for iron ore. (photo: A.-J. Dutton, 2022); D, Blue Lake and its surroundings showing the extent of iron ore mining in the southern part of the Nimba Mountains (photo: T. Karisch, 2022); E, Cloud covered main ridge of the southern part of the Nimba Mountains (photo: A.-J Dutton).

FIGURE 22. A, Thubdora vernaculella Park & Karisch, 2021: A, male; B, male genitalia (gen. slide no. 4188/Karisch; B1, ditto, aedeagus; C, female genitalia (gen. slide no. 4174/Karisch).