Elophila melagynalis ( Agassiz, 1978 )

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 20

Elophila melagynalis ( Agassiz, 1978)

Nymphula melagynalis Agassiz, 1978:121

Type locality: Sri Lanka.

Described by Agassiz (1978), Goater (1986), Yoshiyasu (1985).

Imago (Figs. 16, 17): Wingspan ♂ 9–11mm, ♀ 11–13mm. ♂ Head white mixed fuscous; labial palpus small white, segment 2 fuscous laterally; maxillary palpus conspicuous, white and dark fuscous. Thorax mainly fuscous, collar and tegulae white. Forewing inner half dark fuscous with a whitish subbasal fascia; white blotch on dorsum; outer half white, an irregular pale fulvous postmedian fascia, darker on dorsum; a broad pale fulvous subterminal fascia; termen narrowly marked pale fuscous; two dark lines in terminal cilia. Hindwing white; a small blackish subbasal fascia; antemedian fascia pale orange, outwardly edged blackish followed by a narrow blackish fascia; a pale orange discal spot surrounded by black, black lines continued to dorsum; a pale orange postmedian fascia; termen pale orange; cilia as forewing. Abdomen banded white, dark fuscous and orange.

♀ Markings as male but all white areas heavily suffused blackish; forewing with a distinct pale orange discal spot.

Male genitalia (Fig. 92): Uncus evenly tapered to a blunt apex; gnathos slender, just over half length of uncus, bearing several weak teeth on dorsal surface near apex; valva has sacculus with 5–6 irregular dentate dorsal projections; juxta very wide at base; aedeagus cylindrical, slightly waisted near apex, vesica with a number of dentate bands.

Female genitalia (Fig. 142): Ostium wide, 2/3 width of abdomen; ostial chamber conical, finely scobinate, colliculum sclerotised; ductus clothed with fine spines; corpus bursae divided into two lobes ventro-dorsally, without signa.

Tympanal organs: venulae widely divergent; bulla tympani projecting forwards.

Diagnosis: Differs from E. africalis in the darker coloration together with the orange discal spots on both forewing and hindwing. In the male genitalia the valva has dorsal dentate processes, the female corpus bursae has a distinctive diverticulum.

Biology: Unknown. Adults recorded v, viii, probably continuously brooded.

Distribution: South East Asia and the Far East; in Africa recorded from Sierra Leone, Kenya and Tanzania.

Material examined: Holotype ♀ and 42 paratypes designated by Agassiz (1978).

KENYA: 1♀ Arabuko Sokoke ( KVNM) , 1♀ Gazi ( BMNH) ; TANZANIA: 1♂ Amani , 3♀ Udzungwa Mts. ( DJLA) ; SIERRA LEONE: 5♀ Bo ( BMNH) .