Eoophyla tetropalis ( Hampson, 1906 ) Published, 2012

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 46-47

Eoophyla tetropalis ( Hampson, 1906) comb. n.

Argyractis tetropalis Hampson, 1906: 384 .

Type locality: Nigeria.

Imago (Fig. 40): Wingspan 9–16mm. Head ochreous; labial palpus short and straight, segment 3 pointed, just shorter than segment 2; maxillary palpus conspicuous, whitish. Thorax and tegulae whitish, darker along dorsum. Forewing costa blackish in basal half, more or less interrupted with yellow, base white; a dark fuscous subbasal dot on dorsum; an oblique yellowish antemedian fascia not reaching costa, followed by two indistinct parallel fuscous lines; white above outer half of dorsum with a scattering of dark fuscous scales; terminal third of wing yellow, interrupted by two wedge-shaped costal strigulae, whitish with fuscous edges; tornal spot silver grey; terminal cilia fuscous. Hindwing base white; a curved yellow subbasal fascia edged dark fuscous; beyond that white with a scattering of dark fuscous scales; a double dark fuscous subterminal line; five black terminal eyespots, the fifth very small, separated by yellow streaks, 1–4 bearing a silver dot towards base. Legs whitish, fuscous near joints. Abdomen banded fuscous and whitish.

Male genitalia (Fig. 105): Uncus spatulate, but drawn out into a point; gnathos ¾ uncus, slender and curved ventrally with spines at apex; valva simple, gradually widening to about ¾ then curved inwards to apex, longer curved setae near outer part of dorsum to apex; saccus rather squared. Aedeagus slender, apical quarter broader and clothed with small spines, a pair of spinose cornuti. Tergite 8 with a deep incision.

Female genitalia (Fig. 179): Ostium wide, ductus long and membranous, with a sclerotised spiny band before simple but weak ovate corpus bursae.

Tympanal organs: Venulae straight, hardly reaching main part of tympanal organs.

Diagnosis: A small species, distinguished by the sharply defined markings; male genitalia without specialized setae from the apex of the valva.

Biology: Unknown, apparently continuously brooded when conditions are favourable, recorded in i, ii, iv, v, vi, vii, ix, xi, xii.

Distribution: Throughout tropical Africa, recorded from Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya.

Material examined: Holotype ♀ and 2 paratypes ♂ NIGERIA: Yorubaland ( BMNH); SIERRA LEONE: Bo 1♀, Njala 1♀ ( BMNH); CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Man 3♀ ( BMNH); GHANA: Kete-Krachi 1♀ ( BMNH); CAMEROON: Johann-Albrechts Höhe 1♂ ( BMNH), Lok ( ZMUC); KENYA: Laikipia 1♀ ( USNM), 1♂, 1♀; Rift Valley , near Rumuruti 4♂, 3♀, Central : Sagana 7m, 10f, ( DJLA) NIGERIA: Ibabdan ; 1♀, CAMEROON: North : Mayo Oldiri 2♂, 2♀ ( KVNM), Zungera 1♂, 1♀, Ibadan 1♂ ( BMNH); UGANDA: Western , Murchison Falls 3♂, 2♀ ( DJLA), Mabira Forest 1 ♂ ( BMNH).