Zelleria oleastrella (Milliere, 1864)

Agassiz, David J. L., 2019, The Yponomeutidae of the Afrotropical region (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea), Zootaxa 4600 (1), pp. 1-69 : 31-32

36. Zelleria oleastrella (Milli��re, l864)

Tinea oleastrella Millière, 1864: 42

Type locality: South France, Spain .

Description of adult ( Plate 6 ). Wingspan 11–15 mm. Head rough-scaled on crown, mixed fuscous and whitish, face white; labial palpus segment 3 longer than segment 3, segment 2 white on inside, brownish outside, segment 3 with dense scales; scape brown mixed whitish, flagellum annulate brown and whitish, middle sections paler. Thorax and tegula mixed brown and whitish. Forewing pale brownish white, base of dorsum with darker scales, and indistinct blackish spot on dorsum at halfway and another in disc, some darker scales around apex, fringe concolorous with adjacent wing. Hindwing grey, fringe concolorous. Abdomen and legs greyish brown.

Male genitalia ( Plate 15). Uncus almost flat, socius squat and gently curved outwards at apex, gnathos a thimble-like sclerotised knob, valva gently curved with central array of setae, saccus simple approximately equal to width of valva. Aedeagus almost straight, its length twice that of valva.

Female genitalia ( Plate 25 ). Lamella postvaginalis lobes separated by a deep trough, ostial plate conspicuous, antrum sclerotised, ductus bursae weakly scobinate, corpus bursae spherical, a sclerotised plate near junction with ductus, signum a strongly sclerotised ‘saddle’ the armes with serrated edges.

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the small blackish spots above tornus and on dorsum at halfway.

Biology. The early stages have not been recorded from the Afrotropical region, but it is known to use Olea europaea (Stainton 1870) , adults recorded in April, September and October.

Distribution. Kenya, Republic of South Africa. This species has long been known in the Mediterranean area, the lack of records from the Afrotropical region could be due to recorder effort, but it may have been recently introduced.

Material examined: 1 ♂ 2 ♀ KENYA: Eastern, Lewa 2050 m, 0°8’24.5’’N 37°27’23.8’’E 1.xi.2013 Agassiz, Beavan, Heckford & Larsen ; 2 ♀ same locality but 30.x.2013 including slide DJLA 1590 ; 1 ♂ 31.x.2013 slide DJLA 1580 ; 2 ♀ Central, Aberdares Country Club, 1750 m, 0°20’S 36°53’E 27.iv.2003 D.J.L. Agassiz; REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Reported in BOLD from Gauteng .

Figures

PLATE 6. The codes X1 to X6 refer to presently undescribed species, and are used to identify the specimens, and are also used in the museums where they are deposited.

PLATE 25.