Yponomeuta sistrophora Meyrick, 1909

Agassiz, David J. L., 2019, The Yponomeutidae of the Afrotropical region (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea), Zootaxa 4600 (1), pp. 1-69 : 22-23

21. Yponomeuta sistrophora Meyrick, 1909

Hyponomeuta sistrophora Meyrick, 1909: 358

Yponomeuta parvipunctus Gershenson & Ulenberg, 1998:137 syn. nov.

Type locality: Republic of South Africa: Kwazulu Natal , Ukomaas .

Redescription of adult ( Plate 3): Wingspan 18–20 mm. Head white, labial palpus segment 3 black at base, whitetipped, segment 2 similar; scape whitish, flagellum weakly annulate whitish and pale grey. Thorax white with 3 black spots, tegula white with one black spot. Forewing indistinctly mottled whitish and pale grey, 4 rows of black spots: near costa, subcostally, along fold and subdorsally, a blackish marking near apex, fringe concolorous with wing. Hindwing and fringe grey. Abdomen and legs whitish grey.

Male genitalia ( Plate 12 ). Uncus apex with small projections, socius large and of elaborate shape, valva with costa concave, dorsal edge more sharply angled with dense setae near the edge, a basal swelling, saccus more than half length of valva. Aedeagus straight and narrow, 1.5 x as long as valva, small bunch of cornuti near apex. Sternum 7 (also shown on Plate 12 , fig. 22) with proximal edge drawn out into a point in middle.

Female genitalia ( Plate 22). Lamella postvaginalis lobes shallow, ostium small, antrum straight and sclerotised, ductus longer than abdomen, very narrow but widening before corpus, corpus bursae ovate, signum a small dentate plate.

Diagnosis. Although the ground colour of the forewing is sometimes mottled the colour is more uniformly grey than other species with a blackish marking near the apex; in the male genitalia the dense short setae near the edge of the valva are distinctive, in the female the straight antrum and comparatively small signum.

Biology. The species has been reared from Gymnosporia buxifolia feeding singly in a web (Staude pers. comm.). Adults recorded in January–March, May, September and November.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, D.R. Congo.

Type material. Holotype ♂ in very poor condition ( SAMC).

Other material examined: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♂ Port St John’s 24–30.xi.1956 Son & Mar- tin ; 1 ♂ East London ix.1946 G.C. Clark ; 1 ♂ E. Cape, Hogsback 17.iii.1996 N.J. Duke ; 7 ♀ Punda Milia, K.N.P. Survey 4–5.v.1970 Vári & Potgieter ( TMSA) ; 1 ♀ R. Umkomaas, Natal i.1903 BMNH slide 28392 ( NHMUK) ; SWAZILAND: 2 ♂ 2 ♀ Lugageneni 17.ii.1996 N.J. Duke ; 1 ♀ 16.ii.1996 C. Saunders ( TMSA) ; ANGOLA: 1 ♂ Pungo Andongo A. v. Hofmeyer ( NHMUK) ; KENYA: 2 ♂ Nairobi, Oluloa Forest 6000 ft 20.vii.1999 D. Agassiz per Maes ; 1 ♂ Western, Kagamega 6000 ft 29.v.1999 D.J.L. Agassiz ; 2 ♀ Central, Naro Moru 1945 m 0°09’13ʼʼS 37°00’42’’E 3.xii.2015 ( DJLA) ; UGANDA: 1 ♂ Entebbe Rd. 31.i.1932 G.H.E. Hopkins ; ZIMBABWE: 1 ♂ Nr Chimanimani NP 920 m Hayfield B 20.015 32.58E 18–26.xi.1994 P.G. Haynes ( NHMUK) ; Bulawayo, Matopo Nat. Park 28–30.xi.1991 leg. Mey & Ebert ( MfN) .

Remarks. The illustration of the female genitalia in Gershenson & Ulenberg (1998) makes it clear that the species they illustrate is the same as sistrophora .

Figures

PLATE 12.