Eridachtha phaeochlora Meyrick, 1920

Park, Kyu-Tek, Minet, Joël, Koo, Jun-Mo & Yu, Tae-Uk, 2024, Review of the Afrotropical members of the genus Eridachtha Meyrick, 1910 (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae: Lecithocerinae), with descriptions of 12 new species, Zootaxa 5468 (2), pp. 275-307 : 281-282

Eridachtha phaeochlora Meyrick, 1920

( Fig. 4 )

Eridachtha phaeochlora Meyrick, 1920b: 76 ; Meyrick 1925: 220; Viette 1951: 90. TL: Kenya. [MNHN]. Material examined. Kenya: 1♂ (holotype, type no. M478), British East Africa, Kenya (Mount Kenya, west slope), alpine grassland with tree-heaths, 3,300 –3,500 m, station no. 43, Jan.–Feb. 1912 (“1911” in the original description), leg. Ch. Alluaud & R. Jeannel, genitalia slide: prep. J. Minet no. 1667, in MNHN.

Diagnosis. Male ( Figs 4A, C ). Wingspan 21.0 mm. No further specimen has been found, apparently, since the species was described from Kenya. This taxon is superficially similar to E. cosymbota Meyrick but can be distinguished from the latter as noted above (see E. cosymbota ). It is also similar to E. calamopis Meyrick but can be distinguished by the forewing venation ( Fig. 4C ), its vein R 3 being stalked with R 4+5 (for almost ¼ of its length). The male genitalia ( Figs 4D–F ) are also similar to those of E. calamopis ( Figs 3D–F ) but can be distinguished by the gnathos which has a strongly convex caudal margin of the basal plate and by the broader cucullus.

Male genitalia ( Figs 4D–F ): uncus basal lobes semi-ovate, directed outward. Gnathos basal plate elongated, strongly convex on caudal margin. Costal bar banded and slightly angulate medially. Valva broad basally; cucullus broad basally, slightly narrowed distally, with a row of long bristles near lower corner, with numerous minute spines along ventral margin; costal margin slightly convex medially; sacculus broadly developed; apex rounded. Juxta shield-shaped, lacking latero-caudal processes; anterior margin with thumb-like median process. Vinculum U-shaped, nearly flat anteriorly. Aedeagus somewhat slender, slightly shorter than valva, bifurcated apically, with a pair of small triangular processes on dorsal margin pre-apically; cornutus absent.

Female unknown.

Distribution. Kenya (Central).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Eridachtha calamopis Meyrick, 1920: A, male, lectotype; B, labels; C, forewing venation; D, male genitalia (slide J. Minet no. 1668); E, aedeagus; F, close-up of D (vinculum, tegumen and A10). Scale bar for D and E: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Eridachtha phaeochlora Meyrick, 1920: A, male, holotype; B, labels; C, forewing venation (with dotted lines showing veins R3, R4 and R 5); D, male genitalia (slide J. Minet no. 1667); E, aedeagus; F, close-up of D (vinculum, tegumen and A10). Scale bar for D and E: 0.5 mm.