Crassuncus agassizi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich

Ustjuzhanin, Petr, Kovtunovich, Vasily, Anikin, Vasily & Aarvik, Leif, 2016, Additions to the fauna of plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) of Uganda, Zootaxa 4132 (3), pp. 393-402 : 396

Crassuncus agassizi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–2 )

Type material: Holotype, male (22779 BMNH), Uganda, Western Region, Kibale Distr., Kibale Biol. Field. Station of Maker SU N 0033', W 03021', 1511 m, 19–24.x.2014, V. Anikin. Paratypes: 2 Ƌ (22780, 22788 BMNH), RSA, Durban, Natal, 1903-1904, Leigh.

Description. External characters. Head, thorax and tegula brown yellow. Labial palpus straight, short, two thirds of the eye diameter. Antenna pale brown. Wingspan 16–17 mm, holotype 17 mm. Fore wing yellowish brown, scattered with small brown dots and dashes. Dark brown spot in cleft base and above it. Horizontal narrow dark brown band on costal margin in distal part of first lobe. Yellow fringe with portions of dark brown hairs inside cleft and from outside second lobe. Hind wing grey, darker than fore wing. Fringe brownish grey. Hind leg pale yellow.

Male genitalia. Uncus wide, triangular, tapered to apex. Valvae asymmetrical, narrow, lanceolate. Harpe on left valva slightly bent, formed as claw-like spike. Costal margin of valvae formed as two wide sclerotized folds. Anellus arms straight, long, slightly widened in distal part, tapered to apices. Saccus small, triangular, with arched notch. Phallus thin, without cornuti, slightly bent in basal part.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. In male genitalia the sclerotized folds on the costal margin of valva and the form of the uncus and the phallus Crassuncus agassizi is similar to C. ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) , but is distinctive from it by the bent harpe on the left valva, the long arms of the anellus and the arched notch on the saccus. In C. ecstaticus the harpe on the left valva is straight, the anellus arms are short, triangular and the saccus has no notch outside.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa, Uganda.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. David Agassiz (London, UK), a prominent entomologist, specialist in Microlepidoptera and organizer of the workshop in Kibale.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Crassuncus agassizi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov. 1. Adult, male (Holotype); 2. Male genitalia (Holotype, 22779 BMNH).