Alucita hirsuta Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2024

Ustjuzhanin, Peter, Kovtunovich, Vasily, Delabye, Sylvain, Maicher, Vincent, Safian, Szabolcs, Streltzov, Alexander & Tropek, Robert, 2024, Magnifying the hotspot: descriptions of nine new species of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae), with an identification key to all species known from Cameroon, ZooKeys 1193, pp. 25-48 : 25

Alucita hirsuta Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.

Figs 20 , 21

Type material.

Holotype • ♀, (NECJU 230710), Cameroon, Mapanja, 1850 m a.s.l., Mount Cameroon, 4.1157°N, 9.1315°E, 23.X.2017, lgt. V. Maicher, S. Delabye.

Differential diagnosis.

The mushroom-like antrum and elongated crest-like signum of this species bear similarity to Alucita ectomesa (Hering, 1917) (illustrated in Ustjuzhanin and Kovtunovich 2016), but it can be distinguished by the wider ductus, the round bursa copulatrix, and numerous tiny spiky signa present in it. Additionally, the unique colouration of the wings sets A. hirsuta apart from all other African Alucitidae species.

External characters.

The head, thorax, and tegulae are dark brown. The labial palpi are short, slightly longer than the longitudinal eye diameter. The antennae are brown. The wingspan is 14 mm, and the wings have a reddish brown appearance. The lobes of all wings bear protruding tousled dark-brown hairs, especially dense on the first two lobes of the fore wings, creating the appearance of a shaggy moth. There are narrow, poorly visible pale longitudinal bands on all wings. The fringe on all wings ranges from pale to dark brown. The hind legs are yellow.

Female genitalia.

The papillae anales are narrowly triangular in shape. Both the posterior and anterior apophyses are of equal length, thick, and straight. The antrum is wide and mushroom-like. The ductus is wide, corrugated, and strewn with narrow strands. The ductus seminalis passes from the middle of the ductus. The bursa copulatrix is round, with a robust crest-like signum located in the upper part of the bursa, near the confluence of the ductus. Numerous tiny spiky signa densely cover the entire surface of the bursa.

Distribution.

The species was found in Cameroon only.

Flight period.

The species was collected in October.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from Latin ’hirsute’ (shaggy, bristly, hairy). It refers to the appearance of the adult moth, with tousled protruding dark-brown hairs on the wings, reminiscent of a hairy and shaggy moth.

Figures

Figures 20, 21. Alucita hirsuta Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. 20 adult female, holotype, NECJU 21 female genitalia, holotype, NEJCU, preparation slide no. 230710. Scale bar: 5 mm.