Mesophleps truncatella, Li & Sattler, 2012

Li, Houhun & Sattler, Klaus, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the genus Mesophleps Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) 3373, Zootaxa 3373, pp. 1-82 : 47

Mesophleps truncatella sp. nov.

( Figs 55, 80, 108, 139)

♂, ♀. Wingspan 8.0–14.0 mm. Labial palpus segment 2 brown, distally with white ring, 3 white, apex black. Antenna with alternating whitish grey and brown rings, apical segment black. Forewing greyish yellow, distal three-fifths of costa brown, with indistinct oblique white line from distal fifth, termen with three black spots; brown to black discocellular spot and short plical dash present.

Genitalia ♂ ( Fig. 80). Uncus broadly inverted triangular or trapeze-shaped, distal margin truncate, slightly convex medially; gnathos hooks strong, slightly curved, apices level with distal margin of uncus; distal part of vinculum relatively broad, posterior margin with deeply split median sclerotization; phallus with small triangular ventral tooth at distal fifth and scobinations between tooth and juxta.

Genitalia ♀ ( Figs 108, 139). Dorso-posterior margin of segment VIII with pair of strongly sclerotized pits and associated longitudinal carinae; antrum short, sub-triangular, with concave posterior margin; subostial plate crescent-shaped. Ductus bursae about twice length of apophyses anteriores, at entrance to corpus bursae slightly expanded and slightly sclerotized; corpus bursae oval, as long as ductus bursae. Ductus seminalis very delicate, arising from corpus bursae close to entrance of ductus bursae.

Remarks. M. truncatella differs from the following undulatella in its much smaller size. In the male genitalia both species share the unusually broad uncus and widely separated gnathos hooks; however, whereas the uncus is inverted sub-triangular or sub-trapezoid, widest distally, and more or less truncated in truncatella , it is widest in the middle and distally concave in undulatella and has strong corners. The females share the dorsal pits on the posterior margin of segment VIII but differ in the antrum which is small, triangular, posteriorly concave in truncatella and long, tubular in undulatella .

Biology. Host-plant unknown.

Distribution. Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland), Vanuatu (‘New Hebrides’).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin word truncatus (truncate) and postfix - ellus, in reference to the truncated caudal margin of the uncus in the male genitalia.

Material examined (3 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, including 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀ genitalia preparations)

Holotype ♂, Australia, Queensland, Kuranda , 11.x.1904 (Dodd) (genitalia slide no. 30889; BMNH).

Paratypes. Australia: 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀, Queensland, Kuranda , 7.ix, 10.x, 1.xi, 1.xii.1904 (Dodd), 4.xii.1996 (Shaffer) ; 1 ♂, Cairns , xi.1906, (Dodd) , 1 ♀, Toowong , 19.ix.1908, (Dodd) ; 2 ♀♀, Northern Territory, Darwin (‘ W Australia, Port Darwin , Palmerston’), 13, 17.ix.1908 (Dodd) . Vanuatu (‘ New Hebrides’ ): 1 ♀, Erromanga, vii.1930 (Cheesman) ; 1 ♀, Aneityum , xi.1930 (Cheesman) .