Hyloconis luki De Prins, 2012

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 26-28

1. Hyloconis luki De Prins , new species

( Figs 11 , 21 , 142, 143 , 356 , 443 , 447 )

Diagnosis. This species can be confused with Cameraria perodeaui De Prins , n. sp., owing to their similar wing patterns. However, the genitalia of H. luki are unique among Afrotropical Lithocolletinae in that they possess a tegumen with 4 long apical setae, and strikingly large, broad, bifurcated valva that lacks setae. The aedoeagus, consisting of two morphologically different parts, is unique among all Afrotropical Lithocolletinae .

Holotype: ♂, [1] ‘Congo Dem. Rep. [ Democratic Republic of the Congo] / Bas-Congo 320 m / Nat.[ure] Res.[erve] Luki-Mayumbe / 05°37’S 13°05’E / 23.v.2007 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. prep. 3744♂ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00452’; wing venation preparations [4] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00454’; [5] ‘MRAC/ KMMA / 00455’; specimen ID: [6] ‘ RMCA ENT 000004800 ’; [7] ‘DNA leg voucher / AK-07-121’, stored in the molecular collection at UM-SI; [8] ‘ Holotype ♂ / Hyloconis / luki / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 21 ). Forewing length: 1.55 mm.

Head: Anterior portion of vertex covered with appressed scales with strong silver shine; posterior region of vertex and occiput with tufted stiff ochreous piliform scales of medium length projecting latero-dorsally with intrusion of shorter scales of paler ochreous shading projecting mostly posteriorly; frons smooth, white, with silvery gloss. Maxillary palpus rudimentary. Labial palpus short, white, with slight beige shading on third palpomere, drooping, terminal palpomere with pointed apex, directed downwards. Haustellum of moderate length, pale beige. Antenna nearly as long as forewing, flagellum thicker than in Phyllonorycter , consisting of 32-34 flagellomeres, apex of each flagellomere slightly broader than base, flagellomere fuscous with narrow shiny pale ochreous base and apex dorsally, light grey ventrally; pedicel slightly thicker but shorter than following flagellomere, of same colouration as remaining flagellomeres; scape white anteriorly and dark fuscous posteriorly with 5-6 ochreous short pecten of similar length.

Thorax: Ochreous; tegulae dark ochreous, slightly darker shading than thorax. Forewing ground colour ochreous with following white markings: one fascia, 3 costal strigulae and 2 dorsal strigulae; basal streak absent, fascia at 1/4 of costal margin of forewing, and subbasally on dorsal margin of forewing, irregularly curving, twice as broad at dorsal margin than at costal margin, edged on both sides with an irregular row black scales; first costal strigula situated just apically beyond 1/2 of forewing, comma shaped, short, reaching 1/3 of width of forewing, oblique towards apex, edged with black scales basally; second costal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, short stripe shaped, smaller than first costal strigula, oblique towards base, distinctively edged basally with a row of black scales and suffused, irregularly edged by dark fuscous scales apically; third costal strigula at apex, elongate spot, ca. as large as second strigula and significantly smaller than first strigula, edged by a row of black scales basally, and irroration of dark fuscous long rod-shaped scales bordering third strigula apically; first dorsal strigula situated opposite first costal strigula, oblique towards apex, extended slightly further than midline of forewing, edged by a row of black scales basally and by an irregular band of curving 2–3 rows of fuscous scales apically, tips of first costal strigula and first dorsal strigula touch each other; second dorsal strigula situated opposite second costal strigula, broad triangular shaped, just reaching midline of forewing, with black scales along basal margin and fuscous scales apically, a gap of ochreous scales as broad as 1/2 of length of second dorsal strigula separating tips of second costal and second basal strigulae; black fringeline separated from part of forewing by a layer of long reactangular shaped light fuscous scales extending along apex and termen; fringe greyish beige, short along termen and long at dorsum. Hindwing grey, fringe slightly darker than hindwing, long, only slightly shorter towards apex of hindwing. Prothoracic femur and tibia fuscous dorsally, greyish ochreous ventrally, tarsomere I fuscous, tarsomere II light fuscous with pale greyish apex, tarsomere III pale greyish with fuscous apex, terminal tarsomeres pale fuscous; midfemur pale beige, midtibia pale beige with three elongate black spots of similar size situated at base, in middle of midtibia, and at apex, apical spurs appressed, short, white with narrow ringed fuscous base, tarsomere I pale beige with a row of elongate black scales arranged in a row, tarsomere II white, tarsomere III white at basal half and fuscous at apical half, tarsomere IV entirely fuscous, and tarsomere V brightly white; hind femur dark beige, hind tibia dark greyish beige with loosely appressed hairs; medial spurs and apical spurs of medium length, ca. 1/2 of tibial length, pale greyish beige with white sharp tips, tarsus white with three dark fuscous rings, tarsomere I white with fuscous apex, tarsomere II–III white with fuscous base and apex, tarsomere IV fuscous at basal half and white at apical half, tarsomere V snowy white.

Abdomen: Dark fuscous dorsally and metallic white ventrally, sternum VIII not visible in preparation.

Male genitalia ( Figs 142, 143 ). Tegumen ca. 283 µm, with large “hole” in median section, flexible, subconical, not sclerotized, except narrow sclerotized arms confluent in subapex; tegumen inrolled between valvae; subapex of tegumen covered with short slender appressed setae, apex of tegumen with 4 stiff, long (41 µm) setae. Valvae symmetrical, very large, broad, long, bifurcate in apical region, ca. 295 µm from base to tip of bifurcation, bifurcation ca. 83 µm deep, ventral region of valva with 2 thickly sclerotized sutures ca. 185 µm long, from base of valva, slightly bent at basal area, diverging from each other at 1/2 of valval length and anostomosing to ventral valval surface at apical 1/3, ventral surface of valva without setae. Vinculum rather small, ca. 30 µm, crescent shaped, medially sclerotized with triangular caudal part with protruding narrow, slender saccus (caudal part of saccus broken in preparation). Transtilla incomplete. Aedoaegus very long, longer than valva, consisting of two distinct regions: (1) a narrow tubular, slightly sinuous apical part ca. 256 µm long, tapering at vesica; (2) very large bulbous coecum, slighly less sclerotized than tubular part of aedoeagus, ca. 150 µm long. Anellus well developed, tubular, thickly sclerotized, ca. 135 µm long, covered laterally with long tufted setae, terminating caudally with very heavily sclerotized ring encircling narrow canal in which tubular section of aedoeagus moves; juxta well developed, shaped as two narrow thickly sclerotized plates facing each other.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

DNA sequences. Molecular data are available (Molecular sample code: Porp121, Genbank numbers: CAD [ JN125082 ], ACC [ JN125042 ], 265fin [ JN124917 ], 3007fin [ JN124964 ]; Table S1 ).

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition refering to the river Luki, which crosses the Mayumbe Forest, the area where this new species occrus.

Habitat. Primary rainforest with an undergrowth of Fabaceae ( Figs 443 , 447 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. The holotype was collected in late May.

Distribution ( Fig. 356 ). Known only from the type locality in the South-West of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Figures

FIGURES 11–20. Wing morphology of the Afrotropical Lithocolletinae genera. 11, Hyloconis luki, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00454. 12, Neolithocolletis mayumbe, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00535. 13, Neolithocolletis nsengai, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00427. 14, Cameraria perodeaui, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00453. 15, Cameraria torridella, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00490. 16, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00528. 17, Phyllonorycter melanosparta, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00497. 18, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00494. 19, Cremastobombycia morogorene, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00667. 20, Porphyrosela teramni, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00434.

FIGURES 21–26. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 21, Hyloconis luki, holotype ♂, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 23.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004800. 22, Neolithocolletis mayumbe, holotype ♂, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 22.iii.2006, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003293. 23, Neolithocolletis nsengai, paratype ♀, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 16.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004793. 24, Neolithocolletis pentadesma, ♀, Seychelles, Fregate island, 4.x.2002, leg. J. Gerlach, in CUMZ. 25, Cameraria hexalobina, holotype 6364♂, South Africa, Punda Maria, 12.iv.1952, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 26, Cameraria hexalobina, paratype 6368♂, South Africa, Punda Maria, 15.iv.1952, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA.

FIGURES 142–146. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 142–143, Hyloconis luki, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00452, in RMCA. 142, ventral view. 143, aedoeagus. 144–146, Neolithocolletis mayumbe, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00407, in RMCA. 144, ventral view. 145, sternum VIII. 146, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 356–366. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 356, Hyloconis luki. 357, Neolithocolletis mayumbe. 358, Neolithocolletis nsengai. 359, Cameraria hexalobina. 360, Cameraria fara. 361, Cameraria landryi. 362, Cameraria varii. 363, Cameraria perodeaui. 364, Cameraria sokoke. 365, Cameraria zaira. 366, Cameraria torridella.

FIGURES 441–445. Habitats of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 441, Kakamega Forest, Kenya, April 2003. The habitat is the most eastern relict of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest. 442, Faro River area, Cameroon, May 2005. The habitat is a repeatedly burned savannah and bush land. 443, Mayumbe Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2007. The habitat is an undisturbed primary rain forest. 444, Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda, August 2008. The habitat is a montane rain forest. 445, Morogoro are, Tanzania, July 2009. The habitat is variable: transitional dry lowland /submontane woodland.

FIGURES 446–447. Contributors to this study. 446, from left: Lajos Vári, Jurate De Prins and Willy De Prins in the Lepidoptera collection of the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (formerly Transvaal Museum), Pretoria, South Africa, 20 November, 2004. 447, from left: Akito Kawahara, Jurate De Prins, Willy De Prins and local forest guide in Mayumbe Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo after 8 hours of tracking, 23 May 2007.