Cameraria zaira 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 : 52-53

11. Cameraria zaira De Prins , new species

( Figs 36 , 165, 166 , 365 )

Diagnosis. Wing pattern of C. zaira is very similar to C. sokoke , except for the apical part of forewing: subcostal apical margin of third fascia is broadly edged with black scales in C. sokoke and narrowly edged with a row of black scales in C. zaira . The horn like tegumenal appendices in male genitalia as described below is a unique character for this species and therefore, it is highly distinctive. Beside the distinctive (sub)apical tegumenal processes C. zaira clearly differs from C. sokoke by a full set of morphological characters in male genitalia: form of valvae, vinculum, and sclerotized anellus (see description below).

Holotype: ♂, Democratic Republic of the Congo: [1] ‘ Ht. Katanga / Panda / 04.ii.1930 / [leg.] J. Romieux; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3517♂ / De Prins’; [3] ‘Holotype ♂ / Cameraria / zaira / De Prins, 2012 ’, in MHNG .

Description. Adult ( Fig. 36 ). Forewing length: 2.8 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with pale ochreous piliform scales intermixed with white; frons smooth, with long shiny white with slight golden lustre scales appressed tightly all over frons to labial palpi. Labial palpus slightly longer than eye, light goldish beige, unicoloured from all sides dorsally and ventrally, apically pointed, downwards. Maxillary palpus small, porrect; light golden beige. Antenna ca. as long as forewing, pale beige, not ringed; first two flagellomeres white, following flagellomeres light ochreous beige, gradually darkened towards tip of antenna; each flagellomere with longitudinal piliform scales, dark dark ochreous apices, making every fagellomere clearly distinctive; ventral side of antenna pale beige; pedicel white; scape white with a few ochreous scales, pecten not perceptible.

Thorax. Light ochreous with white shading; tegulae light ochreous. Forewing elongate, ground colour light ochreous with white markings consisting of basal streak and three parallel fasciae; basal streak slightly oblique towards apex, edged dorsally by a few black scales; first fascia at 1/4, slender, oblique, directed towards apex, running transverse, but not reaching costa, tapering to sharp point at costa, finely edged apically with one row of black scales; second fascia at 1/2 parallel to first fascia basally, with a sharp curve directed towards apex at costal sector, reaching costa, edged apically with 2–3 rows of black scales; third fascia parallel to second fascia at 3/4, slightly curved at apical area and reaching costal margin of forewing, narrowly edged apically with a row of black scales; some white scales at at termen black tipped; fringe short dirty white along dorsal margin of forewing. Hindwing pale greyish beige; fringe very long, same shading as hindwing. Fore coxa pale ochreous dorsally and whitish ventrally, fore femur light ochreous, without shine, fore tibia light ochreous with a few darker ochreous scales dispersed ventrally, tarsomeres pale ochreous, terminal tarsomere dark ochreous. Mid-femur light ochreous spotted ventrally, with dark ochreous tiny scales mid-tibia pale ochreous with brown subapical patch, tarsomere I pale beige with tiny dark brown scales medially and subapically, tarsomeres II–III light beige with darker apical halves, terminal tarsomeres pale beige. Hind femur pale beige, slightly darker dorsally, hind tibia whitish with silverish beige shine, medial spurs almost half long as tibia, unicoloured, same shading as tibia, apical spurs same shading as median spurs, unicoloured, tarsomeres pale whitish ochreous, without markings.

Abdomen: Fuscous dorsally, paler ventrally. Sternum VIII damaged.

Male genitalia ( Figs 165, 166 ). Tegumen moderate in length, numerously covered with tiny round tubercules of microchetae; dorsally ends with gently rounded apical bulb, covered with numerous short stiff microsetae; apex of tegumen with two long setae; subapical lateral sides well sclerotized, subapex of tegumen with two long, slender, strongly sclerotized, tapering, horn-shaped processes (socii), smooth and without setae; apical processes (socii) are separated by a sharp triangular conus like tegumenal sclerotization covered with tiny microtrichiae, subbasal part of sclerotization is connected to smooth lateral sides of tegumenal subapex by rough wrinkled broad scarf. Valvae symmetrical long, 704 µm, tightly confluent with vinculum, with more or less rectangular bases and terminating with broad setose diamant-shaped apices. Vinculum U-shaped rather widened anteriorly; with long vincular process which arise between appendices of fultura superior and almost as long, as fultura superior but with broad base and bifurcate apex, saccus very long, ca. 470 µm, about half length of valva, narrow, slender, cylindrical, gently rounded caudally; anellus with well developed sclerotized fultura superior bearing two sinuate thick sclerotized appendices terminating with slender, pointed, flexible, downward bent apices; apices of fultura superior squamose. Aedoeagus ca. 650 µm long (without unsclerotized coecum), shorter than valva, slender, narrow, cylindrical, cordal part covered with microscobination, coecum part unsclerotized, broadened, balloon shaped, 410 µm in length, vesica gently bent, with tiny cluster of ca. 6–8 subapically blunt cornuti (visible at 400×).

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Etymology. The name ‘ zaira ’ is derived from the Portuguese ‘ Zaire ’, itself as a mispronunciation of the Kikongo word ‘ nzere’ meaning "the river that swallows all rivers" denoting the river Congo. The name Zaire was until 1997 used to refer to the country, where the species C. zaira was found.

Habitat. Unknown.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. The species was recorded in early February.

Distribution. ( Fig. 365 ). Known only from the type locality in the south-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Figures

FIGURES 33–38. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 33, Cameraria perodeaui, holotype ♀, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 16.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004799. 34, Cameraria perodeaui, paratype ♀, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 23.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004798. 35, Cameraria sokoke, holotype ♂, Kenya, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 30.iii.2004, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003275. 36, Cameraria zaira, holotype ♂, DRC, Ht. Katanga, Panda, 04.ii.1930, leg. J. Romieux, in MHNG. 37, Cameraria torridella, holotype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 02.xii.1998, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003121. 38, Phyllonorycter achilleus, holotype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, ex mine 16.x.1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003125.

FIGURES 162–166. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 162–164, Cameraria sokoke, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00385, in RMCA. 162, ventral view. 163, sternum VIII. 164, aedoeagus. 165–166, Cameraria zaira, holotype, genitalia prep. De Prins 3517, in MHNG. 165, ventral view. 166, 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.