Phyllonorycter achilleus 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 : 62-64

13. Phyllonorycter achilleus De Prins , new species

( Figs 38 , 170–172 , 305 , 367 , 441 )

Diagnosis. Cannot be confused with any other of the Afrotropical Phyllonorycter species , superficially resembles some of the Palaearctic species feeding on Prunus , but external morphology and genitalia are very unique.

Holotype: ♂, [1] ‘ Kenya, Rift Valley / m. Prunus africana / Turi, 8000 ft., / e. m. 16.x.1999 / [leg.] D. J. L. Agassiz; [2] Gen. Prep. 3500♂ / De Prins; [3] MRAC/KMMA / 00381, specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003125 ’, [5] ‘Holotype ♂ / Phyllonorycter / achilleus / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratype: ♀. Kenya: Kakamega Forest, 1575 m, 00°20’N 34°52’E, 01.iv.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, gen. prep. De Prins 3632♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00380), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003265, in RMCA, DNA voucher CLV12907, in CCDB.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 38 ). Forewing length: 4.3 mm of male (holotype) and 3.2 mm of female (paratype).

Head: Vertex tufted orange-ochreous, some lighter yellowish hairs in posterior part, frons shiny white. Labial palpus light fuscous, almost whitish, drooping, 1.5× longer than eye. Maxilary palpus golden ochreous; proboscis yellowish beige. Antennae a little shorter than forewing, ochreous above, greyish ochreous towards terminal part, white beneath; flagellomeres a little darker in their posterior half, but not clearly ringed, pedicel short with whitish anterior and ochreous posterior halves; scape brownish dorsally, white ventrally, pecten short, cilia-like, whitishochreous, as long as scape and shorter.

Thorax: Golden-ochreous; lateral sides white, narrow white median line, tegulae orange-ochreous, some white scales towards thorax. Fore wings elongate, ground colour orange-ochreous with shiny white and dark brown pattern, consisting of white basal streak, basal patch, 4 costal and 4 dorsal shiny white strigulae, finely edged with dark brown scales basally. Basal streak slightly longer than 1/3, finely edged with dark brown at costal margin and around proximal part of basal streak; first costal strigula a little closer to apex than first dorsal strigula, narrow, oblique, turned towards apex; second, third, and fourth costal strigulae small, narrow, straight, parallel and of equal size; dorsal patch shiny white, semi-circular on dorsum between base and first dorsal strigula, edged with dark brown scales, first dorsal strigula narrow, oblique, proximal end with dark brown edging elongate in median area of dark brown scales extending to dark brown-blackish apical spot, a small whitish golden stripe consisting of only few scales borders apical spot; second dorsal strigula triangular, shiny white; third and fourth dorsal strigulae very small, inconspicuous, consisting of only a few white scales; termen a little darker than wing ground colour; fringe light fuscous. Hind wings narrow, elongate, pointed, ground colour fuscous, fringe fuscous. Fore femur and tibia dark brownish grey on upperside, light grey on underside, tarsomere I brownish grey with lighter tip above, tarsomeres II–V brownish grey; mid-and hind legs dark unicolours, ochreous-grey on upperside, lighter than fore legs, light grey on underside; mid-tibia with one pair of ochreous-greyish spurs, outer spur half as long as inner one; hind tibiae with two pairs of ochreous-greyish spurs, outer spurs half as long as innes ones; tarsomeres ochreous-greyish, a little darker on uppersides, hind tarsomeres in female slightly lighter than hind tibia.

Abdomen: Dark greyish fuscous above, a little lighter towards proximal end, underside lighter greyish. Descaled sternum VIII in males long, narrow with rough margins, gently rounded at apex.

Male genitalia ( Figs 170–172 ). Tegumen moderate, lightly membranous, without setation, apex slightly bifurcate. Valvae symmetrical, valva slender, ca. 750 µm long, broadest just before middle, narrower towards base, gently tapering beyond middle, apical third with parallel sides, slightly curved ventrally; central area finely haired, hairs pointed towards base; two long, slender bristles on ventral side before apex, assemblage of strongly sclerotized, short, sharp ended dental macrochaetae in preapical area, a strong, well-chitinized hooked spine at apex, almost as long as greatest valva width, slightly curved dorsally. Transtilla incomplete. Vinculum small, triangular. Saccus as very short semi round appendix visible only at 250× magnification. Aedoeagus shorter than valva, 4/5 of valval length, slender, straight, vesica slightly curved, ending in narrow, projection. One very long cornutus, about 1/2 of aedoeagus length, and rather broad located close to coecum, at ca. 1/2 of aedoeagus diameter.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 305 ). Papillae anales wide, semi rounded compressed postero-anteriorly, overlapping each other laterally; covered with round tubercules and long slender setae-like hairs around basal margin; a narrow, but strongly sclerotized line borders base of each papilla anales. Posterior apophyses, moderate runing up to anterior margin of segment VIII, abuting to each other with their tips, basal half about twice thicker than distal half, with sudden transition from thick basal half to very slender and narrow distal half at middle of apophyses posteriores. Segment VIII, moderate, anterior half lightly more sclerotized than posterior half, very weakly connected with bases of papillae anales. Anterior apohyses half shorter than posterior apophyses, starting at anterior margin of segment VIII, without broadened bases or any sclerotized connection with sternum VIII, straight, narrow, parallel to each other with sharp apices, reaching posterior 1/3 of segment VIII only. Segment VII very long, almost parallel sided, sclerotized. Ostium bursae located at anterior margin of segment VII, sterigmatic cuticle sclerotizations not developed. Antrum very short, tubular, straight, ductus bursae very short, broad, weakly sclerotized. Ductus seminalis arising from anterior end of ductus bursae, very short, bulla seminalis small elongate sack, conspicuously smaller than corpus bursae; spermatheca located in segment VII, ductus spermathecae forming 11–13 coils having larger diameter before vesicle. Corpus bursae moderate, slightly rounded, but more or less sacshaped, with a oblonged weakly sclerotized, smoothly edged, signum area with a diamond-like signum of 4 rays, of which one lateral marginal ray elongate, anterior ray asymmetrically bifurcate, other lateral and posterior marginal rays of signum of similar size: broad and very short.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Greek mythological hero of the Trojan War Achilleus (ΆχƖλλƐύς). This name also honours the late Achiel and Maria De Keyser for their kindness and favours to the author of this species.

Variation. Females of P. achilleus differently from males are smaller in wing span, background coloration of forewing is slightly lighter, hind tarsomeres pale brownish fuscous, whereas hind tarsomeres of males are darker.

Habitat. Tropical rainforest where Guineo-Congolian flora intermixes with savannah plants at altitudes above 1500 m ( Fig. 441 ).

Host plant(s). Rosaceae : Prunus africana (Hook. f.) Kalkman.

Flight period. Adult specimens are recorded from two periods of the year: early April and mid-October.

Distribution ( Fig. 367 ). Known only from two localities situated close to each other: the type locality at Albertine Rift, and from Kakamega Forest in western Kenya.

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 170–175. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 170–172, Phyllonorycter achilleus, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00381, in RMCA. 170, ventral view. 171, valva. 172, aedoeagus. 173–175, Phyllonorycter adderis, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00462, in RMCA. 173, ventral view. 174, sternum VIII. 175, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 303–305. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 303–304, Cameraria torridella, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00291, in RMCA. 303, corpus bursae. 304, segments VII–X, ventral view. 305, Phyllonorycter achilleus, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00380, in RMCA.

FIGURES 367–378. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 367, Phyllonorycter achilleus. 368, Phyllonorycter adderis. 369, Phyllonorycter agassizi. 370, Phyllonorycter chionopa. 371, Phyllonorycter encaeria. 372, Phyllonorycter kazuri. 373, Phyllonorycter lantanae. 374, Phyllonorycter gato. 375, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola. 376, Phyllonorycter grewiaephilos. 377, Phyllonorycter grewiella. 378, Phyllonorycter acutulus.

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.