Cameraria fara 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 : 43-44

6. Cameraria fara De Prins , new species

( Figs 28 , 123 , 298 , 360 , 442 )

Diagnosis. The forewing markings provide no features that separate this species from Cameraria landryi and C. varii . The hindlegs are more differentiated ( Figs 123–125 ). Genital characters resemble those of C. hexalobina . However, C. fara can be separated from the latter by the broad funnel-shaped sterigma and the dentate signum on the corpus bursae.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Cameroon / North Province / Faro riverside 289 m / 08°23’N 012°49’E / 27.xi.2003 / leg. J. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3638♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00395’; specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003284 ’. [5] ‘DNA voucher / CLV15107’, in CCDB; [6] ‘Holotype ♀ / Cameraria / fara / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA .

Description. Adult ( Figs 28 , 123 ). Forewing length: 2.4 mm (holotype).

Head: Tufted, neck plumes pale-ochreous, projecting forward; frons smooth, shining white. Maxillary palpus white, very small. Labial palpus white, drooping, palpomeres 2 and 3 with a few small ochreous scales laterally, terminal palpomere sharp caudally, directed downwards. Haustellum of median length, curved. Antenna light ochreous with blackish longitudinal scales situated on each flagellomere dorsally; flagellum pale ochreous ventrally with basally annulated darker brownish obsolete rings; scape pale ochreous, mottled with darker brown with pale ochreous pecten of different length; pedicel pale beige.

Thorax: Shining ochreous; tegulae shining ochreous with slightly darker anterior sector. Forewing ground colour ochreous with dirty white/black markings consisting of three transverse fasciae, one costal patch and one dorsal strigula and marked blackish-fuscous at tornus; blackish dorsal strigula runs slightly oblique beyond midline of forewing, 1 st narrow oblique dirty white/ blackish fascia at 1/4 of forewing, 2 nd fascia at 1/2 of dorsum running towards apex, Y-shaped, angled subcostally, richly irrorated with blackish fuscous scales; 3 rd fascia very narrow white, extending along termen, edged apically by blackish fuscous scales, reaching termen; termen area richly covered by dark fuscous scales, tornus irrorated with blackish scales; fringeline indistinct, dark fuscous, formed by fuscous tipped scales along tornus. Hindwings dirty white with golden shine along costal margin; fringe concolorous with hindwing. Fore-femur and fore-tibia brownish fuscous, epiphysis brownish, tarsomeres I–III white, annulated with dark brown apically, tarsomere IV brownish grey, tip of tarsus white; mid-femur pale ochreous, mid-tibia dirty white with elongate dark brown patches dorsally, tibial spurs white with dark fuscous spots subapically, tarsus with three blackish rings: subbasal narrow, median and broadly ringed subapical, tarsomere I white with fuscous median patch and fuscous apex, tarsomere II white with fuscous base, tarsomere III white with fuscous apex, tarsomere IV entirely fuscous, tarsomere V white with fuscous base; hind tibia brown ochreous, mottled with dark brown scales, medial and apical spurs white with brown subapices; tarsus white with a brownish spot subbasally and two blackish rings: narrow medially and broad subapically, tarsomere I white with blackish median spot and apex, tarsomere II white with blackish base and apex, tarsomere III blackish, tarsomeres IV white with blackish base, tarsomere V white.

Abdomen: Brownish dorsally, paler ventrally.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 298 ). Papillae anales compressed posteriorly, covered with long slender setae up to 80 µm, basal bar narrow, but well sclerotized. Posterior apophyses strongly sclerotized, short, ca. 200 µm long, slender, apices sharply pointed, reaching ca.1/3 beyond bases of anterior apophyses. Segment VIII well sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally. Anterior apophyses slightly shorter than posterior apophyses ca. 160 µm, slender, with sharp apices. Ostium bursae located at posterior margin of segment VII, opens at posterior margin of triangular-shaped sterigmatic sclerotization of segment VII, antrum moderate, tulip-like basally, tubular distally, with a sclerotized plate ca. 190 µm from ostium bursae. Ductus bursae moderate, almost 3× as long as segment VII, ca. 900 µm, gradually broadening anteriorly towards corpus bursae, with abrupt infusion to corpus bursae. Corpus bursae moderate, nearly round, ca. 280×315 µm, bears an oval sclerotized signum area crossed by a dentate signum.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Faro River, the floodplain of which is the type locality. The specific name is composed from the river name + latinized ending –a in the agreement in gender with the generic name. It is to be treated as a compound noun in apposition. This combination of species-group name agrees with Art 31.2.1 of the ICZN.

Habitat. Riparian woodland with high standing grass ( Fig. 442 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. We have recorded adults on wing at the end of November.

Distribution. ( Fig. 360 ). The species is known only from the type locality in Cameroon.

Figures

FIGURES 27–32. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 27, Cameraria hexalobina, ♀, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 05.iv.2006, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003295. 28, Cameraria fara, holotype ♀, Cameroon, Faro riverside, 27.xi.2003, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003284. 29, Cameraria landryi, holotype ♂, DRC, Bas-Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 23.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004448. 30, Cameraria landryi, paratype ♂, DRC, Bas- Congo, Luki-Mayumbe NR, 16.v.2007, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004450. 31, Cameraria varii, holotype ♂, South Africa, Pretoria, 30.x.1968, leg. L. Vári, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004276. 32, Cameraria varii, paratype ♀, South Africa, Pretoria, 07.xi.1968, leg. L. Vári, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004277.

FIGURES 123–131. Diagnostic characters in hind legs between congeneric Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 123, Cameraria fara, hind tarsus white with a brownish spot subbasally and two blackish rings: narrow medially and broad subapically, tarsomere V white. 124, Cameraria landryi, hind tarsus white with two blackish small spots basally and two blackish rings: narrow medially and broad subapically, tarsomere V white with dark fuscous tip. 125, Cameraria varii, hind tarsus white with a blackish small spot basally and three blackish rings of median width, tarsomere V white. 126, Phyllonorycter encaeria, hind tarsomeres I–III with faint fuscous subapical patches. 127, Phyllonorycter lantanae, hind tarsomere I with subbasal and subapical dark fuscous patches, tarsomere II with dark fuscous apical half, tarsomere III with a dark fuscous basal half. 128, Phyllonorycter anchistea, hind tarsomere I dotted. 129, Phyllonorycter melanosparta, hind tarsomere I not dotted. 130, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, hind tarsomere I white with a dark fuscous apex. 131, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, hind tarsomere I with a faint subapical ochreous patch.

FIGURES 298–299. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 298, Cameraria fara, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00395, in RMCA. 299, Cameraria landryi, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00416, in RMCA.

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.