Phyllonorycter encaeria ( Meyrick, 1911 )

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 70-71

17. Phyllonorycter encaeria ( Meyrick, 1911)

( Figs 42 , 126 , 185–187 , 307 , 371 )

Lithocolletis encaeria , n. sp. — Meyrick (1911: 234).

Lithocolletis encaeria — Vári (1961: 215–216; pl. 23, fig. 2; pl. 65, fig. 6; pl. 104, fig. 7).

Phyllonorycter encaeria — Vári & Kroon (1986: 32, 136, 157), Dall'Asta et al. (2001: 33), Vári et al. (2002: 26), De Prins & De Prins (2005: 291).

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter encaeria can superficially be separated from P. lantanae by forewing pattern and markings on hindlegs: basal white marking in P. encaeria appears as an oblique fascia, whereas in P. lantanae the basal white marking appears as an oblique dorsal strigula, which can vary in length. Hind tarsomeres I–III in P. encaeria with faint fuscous subapical patches, in P. lantanae hind tarsomeres I–III with dark fuscous halves. Phyllonorcyter lantanae and P. kazuri differ in female genitalia by the ratio of posterior / anterior apophyses. In P. encaeria this ratio is ca. 1 and in P. lantanae and P. kazuri this ratio is ca. 1.5.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, [1] [South Africa] ‘Pretoria / 8.x.1906 / A. J. T. Janse’; [2] ‘19’; [3] ‘6/47’; [4] ‘G[enitalia] / 4156’; [5] ‘ Lithocolletis / encaeria / 641’; [6] ‘ Lithocolletis / encaeria M. / Type No. 361’, in TMSA.

Additional material: 5♀ (including 5♀ genitalia preparations) and 4 specimens. South Africa: 1♀, Pretoria district, Grove Fount, 04.i.1911, leg. C. J. Swierstra, gen. prep. LV 7505♀, in TMSA. 3♀, Pretoria, 27.ii.1916, 13.xi.1918 and 04.x.1926, leg. A. J. T. Janse, gen. prep. Vári 3393♀, 4131♀, 7504♀, wing venation slide Vári 1595, in TMSA. 1♀, Pretoria, 20.ix.1951, leg. L. Vári, G[enitalia] 7502♀, Lithocolletis encaeria Meyrick ; ♀ METALLOTYPE No 6378, in TMSA. 2 specimens, Pretoria, 05.ii.1913 and 28.ii.1916, leg. A. J. T. Janse, in TMSA. 1 specimen, Pretoria, Willow Glen, 02.v.1985, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 1 specimen, Pretoria, Zoutpan, 4–10.ii.1929, leg. G. van Son, in TMSA.

Note: Vári (1961) frequently used the term "metallotype" to indicate the first specimen of the opposite sex to the holotype, but which was not included in the original type series, in order to distinguish it from the allotype. That term was introduced by Munro (1957), but it is not recognized by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. We retain it anyway in quoting the labels as it gives extra information.

Redescription. Adult ( Figs 42, 43 , 126 ). Forewing length: 2.3–2.5 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted ochreous, with some white piliform scales posteriorly; frons white. Labial palpus whitish. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing; flagellomeres with apical third dark fuscous dorsally, whitish ventrally; scape light ochreous.

Thorax: Shiny ochreous. Forewing elongate, ground colour ochreous with white markings consisting of very short basal streak, two fascia, two costal strigulae and one dorsal strigula;basal streak very short without edging, first fascia at 1/4, oblique directed toward apex, slightly angulated near costa, not edged; second fascia at 1/2, angulated at midline of forewing, edged basally with a few black scales; first costal strigula at 3/4, triangular shaped, reaching midline of forewing, first dorsal opposite first costal, elongate triangular, reaching middle of forewing; first costal and first dorsal strigulae irregularly and sparsely edged with black scales; black scales concentrated in disc between first costal and first dorsal strigulae; second dorsal strigula triangular, located at apex; black scales dispersed along termen; fringe pale ochreous, beyond blackish median line ochreous whitish. Hindwing pale grey with fringe of same colour. Fore femur and tibia dark fuscous, tibia with tiny subapical lateral spot, tarsomere I fuscous with white base and apex, tarsomere II fuscous with basal white half, tarsomere III fuscous, tarsomere IV white; mid-leg mainly white, mid-tibia with two patches submedially and subapically, tarsomere I with fuscous patch subapically, tarsomere II with fuscous apex, tarsomere II with fuscous basal half, tarsomere IV white, tarsomere V dark fuscous; hind tibia with ochreous fuscous patch laterally from mid-tibia to subapex, tarsomeres I–III with faint fuscous subapical patches, tarsomere V entirely fuscous.

Abdomen: Pale fuscous dorsally and pale grey ventrally. Segment VIII in males moderately long, truncate caudally.

Male genitalia ( Figs 185–187 ). Tegumen rather short, sclerotized, bluntly rounded caudally, tuba analis not protruding. Valvae symmetrical, moderate, with almost parallel margins, slightly tapering apically with gently rounded cuculus, apical sector finely setose, ventral valval margin with wide, weakly sclerotised, extended harpshaped projection; transtilla strongly sclerotized, narrow and slender; vinculum narrow, saccus very slender, slightly shorter than valva. Aedoeagus slender, 1.5× longer than saccus, slightly curved, tapering with vesica sharply pointed.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 307 ). Papillae anales connected dorsally, flattened, weakly sclerotized, with sparse long setae; basal bar narrow but strongly sclerotized; a slender needle-like strongly sclerotized projection going from basal bar and reaching middle of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses slender, slightly bent in middle, a little bit broader at basal half, gently tapering reaching posterior sector of segment VII. Anterior apophyses almost as long as posterior ones, very gently curved, ending just before middle of segment VII. Ostium bursae located almost at posterior sector of segment VII, sterigma simple, membranous, anteriad ostium bursae forming sclerotized fold, which occupies anterior 1/3 of segment VII. Ductus bursae moderate, very slender, narrow. Corpus bursae moderate, membranous, no signum.

Variation. Fuscous patches on legs of P. encaeria can be very reduced ( Vári 1961: 216).

Habitat. This species has been found in the urban area of Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adult specimens were collected mainly during two periods: 1) early January–late February, and late September–mid-November.

Distribution. ( Fig. 371 ). Recorded from Pretoria and suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa ( Meyrick 1911: 234; Vári 1961: 216).

Figures

FIGURES 39–44. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 39, Phyllonorycter adderis, holotype ♂, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 03.viii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005052. 40, Phyllonorycter agassizi, holotype ♂, Kenya, Ndoinet, 20.xii.1998, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000006146. 41, Phyllonorycter chionopa, holotype 6496♀, Namibia, Abachaus, ??.x.1944, leg. G. Hobohm, in TMSA. 42, Phyllonorycter encaeria, holotype 361♂, South Africa, Pretoria, 08.x.1906, leg. A.J.T. Janse, in TMSA. 43, Phyllonorycter encaeria, ♀, South Africa, Pretoria, 20.ix.1951, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 44, Phyllonorycter kazuri, holotype ♂, Kenya, Tsavo, 12.iv.2002, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003276.

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 185–190. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 185–187, Phyllonorycter encaeria, holotype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 4156, in TMSA. 185, ventral view. 186, sternum VIII. 187, aedoeagus. 188–190, Phyllonorycter kazuri, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00348, in RMCA. 188, ventral view. 189, sternum VIII. 190, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 306–307. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 306, Phyllonorycter chionopa, holotype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7727, in TMSA. 307, Phyllonorycter encaeria, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7504, in TMSA.

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.