Phylonorycter gato 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 : 74-76

20. Phylonorycter gato De Prins , new species

( Figs 47 , 311 , 374 , 444 )

Diagnosis. This new species can superficially be confused with P. adderis and P. ipomoellus , however the distinct margin of the second fascia (only present on the proximal side), separates P. gato from P. ipomoellus . In P. ipomoellus , the second fascia is bordered from both sides by a slender row of black scales. Phyllonorycter gato can be separated from P. adderis by the straight and unbordered first fascia whereas in P. adderis it is oblique and boldly margined. Female genitalia are distinctive from all other Afrotropical Phyllonorycter species by the combination of the following features: posterior region of anterior apophyses are positioned at the posterior margin of segment VIII, ostium bursae ringed with tubular sclerotized margin, antrum broad and sclerotized, sterigma well developed, arc-shaped, strongly wrinkled sclerotized suture (small fold) occupying almost all surface of sternum VII, and lack of signum on corpus bursae.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Rwanda / Nyungwe N[ational] P[ark] 1800 m / 11 km N Uwinka / 02°25’S 29°09’E / mine 03.viii.2008 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘e. l. unidentified plant [Unknown] / 10.viii.2008 ’; [3] Gen. Prep. 3752♀ / De Prins; [4] MRAC/KMMA / 00486’; specimen ID: [5] ‘ RMCA ENT 000005151 ’; [6] ‘DNA voucher / DP08021’, in UM-SI; [6] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / gato / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 47 ). Forewing length: 2.9 mm (holotype).

Head: Vertex tufted, with ochreous, piliform scales of different length, arranged in more or less two bunches, projecting radially; frons smooth, covered with narrow piliform dirty white with slight ochreous shading and metallic gloss appressed scales.. Labial palpus slightly longer than eye, drooping, straight, dorsally and laterally pale ochreous with slight metallic shine, terminal palpomere with pointed apex, directed downwards. Maxillary palpus small, ochreous; proboscis curved beige ochreous. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, consisting of 36–37 flagellomeres, dorsally each flagellomere (except scape and pedicel) dark fuscous with ochreous base; ventrally flagellomeres yellowish ochreous with narrow fuscous blackish apex; pedicel slightly longer than following flagellomere ochreous, with narrow fuscous blackish band anteriorly; scape dark ochreous with narrow brownish fuscous band anteriorly, with 7–8 ochreous pecten of similar length approximately twice longer than scape.

Thorax: Ochreous; tegula ochreous, also at its posterior part. Forewing ground colour ochreous with white markings: two transverse, almost straight fasciae, one costal, one dorsal strigulae and a tiny white spot at middle of termen; basal streak very short, just oblonged white spot, slightly oblique towards apex, not edged; first fascia at 1/ 4 of forewing, narrow, almost straight, edged basally to dorsal 1/4, row of black edging scales crossing first fascia and 3/4 of first fascia edged apically; second fascia at 1/2, narrow, only slightly broader than first fascia, almost straight, no constrictions, broadly edged with 2 rows of blackish scales basally, only a couple of black scales present at middle of apical edge of second fascia; first costal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, short not reaching midline of forewing, narrow, rod shaped, edged with irregular one row of blackish scales from both sides; first dorsal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, situated opposite first costal strigula, short, slightly longer than first costal strigula, not reaching midline of forewing, rod-shaped, with obtuse caudal part, edged with distinct regular row of blackish scales basally and with irregular, more slender row of blackish scales apically; a round patch consisting of sparsely set greyish brown scales bordering apical edges of first costal and first dorsal strigulae and terminal ochreous area, of same colour as background of forewing; a tiny white spot consisting 1–2 brightly white scales present at middle of termen; apical, termen and tornus carry long, brownish grey black tipped scales, broadly edging forewing, without composing a distinct fringe line; fringe short, ochreous at termen, getting longer and becoming brownish grey along dorsum. Hindwing greyish beige; fringe long and of slightly darker shading than hindwing. Fore femur ochreous bronze, fore tibia fuscous with dirty white median irregular stripe, tarsus greyish fuscous with two white broad rings, tarsomere I dirty white with fuscous apex, tarsomere II fuscous with white apex, tarsomere III white at basal half, grey at apical half, terminal tarsomeres grey; mid-femur whitish beige, mid-tibia dirty white with golden shine and with three bronze ochreous patches: small at base, medium sized medially and large subapically, tibial spurs of mid-length, dirty white with golden shine and with large bronze ochreous patch medially, tarsomere I dirty white at basal half and fuscous at apical half, tarsomere II dirty white with fuscous apex, terminal tarsomeres fuscous; hind femur and tibia ochreous with bronze gloss, medial spurs of moderate length, fuscous brownish with ochreous bases, apical spurs lighter, light grey with bronze ochreous bases and apices; tarsomere I grey with beige apex, tarsomere II beige grey, tarsomere III beige with fuscous basal half, terminal tarsomeres beige with bronze shine, tip of hind leg blackish fuscous.

Abdomen: Dorsally dark fuscous with strong metallic shine, ventrally dark grey with median ochreous patch on each sternum.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 311 ). Papillae anales more or less trapezoid shaped, 132 µm long, 70 µm wide, appressed to each other laterally, weakly sclerotized, setation weak with median part setae free, shorter setae (ca. 103 µm in length) present on caudal part of papillae anales and much longer setae (ca. 182 µm in length) present on basal part of papillae anales; transition between papillae anales and segment VIII very smooth, without any sclerotization separating structures. A slender, straight, needle-like, sclerotized projection 164 µm long extending from bases of papillae anales tol anterior 1/4 of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses with very narrow bases, sclerotized, very slender, but with slight enlargement at basal 1/3 (at ca. 160 µm from bases), long, (486 µm in length), sharp ended, extending into anterior 1/3 of segment VII. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally, ca. 2× as long as papillae anales, cylindrical. Anterior apophyses initiate at posterior margin of segment VIII, close to bases of posterior apophyses, long (394 µm), slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, slender, without any enlarged parts, with sharp apices extending into anterior 1/3 of segment VII. Segment VII trapezoidal, melanized, anterior margin slightly less than twice longer than posterior margin, posterior margin squamose. Ostium bursae short tube shaped with strongly sclerotized margins, located at posterior 1/3 of segment VII, antrum broad, strongly sclerotized, 243 µm in length, extending to anterior margin of segment VII to sharp, sinuate curve; sterigma well developed, with strongly sclerotized, ark shaped broad fold (suture), crossing sternum VII; top of arc-shaped sterigmatic sclerotized fold with wrinkled additional sclerotizations run almost to posterior margin of segment VII. Ductus bursae follows antrum in width and following sharp sinuoid turn roughtly widens into strongly melanized broad sector ca. 156 µm long, then abruptly becoming slender and weakly melanized; length of ductus bursae ca. 710 µm; corpus bursae moderate, weakly melanized, irregularly sac-shaped, 510 µm long, 290 µm wide, distinct from ductus bursae, lacking sclerotized signum, but with caudal anterior part of corpus bursae bearing irregularly shaped area of weak wrinkles. Ductus spermathecae slender, weakly melanized posteriorly, but getting thicker and stronger melanized at anterior part, posterior part with very weak curved convolutions, anterior part with tight strongly melanized convolutions, totally 530 µm in length, consisting of approximately 20–22 revolutions; bulla spermathecae large, ca. 150 µm long, 73 µm wide, with stronger melanized posterior part, situated on segment V.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the vernacular adjective “gato” or “gatoya” in Kirwanda meaning “small”.

Habitat. Open clearings in montaine wet forest at an altitude of approximately 1800 m ( Fig. 444 ).

Host plant(s). An unidentified low shrub.

Flight period. Adults were collected in early August.

Distribution ( Fig. 374 ). Known only from the type locality in southwestern Rwanda.

Figures

FIGURES 45–50. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 45, Phyllonorycter lantanae, holotype 6377♀, South Africa, Louis Trichardt, 20.iv.1955, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 46, Phyllonorycter lantanae, ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley, Gilgil, 26.xi.2005, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, in BMNH. 47, Phyllonorycter gato, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 03.viii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005151. 48, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola, holotype 6370♂, South Africa, Waterpoort, 4.v.1956, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 49, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola, ♂, Kenya, Tsavo, mine 12.iv.2002, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003003. 50, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola, ♂, Kenya, Tsavo, mine 12.iv.2002, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003018.

FIGURES 310–311. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 310, Phyllonorycter lantanae, genitalia prep. De Prins 3703, in BMNH. 311, Phylonorycter gato, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA / 00486, 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.