Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae ( Vári, 1961 )

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 150-152

57. Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae ( Vári, 1961)

( Figs 109, 110 , 273, 274 , 347, 348 , 408 )

Lithocolletis rhynchosiae — Vári 1961: 216–217; pl. 23, fig. 3; pl. 65, fig. 9; pl. 105, fig. 1; pl.112, fig. 6.

Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae — Vári & Kroon (1986: 76, 136, 157), Kroon (1999: 68, 114), Dall’Asta et al. (2001: 35), Vári et al.(2002: 26), De Prins & De Prins (2005: 341), De Prins & Mozūraitis (2006: figs 3, 7).

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae closely resembles P. pavoniae , P. gozmanyi , P. farensis , P. fletcheri , and P. mida . However, the species differs from the others belonging to the rhynchosiae species group in that the median fascia of P. rhynchosiae is strongly angulated both basally and apically. Male genitalia resemble those of P. farensis , P. fletcheri , and P. maererei in having one sclerotized projection on the ventral surface of valva and long slender saccus and aedoeagus. A very broad transtilla in P. farensis separates this species from P. rhynchosiae . Three species have one ventral flap-like projection, originating at mid- or subapical sector of ventral margin of valva, narrow transtilla, long saccus and aedoeagus: P. rhynchosiae , P. fletcheri , and P. maererei . Differences between P. rhynchosiae and the other two species are in the shape of valva, shape of valval projection and ratio of valval/saccus/aedoaegus length. Valva is 4.7× longer than broad in P. rhynchosiae and 4.0× in P. maererei . It is 2.7× longer than broad in P. fletcheri . Valval ventral projection in P. rhynchosiae harp-shaped, in P. fletcheri trapezoid shaped; it is hockey stick-shaped in P. maererei . Saccus in P. rhynchosiae is 1.4× longer than valva; it is 1.12–1.13× longer in P. fletcheri and P. maererei . Aedoeagus is more ca. 2× longer than valva in P. rhynchosiae and P. fletcheri and it is 1.7× longer in P. maererei . The ratio aedoeagus/saccus is 1.40 in P. rhynchosiae , 1.72 in P. fletcheri and 1.65 in P. maererei . The female genitalia of P. rhynchosiae are distinguished from P. farensis by the location of ostium bursae which is in the middle of VII segment in P. farensis and at the posterior margin of segment VII in P. rhynchosiae . The female genitalia of P. fletcheri and P. maererei are unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, [1] [ South Africa] ‘ Pretoria / 14.iii.1949 / [leg.] L. Vári’; [2] ‘Ac.[quisition] no.130’; [3] ‘3’; [4] ‘4’; [5] ‘HT’; [6] ‘G[enitalia] / 7122’; [7] ‘photo’; [8] ‘ Lithocolletis / rhynchosiae Vári / ♂ HOLOTYPE No 6379’, in the TMSA.

Paratypes: 3♂, 9♀ (including 2♂ and 2♀ genitalia preparations). South Africa: 1♂, Pretoria, 15.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176; G[enitalia] 7124; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6385, in TMSA. 1 ♂, Hartebeestpoort Dam, P.[re]t[ori]a Dist.[rict], 11.ii.1955, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 1535; G[enitalia] 7498’; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6390, in TMSA. 1♀, Pretoria, 09.vi.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 165; G[enitalia] 7123; AT; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári ALLOTYPE No 6380, in TMSA. 1♀, Pretoria, 01.iii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 132; G[enitalia] 7125; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6386, in TMSA. 7 specimens, Pretoria, 16.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6381; same locality data, 09.i.1951, [leg.] L. Vári; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6382; same locality data, 30.vi.1952, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 529’; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6383; same locality data 15.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176, Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6384; same locality data 23.vii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 176; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6387; same locality data, 10.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 176; Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6388; same locality data, 12.iii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 132, Lithocolletis rhynchosiae Vári PARATYPE No 6389, in TMSA.

Additional material: South Africa: 1♀ ‘Pretoria 15.viii.1949/ [leg.] L. Vári / Ac[quisition]. no. 176’, in ZMHB. This specimen is not mentioned in the original description ( Vári 1961: 217) but it bears exactly the same data as paratype no 6388 in the TMSA and it is labeled as a paratype in the ZMHB .

Redescription. Adult ( Figs 109, 110 ). Forewing length: 3.0–3.3 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted, with shorter golden ochreous scales directed anteriorly, appressed over anterior part of vertex, with longer, white, piliform scales posteriorly; frons shiny white. Labial palpi white with a few greyish scales on terminal palpomere. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, pale ochreous greyish, not clearly ringed but with fuscous apical thirds of flagellomeres, ventrally whitish; scape white anteriorly and ochreous posteriorly; pedicel and first flagellomere white.

Thorax: Ochreous with a curved white line anteriorly, tegulae ochreous with white apices. Forewing elongate, ground colour golden ochreous with some white scales at base, but not forming a line; white markings consisting one angulated fascia (in three paratypes fascia interrupted), two costal and two dorsal strigulae; fascia in middle of forewing angulated towards apex, edged with black scales basally and with a few black scales apically; first costal strigula at 3/4 triangular, not reaching middle of forewing, edged basally, second costal strigula at apex; first dorsal strigula at 1/4, oblique, running beyond midline of forewing, but not reaching costa, blackish-edged on both sides, second dorsal strigula opposite first costal strigula, triangular blackish-edged basally, dark brown scales dispersed in tornal sector. Hindwing pale greyish, slightly shiny; fringe very pale fuscous, with whitish apical halves. Fore femur suffused with dark fuscous, tibia dark fuscous with a median and subapical white patch on outer side, tarsomeres I and II white with dark fuscous apical halves, tarsomere III blackish fuscous, tarsomeres IV and V blackish fuscous in male, whitish or greyish in female. Mid-tibia dirty white with two oblique, narrow, ochreous fuscous lines at 1/3 and 2/3, tarsomere I dirty white with a basal and subapical dark fuscous patch, segment III with basal half, terminal tarsomere entirely dark fuscous. Hind coxa dirty white, hind tibia with a small subapical ochreous-fuscous patch on outer side, tarsomere I dirty white with a few dark fuscous scales near base, tarsomere II with a small apical fuscous patch, tarsomere III–IV dirty white, terminal tarsomere dark fuscous.

Abdomen: Greyish fuscous dorsally, whitish, without conspicuous sex-scaling ventrally. Eighth sternum of male moderate, rounded caudally.

Male genitalia ( Figs 273, 274 ). Tegumen short membranous, truncate apically; tuba analis not protruding. Valvae symmetrical, valva moderate length, broadened at middle as a small bulge, slightly tapering towards cuculus, finely setose; ventral margin of valva starting from small bulge possesses well developed weakly sclerotized rounded caudally projection which is broader than subapical width of valva. Vinculum narrow, Ushaped, moderate sclerotized; saccus slender and very long, 1/3 longer than valva. Transtilla well developed, strongly sclerotized. Aedoeagus almost straight and very long, twice as long as valva and 1.5× as long as saccus.

Female genitalia ( Figs 347, 348 ). Papillae anales triangular gently rounded apically, sparsely covered with setae, basal bar broad, strongly sclerotized; a slender needle-like slerotized projection going from basal part of papillae anales and reaching anterior sector of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses strongly sclerotized, long, 3× as long as width of papillae anales, twice thicker at basal half, reach middle of anterior apothyses, with blunt apices. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, well connected ventrally and dorsally. Anterior apophyses slender, almost straight, 1/3 shorter than posterior ones, reaching middle of segment VII. Antrum, simple, very short, weakly sclerotized, ostium bursae located at posterior margin of segment VII, circular, weakly sclerotized. A sterigmatic fold like cuticle sclerotization on segment VII. Ductus bursae very long, narrow, weaklysclerotized. Corpus bursae moderate, almost rounded with a large oval membranous area, set with short and fine spines and with a small circular, sclerotized stellate signum with 11 fine dentate margin and 11 small spines in middle.

Habitat. Mines of P. rhynchosiae were collected on urban hills of Pretoria (above Pierneefstraat, in Meintjeskop, Adcockstraat, Hartbeespoortdam (Vári, unpublished notes No 0120 from 30/01/1949; No 0130 from 27/02/1949; 0165 from 31/05/1949; 0176 from 20/07/1949; 0529 from 07/06/1952; No 1300 from 30/05/1954; and No 1535 from 06/02/1955).

Host plant(s). Fabaceae : Eriosema psoraloides (Lam.) Baill. , Rhynchosia confusa Burtt Davy , and Rhynchosia nitens Benth. ex Harv. — Vári 1961: 217, Kroon 1999: 68, Dall’Asta et al. 2001: 35, De Prins & De Prins 2005: 341.

Mine. A rather small, oval, semi-transparent, infra tentiform mine, arbitrarily in disc, no distinct folds, fine black frass loosely throughout mine, but later used to cover the whitish cocoon; pupa protrudes through lower epidermis before adult emerges ( Vári 1961: 217, De Prins & De Prins 2005: 341). Mining period is ca 7–15 days (Vári note No 0130 in manuscript notebook of 27/02/1949, No 0165 from 31/05/1949, No 0529 from 07/06/1952).

Flight period. Specimens were collected during two periods of the year: from early January to mid-March and from early June to mid-August.

Distribution. ( Fig. 408 ). Presently known from South Africa (Pretoria city and the Hartebeespoort Dam in the suburb of Pretoria) ( Vári 1961: 217).

Figures

FIGURES 105–110. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 105, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai, holotype ♀, Tanzania, Morogoro, 14.vii.2009, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005331. 106, Phyllonorycter ocimellus, holotype ♂, Kenya, Taita Hills, mine 09.iv.2001, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003353. 107, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, holotype 6391♂, South Africa, Chipise, 28.v.1953, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 108, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, ♂, South Africa, Kruger National Park, Punda Milia, 18–30.v.1975, in TMSA. 109, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, holotype 6379♂, South Africa, Pretoria, 14.iii.1949, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 110, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, paratype 6390♂, South Africa, Hartebeestpoort, 11.ii.1955, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA.

FIGURES 271–274. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 271–272, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, holotype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7140, in TMSA. 271, lateral view. 272, aedoeagus.273–274, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, paratype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7498, in TMSA. 273, lateral view. 274, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 347–349. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 347–348, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, paratype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7123, in TMSA. 347, segments VII–X, lateral view. 348, corpus bursae. 349, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori, paratype, genitalia prep. 32534, in BMNH.

FIGURES 403–414. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 403, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi. 404, Phyllonorycter maererei. 405, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai. 406, Phyllonorycter ocimellus. 407, Phyllonorycter pavoniae. 408, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae. 409, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori. 410, Phyllonorycter silvicola. 411, Phyllonorycter umukarus. 412, Cremastobombycia kipepeo. 413, Cremastobombycia morogorene. 414, Porphyrosela desmodivora.