Phyllonorycter umukarus 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 : 156-158

60. Phyllonorycter umukarus De Prins , new species

( Figs 113 , 351 , 411 , 432, 433 , 444 )

Diagnosis. The broad, black band following the apical edge of first fascia is a unique and highly distinctive character making this species easily recognizable among Afrotropical Phyllonorycter . Female genitalia of this species can be recognized by appressed, pouch-like sterigma with very broad apical sclerotized region, spinosae cuticle along margin of sterigma; narrow, strongly melanized ductus bursae and pear-shaped corpus bursae with medially diamond-shaped, sclerotized signum area crossed by long, needle-like signum.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Rwanda / Nyungwe National Park / Busoro 1800 m / 02°32’S 29°11’E / mine 28.vii.2008 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’;[2] ‘e.l. Triumphetta sp. / [ Tiliaceae ] / 12.viii.2008 ’; [3] ‘Gen. Prep. 3754♀ / De Prins’; [4] ‘MRAC/KMMA 00487’; specimen ID: [5] ‘ RMCA ENT 000005152 ’; [6] ‘DNA voucher / DP08026’, in UM-SI; [6] ‘Holotype ♀, Phyllonorycter / umukarus / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratypes: 6♂. 4♀, Rwanda: same locality data, e. l. Triumphetta cordifolia A. Rich. [ Tiliaceae ] from 10.viii.2008 to 17.viii.2008, specimen IDs: RMCA ENT 000005153, 000005154, 000005156, 000005157, in RMCA, 1♀, same locality data, in BMNH, DNA vouchers DP08022, DP08023, DP08025, DP08027, in UM-SI. 1♀, same locality data, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005158, in RMCA, DNA voucher [abdomen, legs, hindwings] DP08030, in UM-SI.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 113 ). Forewing length: 2.95–3.14 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted, consisting of ochreous with golden gloss, short piliform scales projecting radially from median part of vertex; frons smooth, strongly metally shiny. Labial palpus slightly longer than eye, metallic shiny with light ochreous shading, lateral sides slightly darker, drooping, terminal palpomere with pointed apex, directed latero-ventrally. Maxillary palpus small, greyish fuscous, apex obtuse; proboscis pale beige, quite long, ca. 2.5× longer than labial palpus, not curved, except caudal part, with flattened caudal tip. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, consisting of 40–42 flagellomeres, each flagellomere (except scape and pedicel) fuscous dorsally with narrow ochreous base, ventrally flagellomeres are entirely fuscous; pedicel slightly thicker and longer than following flagellomere, entirely ochreous; scape ochreous with 8–10 ochreous pecten of similar length, ca. as long as scape.

Thorax: Ochreous with golden shine; tegula ochreous with golden shine with fuscous shading at anterior edge. Forewing ground colour ochreous with golden shine and with shiny silver white markings: two transverse fasciae, one costal and one dorsal strigulae and a small spot on termen area of forewing; no traces of any basal streak or basal spot; first fascia at 1/4 of forewing, moderate in width, slightly angled towards apex at midline of forewing, edged apically with very broad band of black scales, as broad as ca. 1/2 of distance between first and second fascia, apical edging of first fascia broadening at middle of forewing, and narrowing at dorsum; second fascia at 1/2, slightly curved; in two paratypes second fascia consisting of two distinct, opposite strigulae converging and meeting at their tips: short costal and long dorsal, well exceeding midline of forewing, edged by 1–2 rows of black scales on both sides; first costal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, broad triangular, terminating just before midline of forewing, edged on both sides by 1–2 rows of black scales; first dorsal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, situated opposite first costal strigula, broad triangular, terminating just before midline of forewing, distinctly edged by 1–2 rows of black scales basally and with irregular grey-tipped scales apically, an irregular line of two rows of black scales connecting tips of first costal and first dorsal strigulae; apical part of forewing covered with elongate greyish black scales, a shiny white small spot, circled with black scales, present just above midline of forewing at termen area, white spot on termen sometimes divided into two, differing slightly in size, even asymmetrical from right to left forewing of same specimen, tornus covered with elongate greyish ochreous black-tipped scales; fringe line not clearly defined, extending to edge of forewing, blackish at apex, pale grey at termen and blackish grey at tornus. Fringe short, grey at apex, getting longer and ochreous at termen and becoming long, greyish ochreous at tornus. Hindwing greyish beige with long fringe of same shading as hindwing; fringe obtaining slightly darker shade at apex of hindwing. Fore femur greyish ochreous, fore tibia fuscous dorsally and fuscous-ochreous ventrally, tarsus greyish fuscous, tarsomere I grey at basal half and fuscous at apical half, tarsomere II grey with fuscous apex, rest of tarsomeres greyish fuscous; mid-femur and mid-tibia pale fuscous with bronze shading, apical spurs short, pale grey with slightly lighter bases and apices, tarsomere I fuscous, remaining tarsomeres dirty white; hind femur pale grey with light metallic shine, hind tibia grey with light ochreous shading and bronze shine with loosely appressed hairs; medial spurs short light grey, apical spurs slightly longer than median spurs, dark grey with sharp light grey apices, tarsus light grey with gradual darkening towards terminal tarsomeres.

Abdomen: Fuscous with light bronze shading dorsally, and strongly metallic ventrally with genital segments dark fuscous.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 351 ). Papillae anales flattened, fused, caudally setose, setae more or less of equal length of about 123 µm; basal bar narrow, only partly sclerotized, just at bases of apophyses posteriores. Posterior apophyses with midsize triangular bases, slender, with enlarged swelling at ca. 1/3 of their length (ca. 150 µm anterad bases), long (423 µm), extending to posterior part of segment VII, apices of posterior apophyses blunt. A slender, straight, needle-like sclerotized projection 153 µmlong, extending from bases of papillae anales to swelling of posterior apophyses at about 1/3 length of segment VIII, needle-like projection narrow and weakly sclerotized at posterior end and getting thicker and stronger sclerotized at anterior end. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally, of medium length, slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, slightly enlarging anteriorly. Anterior apophyses initiate at anterior part 1/3 of segment VIII, bases of anterior apophyses fused into broad, medially sclerotized ring, anterior apophyses shorter than posterior apophyses, ca. 304 µm, straight, narrow, strongly sclerotized, reaching with their sharp apices middle of segment VII. Segment VII trapezoidal, melanized. Ostium bursae short funnel-shaped with strongly sclerotized margins, located at posterior 1/3 of segment VII, antrum melanized, short; ca. 80 µm, sterigma developed as separate attached appressed sack or poach with very strongly sclerotized arch shaped poach margins; narrow at anterior end, getting broader and thicker caudat towards posterior end and forming a subconical apex with crescent ostium bursae at top, fold between sternum VII and sterigma is covered with tiny sharp strongly sclerotized barbs. Ductus bursae ca 680 µm long, weakly melanized following antrum and strongly melanized at anterior half. Connection between ductus bursae and corpus bursae abrupt and clear; corpus bursae median, pear shaped with enlarged caudal part, weakly melanized, medially with a diamond-shaped, sclerotized signum area crossed by long very narrow, needle-like signum, 193 µm long; second signa area a thick, irregularly shaped sclerotization, situated at caudal part of corpus bursae, covered with tiny sclerotized barbs. Ductus spermathecae slender, weakly melanized, strongly convoluted of ca. 26 revolutions, 237 µm long, running from posterior part to middle of segment VII; bulla spermathecae medium sized, ca. 60 µm long, ca. 30 µm wide, strongly melanized, situated in middle of segment VII.

DNA sequences. Three COI barcodes are available for P. umukarus (Molecular sample codes: Pumu1 [ JX888194 ], Pumu2 [ JX888195 ], Pumu3 [ JX888196 ]; Table S1 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the vernacular adjective “umukara”, meaning “black” in Kirwanda, referring to the black, large band between the first and second forewing fasciae.

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

Host plant(s). Malvaceae : Triumfetta cordifolia A. Rich. ( Figs 432, 433 ).

Flight period. Adults were collected in early August.

Distribution. ( Fig. 411 ). Known only from the type locality in southwestern Rwanda.

Figures

FIGURES 111–116. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 111, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori, holotype ♂, Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains, Bundibugyo, 22.viii–3.ix.1952, leg. D.S. Fletcher, in BMNH. 112, Phyllonorycter silvicola, holotype ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, 31.iii.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003277. 113, Phyllonorycter umukarus, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 28.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005152. 114, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, holotype ♂, Kenya, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 18.iii.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003285. 115, Cremastobombycia morogorene, holotype ♂, Tanzania, Morogoro, 30.viii.1992, leg. L. Aarvik, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000006148. 116, Porphyrosela desmodivora, paratype ♂, Cameroon, Ekona, 20.iv.1938, leg. S.G. Buhr, in ZMHB.

FIGURES 350–351. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 350, Phyllonorycter silvicola, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00386, in RMCA. 351, Phyllonorycter umukarus, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00487, in RMCA.

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.

FIGURES 432–436. Leaf mines of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 432–433, Phyllonorycter umukarus mine on Triumphetta cordifolia [Malvaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 28 July, 2008. 432, adaxial side. 433, host plant in open cutting. 434, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus mine on the climbing plant Ipomoea bracteata [Convolvulaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 31 July, 2008. 435, Phyllonorycter adderis mine on Urena lobata [Malvaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 03 August, 2008. 436, Phyllonorycter madagascariensis semi-transparrent, curved gallery mine which terminates as an irregular rounded blotch on Dombeya spectabilis [Malvaceae], Madagascar. The drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the description and the drawing of Paulian &Viette (1955: 157, fig. 15).

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.