Phyllonorycter rongensis 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 : 130-131

46. Phyllonorycter rongensis De Prins , new species

( Figs 94 , 337 , 397 )

Diagnosis. Adults of P. rongensis are slightly similar to those of P. melhaniae , but their shiny white frons and marginated fasciae easily separates P. rongensis from P. melhaniae . The latter has a frons irrorated with dark ochreous-tipped scales, and the first fascia is marginated only apically and the second fascia marginated only basally. The length of apophyses is a useful diagnostic character separating P. melhaniae from P. rongensis : anterior apophyses in P. rongensis are long, only slightly shorter than posterior apophyses. In P. melhaniae anterior apophyses are shorter, ca. 2/3 of length of posterior apophyses. The sclerotized ring-like structure on sterigma in P. rongensis makes this species unique among Afrotropical Phyllonorycter .

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Kenya, Rift Valley / Rongai , 6500 ft. / 6.i. 2000 / leg. D. J. L. Agassiz’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3494♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00383’; specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003269 ’; [5] ‘DNA voucher / CLV13307 ’, in CCDB; [6] ‘ Phyllonorycter / rongensis / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 94 ). Forewing length: 2.7 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with white, piliform scales posteriorly with an irroration of ochreous, brown-tipped scales postero-laterally around bases of antennae, with longer, tufted, white scales directed latero-dorsally over posterior part of vertex, short white tuft of appressed scales projecting posteriorly over occiput; frons white, shiny, with golden lustre bordering anterior part of vertex. Labial palpus white with a few dark fuscous scales distributed longitudinally on lateral outer side of palpomeres; maxillary palpus white, haustellum pale yellowish beige. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, flagellomeres dirty white with brown-tipped scales at apex, giving antenna blurred ringed appearance dorsally, flagellomeres whitish, pale beige with very narrow brown line at apex ventrally; scape whitish ochreous with a few brown scales dorso-medially, pecten of different length, white, with a few dark ochreous-tipped scales, pedicel white with dark brown apex dorsally.

Thorax: Shiny whitish with infusion of light ochreous anteriorly and posteriorly, tegula white with some light ochreous scales at bases. Forewing elongate, ground colour golden ochreous with white markings consisting of basal streak, two transverse fasciae, two costal and one dorsal strigulae; basal streak very short and broad, triangular, initiating at middle of base of forewing and reaching dorsal margin of it, directed towards apex, weakly edged with a few black scales apically; first fascia at 1/4 of forewing, gently curved apically, slightly oblique basally, 3× broader along dorsal margin than along costal margins, finely edged with black scales apically, only few black scales close to costa present on basal margin; second fascia at middle of forewing, slightly oblique towards apex, narrowed subcostally, finely edged with a row of black scales basally; first costal and first dorsal strigulae at 3/4 of forewing, triangular shaped, almost reaching middle of forewing with their tips, 1 costal strigula edged on both sides, first dorsal strigula edged basally with black scales; an irroration of dark brown and black scales extends from tips between first costal and first dorsal strigulae along termen to dorsum; second costal strigula at apex, comma shaped, not edged, a few dispersed blackish scales are found near costal margin; fringe line not expressed, light fuscous, elongate scales bordering apical area; fringe short, pale fuscous from apex to tornus, with a few dark brown-tipped scales at tornal area. Hindwing narrow, elongate, pointed, ground colour pale fuscous; fringe pale fuscous, lighter than forewing. Fore femur and fore tibia ochreous-fuscous with dirty white, small, spottish irroration, tarsomeres I dirty white with fuscous median part, tarsomere II fuscous with white base, tarsomere III–IV completely fuscous, tarsomere V dirty white; midfemur whitish beige, mid-tibiae dirty white, irrorated with dark brown scales basally and apically with 2–3 brownish black scales medially, apical spurs white with 1–2 dark brown-tipped long scales; tarsomere I white at apical half and dark fuscous at basal half, tarsomere II white with dark fuscous band basally.

Abdomen: Fuscous dorsally, with ochreous VIII and genital segments.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 337 ). Papillae anales moderate, broader dorsally than ventrally, slightly compressed latero-dorsally, with setation of variable length, mainly distally with some sparse setae along dorsal margin, basal bar absent. A slender needle-like, sclerotized projection runs from posterior margin of segment VIII to median sector of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses with broad pear-like bases, slender, reaching about half way of anterior apophyses in posterior sector of segment VII, sharply pointed. Segment VIII narrow, weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally. Anterior apophyses initiate from small triangular basal plate at about middle of segment VIII, long, slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, straight, slender, with their sharp apices reaching median sector of segment VII. Ostium bursae located at posterior margin of segment VII, broadly round-shaped, antrum long and broad, slightly smaller diameter than ostium bursae, sterigma around antrum forms a large truncate sclerotization, loose at posterior margin on which ostium bursae opens, narrow but strongly sclerotized ring encircles subposterior part of sterigmatic sclerotization; ductus bursae wide and short, melanized anteriorly. Corpus bursae moderate, elongate oval-shaped with a small signum plate posteriorly bearing a tiny sclerotized rod-shaped signum orientated along longitudinal axis of corpus bursae.

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality, Rongai.

Habitat. Albertina Rift Valley intermixed with savannah flora and agricultural fields.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults have been recorded in early January.

Distribution. ( Fig. 397 ). Known only from the type locality in Albertine Rift, in Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 93–98. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 93, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, ♀, South Africa, Potgietersrus, 26.iv.1968, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003361. 94, Phyllonorycter rongensis, holotype ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley, Rongai, 06.i. 2000, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003269. 95, Phyllonorycter mida, holotype ♀, Kenya, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 27.iii.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003282. 96, Phyllonorycter mida, paratype ♀, Yemen, Shabwah, Abdalla Garib Plateau, 02.v.1999, leg. M. Fibiger et al., in ZMUC. 97, Phyllonorycter tsavensis, holotype ♀, Kenya, Tsavo, 11.iv.2002, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003268. 98, Phyllonorycter obandai, paratype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 27.ii.2000, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, in BMNH.

FIGURES 336–337. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 336, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, paratype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7496, in TMSA. 337, Phyllonorycter rongensis, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00383, in RMCA.

FIGURES 391–402. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 391, Phyllonorycter loxozona. 392, Phyllonorycter madagascariensis. 393, Phyllonorycter aarviki. 394, Phyllonorycter anchistea. 395, Phyllonorycter melanosparta. 396, Phyllonorycter melhaniae. 397, Phyllonorycter rongensis. 398, Phyllonorycter mida. 399, Phyllonorycter tsavensis. 400, Phyllonorycter obandai. 401, Phyllonorycter farensis. 402, Phyllonorycter fletcheri.