Phyllonorycter melhaniae ( 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 : 129-130

45. Phyllonorycter melhaniae ( Vári, 1961)

( Figs 91–93 , 132 , 252, 253 , 336 , 396 )

Lithocolletis melhaniae — Vári (1961: 218–219; pl. 23, fig. 5; pl. 65, fig. 8; pl. 105, fig. 4). Phyllonorycter melhaniae — Vári & Kroon (1986: 54, 136, 157), Kroon (1999: 50, 108), Dall’Asta et al. (2001: 34), Vári et al. (2002: 26), De Prins & De Prins (2005: 320)

Diagnosis. A white frons with an irroration of dark, ochreous- tipped scales, transverse fasciae of more or less equal width on costal and dorsal margins of forewing make this species easily distinguishable from P. rongensis . In females, the anterior apophyses are ca. 2/3 as long as posterior apophyses in P. melhaniae , whereas in P. rongensis anterior apophyses are only slightly shorter than posterior apophyses.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, [1] [ Zimbabwe] ‘ Hot Springs, S[outh]. Rh[odesia] / 29.iv.1956 / [leg.] L. Vári / Ac[quisition]. no: 1889’; [2] ‘17’; [3] ‘G[enitalia] / 7495’; [4] ‘ Lithocolletis / melhaniae Vári / ♂ HOLOTYPE No 6396’, in TMSA.

Paratypes: 1♂, 5♀, (1♀ genitalia preparation). Zimbabwe: 1♀, Hot Springs, 29.iv.1956, L. Vári, Ac. no 1889; G.[enitalia] 7496; Lithocolletis melhaniae Vári ♀ ALLOTYPE No 6397. 1 ♂, 4♀, Hot Springs, 23.iv.1956, 03.v.1956, 10.v.1956, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no 1889; Lithocolletis melhaniae Vári PARATYPE No 6398- 6402’, in TMSA .

Additional material: 1♀ and 11 specimens. South Africa: 1♀, Limburg Tvl. [Transvaal], Potgietersrus Distr[ict]., 26.iv.1968, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003361, in RMCA. 11 specimens, Limburg Tvl. [Transvaal], Potgietersrus Distr.[ict], from 14.iv.1968 to 26.iv.1968, Ac. no: 2926, in TMSA. Zimbabwe: 1♀, Hot Springs, 23.iv.1956, [leg.] L. Vári, in ZMHB (see Remarks below).

Remarks. This specimen is not mentioned in the original description ( Vári 1961: 219) but it bears exactly the same data as paratype no 6400 in the TMSA and it is labeled as a paratype in the ZMHB.

Redescription. Adult ( Figs. 91–93 , 132 ). Forewing length: 2.4–2.8 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with white, piliform scales posteriorly and irrorated with white, shorter, ochreoustipped scales postero-laterally above eyes, very short, ochreous scales tufted medially on occiput; frons shiny white with irrorated dispersed 18–20 dark brown scales. Labial palpus white with a few dark fuscous scales, proboscis pale beige. Antenna almost as long as forewing, pale fuscous above, not clearly ringed but with flagellomeres brownish tips; underside whitish; scape white intermixed with dark ochreous scales, pecten very short white, with a few dark ochreous tipped scales, pedicel white at base and dark ochreous from subapical 3/4 to apex.

Thorax: Light ochreous with a transverse, white line in middle, tegulae ochreous with white apices and 5–6 black scales dispersed transverse of tegula. Forewing elongate, ground colour ochreous with white markings consisting of very short basal streak, two transverse fasciae, two costal and one dorsal strigulae; basal streak very short oblique, directed towards apex, edged apically with a row of black scales; first fascia at 1/4 of forewing, gently curved twice, slightly oblique, equally broad along dorsal and costal margins, finely edged with black scales from both sides; second fascia at middle of forewing, almost straight with gentle constriction in midden, finely edged with a row of black scales from both sides; first costal and first dorsal strigulae at 3/4 of forewing, commashaped, not reaching middle of forewing with their tips, clearly edged basally and indistinctly edged apically; an irroration of dark brown and black scales running from area between first costal and first dorsal strigulae along termen to dorsum area; second costal strigula at apex, comma-shaped, not edged, few dispersed blackish scales are found near costal margin of second costal strigula; fringe short pale ochreous from apex to tornus, and long dirty white along dorsal margin of forewing and tornus. Hindwing greyish pale beige, slightly shiny; fringe pale beige. Fore coxa shiny beige, femur and tibia fuscous, tarsomere I fuscous with a white subapical spot, tarsomere II fuscous with white apex, tarsomere III fuscous at basal half and white at apical half, tarsomere IV ochreous, tarsomere V pale beige; mid-femur irrorated with fuscous subbasally and subapically, tibiae irrorated with fuscous base and two oblique, fuscous stripes at mid-tibia and apex, apical spurs white with irroration of dark fuscous scales; tarsomere I with a subapical irrorated fuscous patch, tarsomere II white with ochreous-brown apex, tarsomere III ochreous, tarsomere IV–V white; hind femur whitish with irroration of fuscous scales subbasally, tibia covered with dense irroration of dark brown scales, median spurs with dispersed, sparse, dark brown scales, apical spurs with dark brown subapices, tarsomere I whitish with fuscous subapex, tarsomere II pale beige with median light fuscous patch, tarsomeres III–V pale beige.

Abdomen: Very pale fuscous dorsally, sterna I–III dirty white, sterna IV–VII dirty white with dense irroration of dark brown scales. Sternum VIII in males moderate, rounded caudally.

Male genitalia ( Figs 252, 253 ). Tegumen short, 1/5 shorter than valva, sclerotized. Valva moderate, very slightly curved at ventral margin, smoothly dilating toward apex, cuculus sector is ca. 2× broader than basal sector of valva, weakly setose. Vinculum narrow, strongly sclerotized, with slender slightly curved short saccus about 3× shorter than valva; transtilla developed, thickly sclerotized. Aedoeagus rather short, cylindrical, almost straight, apex truncated, vesica with a bunch of elongate cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 336 ). Papillae anales moderate, oval, flattened distal-proximatelly, with setation of variable length, basal bar narrow, weakly sclerotized. A slender needle-like sclerotized projection runs from basal bar of papillae anales reaches posterior 1/3 of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses with broad triangular bases, slender, a little dilated at 1/3, slightly sinuating. Segment VIII narrow, weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally. Anterior apophyses as long 2/3 of posterior apophyses, almost straight, slender, reaching posterior sector of segment VII. Antrum located close to anterior 1/4 of segment VIII, sclerotized, short and slender, sterigma around antrum forming a sclerotized large cone-like projection on top of which ostium bursae opens; ductus bursae wide, slightly sclerotized, short. Corpus bursae moderate, oval, with irregular tiny sclerotized signum on posterior margin of corpus bursae, close to junction with ductus bursae.

Variation. There is a slight variation in width and curving of second fascia of forewing. The degree of dark brown irroration in termen area can slightly vary.

Habitat. Mines of P. melhaniae were collected in southern Africa from latitudes between 29°S to 24°S.

Host plant(s). Malvaceae : Melhania velutina Forsk — Vári 1961: 219, Kroon 1999: 50, Dall’Asta et al. 2001: 34, De Prins & De Prins 2005: 320.

Mine. A moderate, oblong, opaque, tentiform mine on the leaf underside with two or three folds; fine black frass loosely throughout the mine; pupation without cocoon; exuvium protrudes epidermis of a leaf before adult emerges ( Vári 1961: 219, De Prins & De Prins 2005: 320). The mining period is up to 5 days (Vári’s note No 1889 in the manuscript notebook of 18/04/1956 and note No 2926 of 14/04/1968).

Flight period. Adults fly from mid-April (earliest record: 10 April in 1968) to mid-May (latest record: 10 May in 1956).

Distribution. ( Fig. 396 ). Recorded from two localities: one in Zimbabwe and the other in South Africa ( Vári 1961: 219).

Figures

FIGURES 87–92. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 87, Phyllonorycter anchistea, holotype 6348♂, South Africa, Louis Trichardt, 11.v.1953, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 88, Phyllonorycter anchistea, ♂, South Africa, Buffelspoortdam, 20.vii.1971, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004151. 89, Phyllonorycter melanosparta, holotype 360♀, South Africa, Barberton, 31.xii.1910, leg. A.J.T. Janse, in TMSA. 90, Phyllonorycter melanosparta, ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, mine 19.iv.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004144. 91, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, holotype 6396♂, Zimbabwe, Hot Springs, 29.iv.1956, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 92, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, paratype 6399♀, Zimbabwe, Hot Springs, 03.v.1956, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA.

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 132–133. Diagnostic characters in frons between two related Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 132, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, frons shiny white with irrorated dispersed dark brown scales. 133, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, frons whitish with a very faint pale ochreous suffusion.

FIGURES 252–253. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 252–253, Phyllonorycter melhaniae, holotype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7495, in TMSA. 252, lateral view. 253, aedoeagus.

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.