Phyllonorycter tsavensis 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 : 133-134

48. Phyllonorycter tsavensis De Prins , new species

( Figs 97 , 339 , 399 , 438 )

Diagnosis. The unique saddle-shape sterigma (lamella post-vaginalis) with numerous short spines, and round ostium bursae distinguishes this species from other Afrotropical Phyllonorycter species.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Kenya / Tsavo National Park / Taita Discovery Centre, 530 m / 03°40’S 038°45’E / 11.iv.2002 / leg. J. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3522♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00394’; specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003268 ’; [5] ‘DNA voucher / CLV13207 ’, in CCDB; [6] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / tsavensis / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA .

Paratype: 1♀ (including 1♀ genitalia preparation). South Africa: Pretoria North, 15.i.1917, C. J. Swierstra, G.[enitalia] 7501, in TMSA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 97 ). Forewing length: 2.2 mm (holotype).

Head: Vertex tufted, ochreous with intermixed white piliform scales equally distributed all over vertex and occiput; frons shiny white. Labial palpus white, drooping, slightly shorter than eye, terminal palpomere sharp caudally. Maxillary palpus white, proboscis white with pale beige shading. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, ochreous with pale fuscous shading above, not ringed, base colour of flagellomeres light ochreous, flagellomeres attain a few fuscous longitudinal pilifom scales more abundant at apical halves of each flagellomere; underside of antenna dirty white; scape ochreous dorsally,dirty white ventrally with 6–8 whitish, pale beige pecten, shorter than eye, pedicel as remaining flagellomeres.

Thorax: Ochreous anteriorly and white posteriorly with irregular transition line at middle, tegula white with narrow, ochreous sector posteriorly. Forewing elongate, ground colour bronze ochreous with white markings consisting of very short basal streak, two transverse fasciae, two costal and one dorsal strigulae; basal streak very short, oblique towards apex, with a few black scales dorsally, first fascia at 1/4 of forewing, narrow, curved, oblique, 2× broader at dorsal than at costal margin, finely edged with black scales from both sides; second fascia at middle of forewing, parallell to first fascia, with slight constriction at middle of forewing, dorsal edge slightly broader than costal, finely edged with a row of black scales from both sides; first costal and first dorsal strigulae at 3/4 of forewing, opposite each other, triangular shaped, just not reaching middle of forewing with their appices, edged basally and rather indistinctly apically, a gap between first costal and first dorsal strigulae filled with separate black scales; second costal strigula at apex, comma-shaped, not edged, apical sector darker ochreous, filled with an irroration of blackish scales more abundant along termen of forewing; fringe short, pale beige stretching from apex to tornus, and long, lighter along dorsal margin; a short fringe line stretches from apex of forewing to tornus. Hindwing pale beige with silver shine; fringe slightly darker than ground colour of hindwing, with fuscous shading. Fore femur brownish ochreous, fore tibia brownish with a small subbasal dirty white patch, tarsomere I dirty white basally and brownish at apical half with pale silver shiny apex, tarsomere II dirty white with ochreous apex, tarsomeres III–IV pale fuscous, terminal tarsomere dirty white; mid-femur dirty white with dark fuscous subbasal patch and light ochreous apex, mid-tibia dirty white with three oblique ochreous stripes at base, at mid, and at apex, tibial spurs long, dirty white with a few ochreous scales subbasally and at middle of spurs; tarsomere I dirty white with ochreous subapical patch, tarsomere II dirty white, tarsomeres III–V pale fuscous with a light golden shading; hind femur dirty white, hind tibia dirty white with a large apical brown ochreous patch, median spurs dirty white with sparse dark brown scales, apical spurs dirty white with dark brown subapices, hind leg tarsomere I dirty white with ochreous subapex, tarsomere II dirty white with ochreous apex, tarsomere III ochreous at basal half and white at apical half, tarsomeres IV–V dirty white.

Abdomen: Pale fuscous dorsally with ochreous genital segments.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 339 ). Papillae anales moderate, half rounded, with dense setation of equal length on caudal part and rarely dispersed setae along basal part of papillae anales, basal bar narrow, partly sclerotized, wider at bases of posterior apophyses. A slender needle-like sclerotized projection runs from basal bar of papillae anales and reaches posterior midway of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses narrow, slightly curved in middle with pointed apices, ca. 208 µm long. Segment VIII narrow, weakly sclerotized, and weakly connected to segment VII. Anterior apophyses slightly shorter than posterior, slightly curved in apical part, slender, almost reaching ostium bursae, parallel to each other, apically pointed. Ostium bursae located more or less in middle of segment VII, lamella post-vaginalis very strongly sclerotized, saddle-shaped; sterigma set with numerous thick, short spines, margin of sterigma bordered by thick spines directed outwardly; antrum short, tubular, set with thick, short spines; cuticle of segment VII (lamella antevaginalis) forming a small sclerotized fold, supporting sterigmatic sclerotizations and ventral part of antrum. Segment VII significantly broadened anteriorly, melanized. Ductus bursae initially narrow, with stronger sclerotization anterad. Corpus bursae moderate, drop shaped, with evident distinction between ductus bursae and corpus bursae, with a circular signum bearing 19 thick, teeth-shaped rays of variable length along its margin.

Etymology. The name of this species is formed from the name of the type locality “Tsav-o” and the Latin suffix “-ensis”, denoting location.

Habitat. East African savannah ( Fig. 438 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults fly during the hottest period of the year: they are recorded in mid-January (South Africa) and mid-April (Kenya).

Distribution. ( Fig. 399 ). Known from Kenya and South Africa.

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 338–339. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 338, Phyllonorycter mida, paratype, genitalia prep. 3715, in ZMUC. 339, Phyllonorycter tsavensis, paratype, genitalia prep. Vári 7501, in TMSA.

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.

FIGURES 437–440. Habitats of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 437, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, Kenya, April 2001. The habitat contains elements of coastal mixed forest as well as miombo / Cynometra woodland. 438, Tsavo, Kenya, April 2002. The habitat contains elements of semi-arid grassland and savannah. 439, Ololua Forest, Rift Valley, Kenya, April 2002. The habitat is dominated by tree vegetation. 440, Taita Hills, Kenya, April 2003. The habitat is a precambrian mountain range covered with moist forest housing many endemic species of flora and fauna.