Phyllonorycter fletcheri 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 : 140-141

51. Phyllonorycter fletcheri De Prins , new species

( Figs 101 , 259–261 , 402 )

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter fletcheri closely resembles P. rhynchosiae and P. maererei . The fascia situated medially is strictly angulated, oblique towards apex in P. rhynchosiae and slightly bent with narrow straight subcostal portion and very broad triangular sudorsal portion in P. fletcheri . All three palpomeres in P. fletcheri carry dark brown scales whereas in P. rhynchosiae only terminal palpomere with dark brown scales. Thorax whitish in P. fletcheri and ochreous with a curved white line in P. rhynchosiae . The specimen of P. maererei is in poor condition to compare the external characters in detail. Valva in P. fletcheri is proportionally wider than in P. rhynchosiae and in P. maererei . It is 2.7× longer than broad in P. fletcheri and it is 4.7×longer than broad in P. rhynchosiae and 4.0× in P. maererei . Valval ventral projection is trapezoid shaped in P. fletcheri , in P. rhynchosiae it is harp-shaped, and it is hockey stick-shaped in P. maererei . The shape of valva and its projection resemble these of P. encaeria , however, in P. encaeria saccus is ca. 2× shorter than valva. Saccus in P. fletcheri is 1.2× longer than valva; it is 1.4× longer in P. rhynchosiae and as long as valva in P. maererei . Aedoeagus more than ca. 2× longer than valva in P. rhynchosiae and P. fletcheri and it is 1.7× longer in P. maererei . The apical third of aedoeagus in P. fletcheri differs from P. maererei in that it is squamose and lacks a cornutus. Lateral process of transtilla terminates with large rounded club in P. fletcheri ; obtuse in P. rhynchosiae and P. maererei .

Holotype: ♂, [1] ‘ Uganda Ruwenzori Range / Ibanda , 4,700 ft. / 4–12.ix.1952 / [leg.] D. S. Fletcher’ / [2] ‘Ruwenzori Exped[ition]. / B[ritish].M[useum]. 1952-566’; [3] ‘Gen. Prep. 3653♂ / De Prins’; [4] ‘ BMNH 32533 ’; [5] ‘Holotype ♂ / Phyllonorycter / fletcheri / De Prins, 2012 ’, in BMNH.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 101 ). Forewing length: 2.6 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted, with shorter ochreous appressed scales, with a tuft of longer white, piliform scales directed radially on occiput; frons white shiny from antennae along eyes and light creamy in central part of frontoclypeus. Labial palpi directed downwards, dirty white on inner margin, pale ochreous frontally, lateral outer margin of palpomeres I and II with row of ochreous apically dark brown tipped scales, terminal palpomere sharply pointed, apex white. Maxillary palpi small, pale beige; haustellum with one large curve, pale beige, base darker shiny beige. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, consisting of 36 flagellomeres dorsally ochreous greyish with slightly brownish apices (except first two flagellomeres), ventrally dark ochreous, terminal flagellomere brownish fuscous; scape white anteriorly and ochreous posteriorly with 13–14 long, longer than half of eye pecten; pedicel and first flagellomere white.

Thorax: White anteriorly with pale ochreous shading medially, posterior half ochreous, tegulae ochreous with white apices. Forewing elongate, ground colour golden ochreous white markings consisting short basal streak, two angulated fasciae, two costal and one dorsal strigulae; basal streak oblique towards apex, not edged, first fascia at 1/4, angulated, lightly edged basally with a few black scales, second fascia at 1/2, basal margin ark shaped, apical margin angulated, broad, clearly edged with large dark brown round scales basally and a few small scales apically, first costal strigula at 3/4, triangular shaped, not reaching midline of forewing, edged basally, first dorsal strigula at 3/4, opposite first costal strigula, edged basally, second costal strigula at apex, narrow stripe shaped, without expressed edging, an irroration of dark brown scales separates first costal and first dorsal strigulae and extends to termen; fringe pale ochreous at tornus pale grey, slightly longer. Hindwing pale fuscous, fringe pale fuscous with ochreous shading. Fore femur ochreous suffused with dark fuscous, tibia dark fuscous, tarsomeres I and II fuscous with dirty white bases, tarsomeres III–IV dark fuscous, terminal tarsomere grey. Midfemur and tibia fuscous dorsally dirty white ventrally, tibial spurs short fuscous, tarsomere I fuscous with very small basal dirty white patch, rest of tarsomeres pale whitish ochreous. Hindlegs broken and not available for description.

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

Male genitalia ( Figs 259–261 ). Tegumen lightly sclerotized, ca. 280 µm long, triangular, arms forming elongate inverted V, narrowly connected at apex, apex covered with numerous very short straight slender microtrichiae, tuba analis not protruding. Valvae symmetrical, of moderate width, as long as tegument, ca. 280 µm long and ca. 100 µm wide at medially basad valval projection, and ca. half as wide as aedoeagus, slightly concave at middle of dorsal margin with a light lump at 3/5, valval distal part of dorsal margin with oblique declivity to apex; costal margin thickly sclerotized to about half of valval length; apex gently rounded; ventral margin of valva gently curved; moderately covered with slender sclerotized setae of moderate length; two sclerotized folds connect ventral valval surface with weakly sclerotized ventral valval projection; ventral valval projection broad trapezoid shaped, extended beyond median valval surface, subapical and apical surface of ventral projection covered with numerous short and slender setae. Vinculum moderate, U-shaped, thickly sclerotized, especially laterally, significantly broadening at middle of caudal sector; saccus slender, longer than valva, ca. 340 µm long, straight along entire length, blunt caudally. Transtilla well developed, U-shaped, complete, broad, approximately as long and broad as vinculum; two lateral processes of transtilla with large rounded club on cephalic margin. Aedoeagus about twice as long as valva, ca. 585 µm, of moderate width, parallel-sided, gradually tapering, becoming slender and straight at distal 1/3; apical third of aedoeagus and vesica covered with numerous longitudinal rod like scales (clearly visible at 200×) more abundant along distal third but significantly reduced at vesica; vesica without spines, weaker sclerotized.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Etymology. The species’ name honours D. S. Fletcher, the author of “The generic names of moths of the world” and the collector of the holotype.

Habitat. Montainous forest at altitude above 1000 m.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Only a single specimen is known, an adult that was collected in early September.

Distribution. ( Fig. 402 ). Known only from the type locality in Uganda (Ruwenzori Range).

Figures

FIGURES 99–104. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 99, Phyllonorycter farensis, holotype ♂, Cameroon, North Province, Faro riverside, 24.xi.2003, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: 000002948. 100, Phyllonorycter farensis, paratype ♂, Cameroon, North Province, Faro riverside, 25.xi.2003, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: 000002962. 101, Phyllonorycter fletcheri, holotype ♂, Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains, Ibanda, 12.ix.1952, leg. D.S. Fletcher, in BMNH. 102, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi, holotype ♂, Cameroon, North Province, Faro riverside, 29.xi.2003, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: 000002959. 103, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi, holotype ♂, Cameroon, North Province, Faro riverside, 01.xii.2003, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: 000002960. 104, Phyllonorycter maererei, holotype ♂, Tanzania, Morogoro, 13.vii.2009, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005330.

FIGURES 259–264. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 259–261, Phyllonorycter fletcheri, holotype, genitalia prep. De Prins 3653, in BMNH. 259, ventral view. 260, sternum VIII. 261, aedoeagus. 262–264, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00278, in RMCA. 262, ventral view. 263, aedoeagus. 264, sternum VIII.

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.