Phyllonorycter farensis, De Prins & De Prins, 2007

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 138-140

50. Phyllonorycter farensis J. & W. De Prins, 2007

( Figs 99, 100 , 257, 258 , 342 , 401 )

Phyllonorycter farensis — De Prins & De Prins (2007: 56–58; figs 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12).

Diagnosis. The wing pattern of this species resembles other Afrotropical Phyllonorycter that possess two fasciae, two costal and one dorsal strigulae on the forewing. It resembles P. gozmanyi very closely, but differs from the latter by its brighter, golden ochreous coloration without any fuscous greyish shading in the costal and tornal sectors of the forewing. In male genitalia P. farensis is easily distinguishable from most of the Afrotropical Phyllonorycter by the very broad and modified transtilla, an extraordinary long saccus, and aedoeagus (see description below). Female genitalia of P. farensis are similar to P. pavoniae and P. ocimellus for sharing sterigmatic fold-like cuticle sclerotization on segment VII, small ring-like sterigmatic lamellae around ostium bursae, large membranous signum area on corpus bursae and stellate signum. Females of P. farensis can be separated from P. pavoniae and P. ocimellus only by a combination of external and internal (genital) morphological characters (as described below). Female genitalia of P. farensis are almost indistinguishable from those of P. gozmanyi , except very subtle differences like ostium bursae in P. farensis is located on segment VII anteriad than in P. gozmanyi . The ratio of distance between ostium bursae and anterior margin of segment VII versus the distance between ostium bursae and posterior margin of segment VII is about 2 (1.87 and 2.07 respectively) in P. farensis and more than 3 in P. gozmanyi .

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, [1] ‘ Cameroon: / North Province / Faro riverside , 289 m / 08°23’N, 012°49’E / 24.xi.2003 / leg. J. De Prins’; [2] ‘gen. prep. De Prins / 3634♂’; [3] ‘DePrins 102’; [4] ‘MRAC/KMMA 00279’; [5] ‘HOLOTYPE ♂ / Phyllonorycter / farensis / De Prins & De Prins, 2006; Specimen ID: [6] ‘ RMCA ENT 000002948 ’, in RMCA.

Paratype: 1♀ (including 1♀ genitalia preparation). Cameroon: North Province, Faro riverside, 289 m, 08°23’N 012°49’E, 25.xi.2003, leg. J. De Prins; gen. prep. De Prins 3633♀; MRAC/KMMA 00282; ‘PARATYPE ♀ Phyllonorycter farensis De Prins & De Prins, 2006 ’; specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000002962, in RMCA; DNA voucher CLV13607, in INRA.

Additional material: 1♀ (including 1♀ genitalia preparation). Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ht [Haut] Katanga, Tshinkolobwe , 18.iv.1931, J. Romieux, gen. prep. De Prins 3525♀, in MHNG .

Redescription. Adult. ( Figs 99, 100 ). Forewing length: 2.7 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with golden brown scales; frons shiny, white, with few intermixed brown piliform scales below antennae. Labial palpus slightly longer than eye, whitish beige with infusion of sparse brown scales outwardly, with ratio of segments from base 1:2:1. Maxillary palpus and proboscis light beige. Antenna as long as forewing or slightly shorter, pedicel whitish shiny above and ochreous beneath; flagellomeres with dark ochreous suffusion of stripes, apical flagellomere ochreous; scape golden light beige, with pecten consisting of a few piliform white scales as long as scape.

Thorax: Golden brown with mixture of whitish scales, tegula brown. Forewing elongate, ground colour golden ochreous brown with white markings consisting of one transverse fascia, two costal and two dorsal strigulae; with suffusion of white scales not forming clearly defined streak basally. first dorsal strigula at 1/4, long, extending along 3/4 of width of forewing, oblique, tapering towards costa but not reaching it; first fascia at 1/3, angulated, irregular, broader at dorsum and forming patch, edged with a row of black scales basally; a row of a few black scales basally edging fascia and reach midline of forewing; first costal and second dorsal strigulae at 2/3, not regularly shaped, opposite each other, with a few black scales interspersed irregularly between them; second costal strigula at apex, indistinct, white, comma-shaped; with few black scales at tornus; outer margin of apical sector not edged with dark scales; fringe long, ochreous apically and dirty white dorsally. Hindwing pale fuscous, shiny; fringe pale fuscous, shiny. Fore coxa dark fuscous; for femur dark brown with suffusion of black scales; for tibia and tarsomeres dark brown, with beige apices. Midleg femur ochreous; mid-tibia dirty white with suffusion of a few dark ochreous scales; tarsomeres I–IV dirty white; apex of terminal tarsomere ochreous. Hindleg femur white basally and brown apically; hind tibia dirty white with some ochreous scales subapically, tibial spurs white, short; tarsomeres I–IV white; last tarsomere dirty white.

Abdomen: Greyish brown dorsally, white ventrally; without conspicuous sex-scaling. Sternum VIII of male moderate, rounded caudally.

Male genitalia ( Figs 257, 258 ). Tegumen lightly sclerotized, apex conical with slender sparse scobination from 1/2 to apex; tuba analis not protruding. Valvae symmetrical, of moderate width, costal margin running almost straight, ventral margin roundly tapering from broad basal part to smoothly pointed apex; basal sector wide, 1/2 as broad as length of valva; valva with short thick setae from 1/2, more densely set at apex; each valva from 1/2 to apex with rounded, elongate, weakly sclerotized, half-moon shaped projection; projection as broad as half of valva at base, covered with abundant setae that become more dense, thicker, and shorter towards apex. Vinculum broad, U-shaped, thickly sclerotized, broadening caudally towards base of saccus; saccus very long and slender, twice as long as valva. Transtilla very strongly modified, broad, slender, covering base of valva. Aedoeagus very long, ca. 3× as long as valva and ca. 1.5× as long as saccus, slightly enlarged at coecum; vesica with four narrow needle-like cornuti parallel to one another along about 1/7 total length of aedoeagus; dorsal surface of distal 1/3 of aedoeagus covered with tiny scales (visible at 400×).

Female genitalia ( Figs 342 ). Papillae anales moderate, flatterened caudally, with gently rounded lateral sides, 1.5× wider than long, light sclerotized except anterior margins, with long setae of equal length mostly basally; basal sclerotized bar rather wide, strongly sclerotized ventrad from posterior apophyses, narrower dorso-ventrally; a slender needle-like weakly sclerotized projection going from basal bar of papillae anales and reaching middle of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses strongly sclerotized, ca. 230 and 250 µm (n = 2) long, with broad triangular bases, straight, broader at basal 1/2, gently tapering from 1/2 to apex, apically pointed. Segment VIII sclerotized, connected ventrally with weak dorsal connection, about 1.5 as long as papillae anales; anterior apophyses slightly longer than posterior ones, ca. 240 and 260 µm (n = 2) long, slender, gently tapering towards apices, almost parallel to each other, reaching middle of segment VII. Ostium bursae located in submedial sector of sternum VII, antrum short tube, well sclerotized; sterigma forming large sclerotized boomerang-like fold of cuticle. Ductus bursae about 0.60 mm long, 1/3 diameter of antrum, with initial section more sclerotized, as long as boomerang-like fold, followed by long unsclerotized section. Corpus bursae moderate, rounded, about half as long as ductus bursae, with large irregular membranous area set with fine short spines, also with small, stellate circular signum set with 21 and 23 (2 specimens) broad, marginal, dentate rays.

Variation. There is a slight variation in the coloration intensity of the hind and mid-legs. Stellate signum has 21 rays in the paratype and 23 rays in the additional specimen.

DNA sequences. A COI barcode is available (Molecular sample code: Pfar [ JX888179 ]; Table S1 ).

Habitat. Adults were collected at a black-light in small grassy area with randomly distributed trees less than 5–7 m tall on the Faro riverbank close to water ( De Prins & De Prins 2007: 55).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults fly in mid-April and late November.

Distribution. ( Fig. 401 ). Known from the North Province of Cameroon ( De Prins & De Prins 2007: 58) and from the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (new record).

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 257–258. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. Phyllonorycter farensis, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00279, in RMCA. 257, ventral view. 258, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 340–342. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 340–341, Phyllonorycter obandai, genitalia prep. De Prins 3503, in BMNH. 340, segments VII–X, ventral view. 341, corpus bursae. 342, Phyllonorycter farensis, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00282, 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.