Cremastobombycia kipepeo 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 : 162-163

61. Cremastobombycia kipepeo De Prins , new species

( Figs 18 , 114 , 278, 279 , 352 , 412 , 437 )

Diagnosis. Black markings crossing the forewing separates this species from the other Afrotropical Lithocolletinae having fuscous markings: in C. hexalobina , the second fascia is Y-shaped, in the Phyllonorycter melanosparta group, it is angulated and the central fascia is situated between two short, well edged, oblique strigulae. The male genitalia of C. kipepeo can superficially be confused with the genitalia of P. agassizi due to the similar shape of the valvae. However, the presence of a pair of long setae and some short setae on the apex of tegumen are similar as in C. solidaginis which strongly supports the placement of C. kipepeo into Cremastobombycia .

Holotype: ♂, [1] ‘ Kenya / Arabuko Sokoke Forest / 5 km W Gede , 50 m / 03°16’S 039°59’E / 18.iii.2004 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3646♂ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00389’; specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003285 ’; [5] ‘DNA voucher / CLV15207 ’, in INRA; [6] ‘Holotype ♂ / Cremastobombycia / kipepeo / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratype: 1 ♀ (including 1♀ genitalia preparation). Kenya: 1♀, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 10.5 km W Gede, 80 m, 03°16’S 039°58’E, 02.iv.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins, gen. prep. De Prins 3647♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00390), wing venation prep. De Prins 3770♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00494), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003280, in RMCA, DNA voucher CLV14707 in INRA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 114 ). Forewing length: 1.76 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted latero-posteriorly and appressed anteriorly; pale ochreous, piliform tufts with golden lustre placed medially over vertex and directed laterally; smooth, appressed, pale with whitish shading, slender, piliform scales on anterior part of vertex, directed anteriorly, and reaching beyond antennal bases; a bunch of tufted intermixed, pale ochreous, piliform scales present over posterior part of occiput, projected radially; frons smooth, white, shiny with golden ochreous shade bordering vertex and slight brown shading bordering palpi, slender piliform scales with golden bases on dorsal margin of frons, central part of frons with silvery white shine and ventral part contains a few slender, piliform scales with brown apices. Labial palpus as long as eye, straight, slender with sharp apex, directed downwards, pale beige unicoloured along all palpomeres, without special dark markings; maxillary palpus small and slender with sharp apex, of same colour as labial palpus; haustellum short slightly yellowish darker than palpi. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, consisting of 34 flagellomeres, underside pale ochreous, upperside with pale ochreous basal half and ferruginous apical half, terminal 1/5 of antenna light fuscous; pedicel pale ochreous basaly with ferruginous brown apical third; scape ochreous, with dark white white 6–8 pecten as long as scape in male and shorter in female.

Thorax: Ochreous with irroration of small round scales of darker ochreous shading; tegulae of same colour as thorax with irroration of darker ochreous scales, but uniformly ochreous also at anterior margin. Forewing ground colour light ochreous with irroration of darker shading; black markings on forewing lacking distinctly shaped strigulae or fasciae, as follows: a couple large black scales on costa bordering tegulae, first short costal strigula at 1/ 8 of forewing, not reaching midline of forewing, without strictly shaped margins, disordelly running from costa towards dorsum; second costal strigula at 1/4, twice broader than first costal strigula with broaden terminal part, reaching midline of forewing; slender fascia following second costal strigula and extending across forewing as one irregular row of black scales at 1/4 of forewing; second fascia at middle of forewing, broader than first fascia, third costal strigula possess a shape of irregular patch, just reaches midline of forewing, touches second fascia with its basal edge; third fascia at 3/4 of forewing, curved, without shaped edges, with broader costal part; which unites with broad termen area, irregularly irrorated with black scales along termen; a few black tipped scales at tornus, however not forming a clearly expressed fringe line, black or dark brown tipped scales terminate forewing; fringe golden, short on costal subapical and apical area, darker yellowish along termen and long, with slight grey shading and golden lustre along subapical dorsal margin. Hindwings pale beige with golden shine; fringe of slightly darker shading, very long. Fore femur ochreous, spotted with numerous darker ochreous scales, fore tibia ochreous with dark brown base and brown fuscous apical band; tarsomere I pale ochreous with fuscous subapex, tarsomere II pale ochreous with fuscous apices, tarsomere III pale beige subbasaly to 1/3 and fuscous apically, tarsomere IV dirty white with fuscous base, tarsomere V pale fuscous. Mid-femur pale ochreous, mid-tibia pale ochreous with 3 brownish, fuscous patches: basal, median and largest, dotted, apical patch consisting of numerous dark brown scales; tibial spurs pale beige with a couple of black-tipped scales; tarsomere I pale beige with fuscous subapex, tarsomere II pale beige with fuscous apex, tarsomere III fuscous at basal half and dirty white at apical half, tarsomere IV dirty white, tarsomere V pale fuscous. Hind tibia ochreous, dotted with a few fuscous scales apically, tarsomere I beige with fuscous subapex, tarsomeres II–III pale beige with fuscous median patch, tarsomere IV pale beige and terminal tarsomere fuscous.

Abdomen: Dorsally ochreous, fuscous brown; tergites I–III ochreous grey with shine, tergite IV–VII dark grey, tergite VIII, elongate and narrow, beige; sternum VIII of male large, trapezoid.

Male genitalia ( Figs 278, 279 ). Tegumen long (532 µ m in holotype) almost as long as valva, narrow, arms very narrow, stronger sclerotized basally, not joining, apical half of tegumen very weakly sclerotized; apex terminates with a small bulb covered with numerous tiny short microtrichiae (visible at enlargement 400×) and a pair of long slender setae, ca. 77 µm long (visible at 200×). Valvae symmetrical, long (ca. 570 µm), narrow, straight; cucullus part enlarged, terminating with a short ventral projection; ventral surface of apical half of valva covered with numerous long slender hair-like setae, more abundant at ventral margin of valva, cucullus sector covered with spaced small round tubercules and shotrt stiff setae. Vinculum very strongly sclerotized, narrow U-shaped with short slender, elongate saccus projecting cephalad. Transtilla not perceptible. Anellus tube-shaped, heavily sclerotized, nearly extending to apex of aedoeagus, terminating with sclerotization with angulate cornutus at terminal part. Aedoeagus long (610 µm in holotype), almost as long as valva, tapering towards vesica; vesica with a large barb-like and a small papilla-like projection on apex.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 352 ). Papillae anales caudally compressed, flat, basal bar narrow, well sclerotized, oval shaped, asymmetric, left ventro-lateral side with rounded process minutely serated; long setae distributed mainly along sclerotized band, caudal part of papillae anales is almost setae free. Posterior apophyses of moderate length (307 µm), without clearly broadened basal parts, slender, straight, but dilating at apices, reaching middle of segment VII, apices blunt. Segment VIII very short and weakly sclerotized. Anterior apophyses initiate at junction of segments VIII and VII, without basal plate or any other sclerotization, narrow, slightly curved, running to middle of segment VII, dilating at middle part and with bent hook-like apices. Ostium bursae located at posterior part of segment VII, slightly oval with sclerotized smooth margins gently transmitting to very heavily sclerotized, cylindrical antrum with narrower posterior part and broader anterior part. A very large, slerotized, sterigmatic armature covers almost entire sternum VII. Ductus bursae long, broad but weakly sclerotized except posterior part between segment VII and VI which is broad and melanized, posteriad this latter part ductus bursae becomes narrow weakly sclerotized, then again broadening and smoothly confluents to corpus bursae leaving no clear boundaries between ductus and corpus bursae. Corpus bursae oval, only slightly membranous with two signa areas: anterior area a round plate, with two slerotized signa, shaped as very narrow sclerotized stripes laying along equator of signum plate but at a distance from each other; second signum area located at caudal part of corpus bursae, it is only slightly more melanized than wall of corpus bursae, caudal signum area without sclerotized signum; two sclerotized signa spikes present on ductus bursae: one larger at centrum of corpus bursae between two signa areas and one smaller at anterior part of corpus bursae. Bulla spermathecae as large as signum area on corpus bursae (ca. 5021 µm²), oval, located posterior ductus bursae, ductus spermathecae about 1.4 mm long, forming 16 coils of smaller diameter at posterior part, with coil diameter gradually enlarging anterad.

Etymology. The name of this species is derived from “kipepeo” the common name meaning “moth, butterfly ” in Swahili. This species-group name is regarded as a noun in nominative case.

Variation. There can be slight variation in size and colour of forewing. Female (paratype) is smaller and lighter in ground colour shading.

Habitat. East African coastal forest ( Fig. 437 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. The adults have been recorded from late March to early April.

Distribution. ( Fig. 412 ). Known only from the type locality in East Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 11–20. Wing morphology of the Afrotropical Lithocolletinae genera. 11, Hyloconis luki, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00454. 12, Neolithocolletis mayumbe, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00535. 13, Neolithocolletis nsengai, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00427. 14, Cameraria perodeaui, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00453. 15, Cameraria torridella, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00490. 16, Phyllonorycter grewiaecola, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00528. 17, Phyllonorycter melanosparta, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00497. 18, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00494. 19, Cremastobombycia morogorene, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00667. 20, Porphyrosela teramni, wing venation prep. MRAC/KMMA 00434.

FIGURES 111–116. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 111, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori, holotype ♂, Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains, Bundibugyo, 22.viii–3.ix.1952, leg. D.S. Fletcher, in BMNH. 112, Phyllonorycter silvicola, holotype ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, 31.iii.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003277. 113, Phyllonorycter umukarus, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 28.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005152. 114, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, holotype ♂, Kenya, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 18.iii.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003285. 115, Cremastobombycia morogorene, holotype ♂, Tanzania, Morogoro, 30.viii.1992, leg. L. Aarvik, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000006148. 116, Porphyrosela desmodivora, paratype ♂, Cameroon, Ekona, 20.iv.1938, leg. S.G. Buhr, in ZMHB.

FIGURES 278–282. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 278–279, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00389, in RMCA. 278, ventral view. 279, aedoeagus. 280–282, Cremastobombycia morogorene, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00657, in RMCA. 280, ventral view. 281, sternum VIII. 282, aedoeagus.

FIGURES 352–353. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 352, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00390, in RMCA. 353, Porphyrosela gautengi, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00449, in RMCA.

FIGURES 403–414. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 403, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi. 404, Phyllonorycter maererei. 405, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai. 406, Phyllonorycter ocimellus. 407, Phyllonorycter pavoniae. 408, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae. 409, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori. 410, Phyllonorycter silvicola. 411, Phyllonorycter umukarus. 412, Cremastobombycia kipepeo. 413, Cremastobombycia morogorene. 414, Porphyrosela desmodivora.

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.