Porphyrosela gautengi 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 : 171-173

64. Porphyrosela gautengi De Prins , new species

( Figs 117 , 283, 284 , 353 , 415 )

Diagnosis. Porphyrosela gautengi , n. sp., is similar to P. teramni but it can easily be distinguished from the latter by forewing pattern and colour of the terminal segments of the antennal flagellum. The forewing of P. teramni has 4 costal strigulae, whereas that of P. gautengi has 3; apical 6–7 flagellomeres of the antenna in P. teramni are pure white, wheras the tips of the antennae of P. gautengi are not distinguishable from the remaining flagellomeres and are pale grey. The male genitalia of the new species resemble those of P. teramni but differ from the latter by the following characters: i) in P. teramni the tegumen is long and acuminating towards the apex; in P. gautengi it is significantly shorter with a rounded apex; ii) in P. teramni the valva is ventrally emarginated, whereas in P. gautengi the apex of the valva is gently rounded; iii) the main body of the aedoeagus is truncate and slightly narrowed apically in P. gautengi , whereas the main body of the aedoeagus in P. teramni has a narrow subapical constriction; and iv) the vesica in P. teramni is bulbed and rounded, whereas the aedoeagus in P. gautengi is broad basally with a sclerotized cornutus, and the vesica has a sharp barb.

Holotype: ♂, [ South Africa]: [1] ‘ Jozini Dam / Lebombo M[oun]t[ain]s. Nat.[ure] [Reserve] / 18.i.1965 ’; specimen ID: [2] ‘ RMCA ENT 000004797 ’; [3] ‘Holotype ♂ / Porphyrosela / gautengi / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratypes: 28♂ and 51♀ (including 1♂ and 1♀ genitalia preparations), 1 specimen. [South Africa]: 10♂, 16♀, Pretoria, Willow Glen, 14.ii.1984, 15.ii.1984, 16.ii.1984, 13.ii.1984, 02.ii.1988, 26.ii.1988, 23.ii.1988, 29.i.1990, 30.i.1990, 31.i.1990, Febr.[uary] 1990, 01.ii.1990, 02.ii.1990, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac[quisition]. no. 3929, 4023, 4031, 4054, G.[enitalia] De Prins 3506♂ ( TMSA 14606), in TMSA. 14♂, 27♀, Pretoria, 20.iv.1950, 05.ii.1957, 03.iii.1960, 26.ii.1971, 01.iii.1971, 02.iii.1971, 03.iii.1971, 05.iii.1971, 06.iii.1971, 07.iii.1971, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 209, 2222, 1992, 3086, 3334, G.[enitalia] 7784♂, 7785♀, in TMSA. 2♀, 1 specimen, same locality data, 22.xi.1948, 19.i.1949, 14.ii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 54, 87, 122, PT, Porphyrosela teramni Vári , PARATYPE No 6504, 6509, 6516’, in TMSA. 4♂, 4♀, Jozini Dam, Lebombo M[oun]t[ain]s., Nat.[ure] Reserve], 18.i.1965, 20.i.1965, 25.i.1965, Ac.[quisition] no. 2766, in TMSA. 1♀, same locality data, 20.i.1965, gen. prep. De Prins 3741♀ (MRAC/ KMMA 00449), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004796, in RMCA. 1♀, Loskopdam, 23.xi.1971, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 3174, in TMSA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 117 ). Forewing length: 1.90–2.07 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with dark fuscous-brown, piliform scales, frons smooth, dark grey, with strong metallic shine, consisting of strongly appressed, long, piliform scales, projecting ventrally. Maxillary palpus tiny, porrect, grey. Labial palpus as long as diameter of eye, drooping, first palpomere grey with brownish shading, second palpomere grey, same shading as frons but lacking metallic gloss, terminal palpomere dark grey with sharply pointed apex, directed downwards. Haustellum short, strongly curved, greyish beige. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, consisting of 30–32 flagellomeres, dark grey dorsally, gradually paler from mid-length to apex, grey with light brown shading ventrally; pedicel slightly larger than following flagellomere, dark grey; scape with appressed dark grey, bronzy, shiny, piliform scales loosely covering pale grey basal colour, with three short, stiff, pale grey pecten.

Thorax: Grey with strong metallic gloss; tegula as thorax. Forewing ground colour golden ochreous with three slight oblique towards apex, silvery white costal strigulae and three gradually enlarging towards tornus dorsal strigulae; costal strigulae large, rectangular shaped, almost reaching midline of forewing, first and second costal strigulae equal sized, third costal strigula largest, all three costal strigulae irregularly edged with blackish fuscous scales; first costal strigula situated at 1/3 of forewing, second costal strigula at 2/3 of forewing, and third strigula occupying apex of forewing; first dorsal strigula small, at 1/4, half round shaped, edged with blackish fuscous scales, except dorsum, second at 1/2 of dorsum, narrow, rectangular, just not reaching midline forewing, irregularly edged from all sides except dorsum, third dorsal strigula just before tornus, triangular shaped, with apical part extending beyond midline of forewing, edged on both sides with irregular row of blackish scales, termen and apical area suffused with brownish fuscous scales; fringe line not conspicuous, but longer dark brown scales stretching along termen, fringe short, whitish at apex and termen, gradually getting longer and becoming pale ochreous at tornus. Hindwing light fuscous with slight ochreous shade, fringe long, dense, pale grey, gradually getting shorter towards apex, obtaining slight golden shine at apex. Fore femur pale grey with bronze metallic shine, fore tibia and tarsus pale grey; mid-femur and tibia grey with bronze metallic shine, spurs pale grey as mid-tibia, mid-tarsomeres I–III pale grey, terminal tarsomeres dark grey; hind femur pale grey with strong metallic gloss, base of femur with slight bronze shine, hind tibia pale grey with two large bronze copper patches: basal triangular patch of medium size and large irregular patch extending from middle to apex of hind tibia, median spurs very long slightly shorter than tibia, metallic grey at basal 2/3 of length and pale grey with silver gloss at apical 1/3, apical spurs short, about 3× shorter than medial spurs, dirty pale grey at basal and apical parts and slightly darker grey at median part; hind tarsus dark grey with light bronze shade at apical half.

Abdomen: Dark grey dorsally, except first two segments which are pale grey with metallic gloss, ventrally whitish grey with metallic gloss, a bronze patch on 6–7 sterna, genital strerna dark grey. Sternum VIII of male very small, rounded apically.

Male genitalia ( Figs 283, 284 ). Tegumen subconical, slightly longer than valva, broadly rounded apically, sparsely squamose dorsally, with a pair of stiff long setae; basal part arms of tegumen narrow strongly sclerotized running parallel to each other with smooth anastomosis into median part of tegumen; two narrow sclerotized seams run parallel each other at apical 1/2 of tegumen to gently broadly rounded apex; sclerotized tegumenal ‘cap’ covering apical third of tegumen. Valvae symmetrical, slightly shorter than tegumen, narrow, bar shaped with slight dilation at apical part and gently rounded apices, almost straight with light inclination medially, ventral surfice of valva with sparsely distributed round tubecules bearing fine setae. Vinculum narrow, subtriangular with apical saccus very short and blunt caudally. Transtilla complete, narrow in whole length, without laterocephalic lobes. Aedoeagus slightly shorter than valva, thickly sclerotized, tubular, broad basally bearing long heavily sclerotized cornutus, tapering apically to truncate sclerotized subapex, vesica narrow, weakly sclerotized, with sharp barb at apex. Anellus long, weakly membranous, tubular, shorter than aedoeagus.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 353 ). Papillae anales short, flattened, almost rectangular shaped, connected with each other laterally, rather short, ca. 40 µm, tubular, and setose with long, slender setae, more dense apically. Posterior apophyses long (280 µm), slightly thickened in basal 1/4, apical parts slender along entire length, straight and parallel to each other, with sharp apices, entering anterior middle of segment VII. Segment VIII of moderate length, weakly sclerotized, wrinkled, anterior margin sinuate and fused with posterior margin of segment VII. Anterior apophyses absent. Segment VII moderate sized, slightly enlarged towards anterior margin, ca. 300 µm long, well sclerotized, with sinuate posterior margin, covered with numerous tubercules, concave ventrally. Ostium bursae opening at middle of concave posterior margin of segment VII, broadly dilating posteriorly without surrounded sterigma. Initial part of ductus bursae melanized, somewhat triangular, anatomosing to tubular part. Ductus and corpus bursae without clear distinct separation. Structure of ductus bursae + corpus bursae long, ca. 750 µm, weakly sclerotized; corpus bursae formed by terminal elongated part of ductus bursae, without signum. Ductus spermathecae narrow, sclerotized, of medium length (ca. 160 µm), enlarged anteriorly, gently sinuate, but without revolutions; vesica large, irregular rounded, with annulated seam crossing medially.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the South African province Gauteng, where the type locality is located.

Habitat. Secondary forest.

Host plant(s). Fabaceae : Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. In note 4054 written by Vári on 25 January 1990 (manuscript notebook of Vári), it is stated that he collected in “Pretoria (Willow Glen) Porphyrosela teramni Vári on Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. [ P. teramni ]”. We have identified those specimens as P. gautengi .

Mine. On upperside of leaf (Vári, manuscript note).

Flight period. Adults have been collected from late November to mid-April.

Distribution ( Fig. 415 ). Recorded only from South Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 117–122. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 117, Porphyrosela gautengi, holotype ♂, South Africa, Lebombo Mountains, Jozini Dam, 18.i.1965, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004797. 118, Porphyrosela homotropha, paratype 4786♀, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 5.xii.1959, leg. E.M. Hering, in ZMHB. 119, Porphyrosela homotropha, ♀, Ethiopia, Tana Lake, Bahir Dar, 11–16.i.1996, leg. Mey & Ebert, in ZMHB. 120, Porphyrosela teramni, holotype 6497♂, South Africa, Pretoria, 22.xi.1948, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 121, Porphyrosela teramni, paratype 6520, South Africa, Pretoria, 22.xi.1948, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 122, Porphyrosela teramni, ♂, South Africa, Glenmore, 12.v.1971, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004794.

FIGURES 283–286. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 283–284, Porphyrosela gautengi, paratype, genitalia prep. TMSA 14606, in TMSA. 283, lateral view. 284, aedoeagus. 285–286, Porphyrosela homotropha, the drawings are made by Willy De Prins after the original description and the drawing of Vári (1963: 11; fig. 10). 285, lateral view. 286, 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 415–417. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 415, Porphyrosela gautengi. 416, Porphyrosela homotropha. 417, Porphyrosela teramni.