Trichophysetis foveolatae, Agassiz, 2022

Agassiz, David, 2022, The tribe Cybalomiini (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Glaphyrinae) of sub-Saharan Africa, Zootaxa 5174 (2), pp. 101-156 : 113-114

Trichophysetis foveolatae sp. n.

Imago (fig. 16): Wingspan 13–18 mm. Head white above, maxillary palpus tufted, together wih labial palpus in male giving the appearance of a double feather-like structure, in the female long black and laterally flattened with a small black structure above, eyes large. Thorax pale brown, tegula whitish. Forewing white irrorate pale orange-brown, a weak subbasal fascia, a fine curved blackish median fascia, a fine curved dark brown subterminal fascia; termen with a fine black line, double cilia line pale fuscous. Hindwing coloured as forewing, median and outer fascias heavily blackish near base, dark colour before median and after outer fascia, terminal line pale brown. Abdomen concolorous with adjacent hindwing.

Male genitalia (fig. 58): Uncus spatulate, long and slender, gnathos strong, ⅔ length of uncus; valva digitate, broadened apically, sacculus appendages long slender S-shaped with bifurcate tip. Aedeagus gently curved, ‘trigger’ conspicuous.

Female genitalia: (fig. 90): ostial chamber cylindrical, ductus bursae slightly wider than ostial chamber and scobinate, abruptly widens into ovate corpus bursae.

Diagnosis: Similar to preciosalis but distinguished by the dark colour basad to the median fascia of the hindwing.

Life history: Reared from seeds of Chionanthus foveolata (Oleaceae) .

Derivation: From the name of the host plant.

Distribution: South Africa: Eastern Cape.

Type material: Holotype ♂ East London , C.P. viii.1922 H.K. Munro ; 8 Paratypes: 1♂ without abdomen, 3♀ same data as HT but two of 5.viii.1922; 2♂ (1 without abdomen) 2♀ East London viii.1923 J.K. Munro. ( TMSA)

Other material examined: 1♀ Durban 18.xii.1953 C.G.C. Dickson ( TMSA) .