Geraldocossus Yakovlev & Sáfián, 2016

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2016, Geraldocossus gen. nov. (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from Mount Cameroon (West Africa), Zootaxa 4114 (5), pp. 595-599 : 596

Geraldocossus Yakovlev & Sáfián , gen. nov.

Type species— Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Sáfián , sp. nov.

Gender: masculine

Description. Adult ( Figs 1–3 ). Medium sized. Antenna simple, without rami on segments. Eye hairless. Frons width equal to eye diameter. Labial palpi 1.5 Χ shorter that eye diameter. Thorax and abdomen covered with dark scales. Fore wing with rounded apex; black with faintly expressed brown pattern. Hindwing dark grey without pattern. Underside of wings dark, without pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus narrow, elongated, with a deep notch at apex. Tegumen very large, trapezoid. Gnathos branches thick, short, with strongly sclerotized dorsal surface, apices of gnathos branches strongly thickened and heavily sclerotized, with needle-like spines. Valva short, concave, spoon-like, slightly narrowed apically, heavily sclerotized including apical area, with well expressed sacculus. Juxta of very complicated shape, with three pairs of lateral processes (first pair of long stiletto-like processes diluted at right angle and directed dorsally; second pair of wide leaf-like processes, diluted in different directions; third pair of small tapered processes directed abdominally). Saccus large, cylindrical, directed abdominally. Phallus long (by ¼ longer than valve length), almost straight, vesica aperture in dorsoapical position, its length ¼ of valve length, vesica without cornuti.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species clearly differs from the known genera of the Politzariellinae by the following features of the male genitalia:

- the needle-like spines at the apices of gnathos branches ( Politzariella and Holcoceroides has the gnathos branches

strongly sclerotized without specific processes, fig. 6));

- the absence of the harpe ( Politzariella has the warty harpe closer to the costal margin of the valve, see fig. 6;

Holcoceroides has a specific complicated construction of the valve inner surface with the development of large,

strongly sclerotized hooks, see figs 7-8);

- the specific structure of the juxta with three pairs of lateral processes ( Politzariella has the juxta with one pair of thin

lateral processes, diluted in different directions, Holcoceroides has the funnel-like juxta without lateral processes,

see figs 7–8).

The most significant apomorphic features of the new genus are: the needle-like processes at the apices of gnathos branches and the specific juxta with three pairs of lateral processes.

Distribution. Cameroon: Mount Cameroon.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Politzariellinae (Cossidae) (adults and male genitalia): 1. Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Safian sp. nov., holotype, upperside; 2. G. durrelli, holotype, underside; 3. G. durrelli, paratype, male, upperside; 4. Politzariella pantherina Yakovlev, 2011, ♂, holotype (ZSSM); 5. Holcoceroides ferrugineotincta Strand, [1913], ♂, Nigeria (ZSSM); 6. Male genitalia of G. dur re lli (holotype); 7. Male genitalia of P. pantherina (holotype from Yakovlev 2011); 8. Male genitalia of H. ferrugineotincta (topotype, Nigeria, from Yakovlev 2011).