Parapoynx ophiaula ( Meyrick, 1936 ) Published, 2012

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 13

Parapoynx ophiaula ( Meyrick, 1936) comb. n.

Nymphula ophiaula Meyrick, 1936:8

Type locality: Lulua, Congo.

Imago (Fig. 8): Wingspan 15–16mm. Head pale fuscous, labial palpus segment 2 darker on outside, antenna pale fuscous. Thorax fuscous. Forewing dark fuscous, base whitish dorsally; a blackish discal spot; white very oblique fascia from inner half of dorsum towards discal spot, then bent towards termen and continued to costa just before apex; a darker subterminal line; terminal cilia with a narrow line of blackish scales along termen. Hindwing white; a blackish subterminal line, stronger towards base; terminal cilia with a sequence of black dots or dashes of scales along termen. Abdomen banded fuscous and whitish, with a darker band aligned with the subterminal band of hindwing.

Male genitalia (Fig. 87): Uncus long and slender, gently curved ventrally, setae only arising near base. Gnathos stout, 2/3 length of uncus, apically curved towards uncus ending in a blunt point. Valva simple, gently tapered towards apex, length almost 4 × width, a very small projection arising from inner surface of valva near base. Aedeagus simple, a small scobinate batch in vesica.

Female genitalia (Fig. 137): Ostium 1/5 width of segment 8, ostial chamber finely spiculate, gently narrowed to colliculum. Ductus long, gradually widening towards corpus bursae; corpus ovate, signa comprising a pair of sclerotised longitudinal ridges, almost the whole length of corpus.

Tympanal organs: Venulae extending from edge of segment 2, evenly curved outwards; tympani triangular.

Diagnosis: Somewhat similar to P. fluctuosalis , but distinguished by the undulating white band along the length of the forewing and the lack of fasciae in the hindwing.

Biology: Unknown. Adults taken i, ii, iii, v, vii, xii.

Distribution: Known only from the south east of D.R. Congo and north west Zambia.

Material examined: Lectotype ♀ designated by Maes (1996), Belgian Congo, Lulua xii.1930, 2 paralectotypes ♂ ( MRAC), 1♀ ( BMNH).

D.R. CONGO: 1♂ Lulua, 1♀ Sandra , 2♂ Elisabethville , 1♂ Katentania ( MRAC). ZAMBIA: 1♂ 1♀ Mwinilunga, Zambezi rapids ( NMB), 1 without abdomen ( BMNH).