Lecithocera lucernata Meyrick, 1913

Park, Kyu-Tek & Prins, Willy De, 2019, A review of the Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) of southern Africa, based on type specimens deposited in the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (TMSA), with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4623 (1), pp. 61-89 : 73

Lecithocera lucernata Meyrick, 1913

( Figs. 3J , 6B )

Lecithocera lucernata Meyrick, 1913: 294 . TL: Pretoria [Gauteng], South Africa. [TMSA].

Leviptera lucernata ; Janse 1954: 343.

Adult. ( Fig. 3J ). See also Janse (Pl. 195, Fig. 4 ). Wingspan 18 mm.

Diagnosis. L. lucernata can be distinguished from the preceding species, L. aenicta and L. ideologa by the forewing which is more elongate, with more blackish ground color, lacking distinct discal stigma. Labial palpus and venation figured in Janse (1954, Pl. 141, fig. 12 & 13).

Male genitalia (see Janse (1954, Pl. 152, Fig. 3 & Pl. 174, Fig. 6 - photos). The male genitalia are more easily distinguished by the shape of the juxta with T-shaped caudal lobes, a very deeply emargination on caudal margin, and the aedeagus with apical spines.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 6B ). Characterized by the ductus bursae fully filled with numerous nail-like spines in the median part.

Material examined. The type specimen (♂, Gauteng, Pretoria, xi, [year?], C.J. Swierstra) was not found in the TMSA. More than 30 additional specimens (gen. slide nos. 3743, 5630, & 6696) are preserved in the TMSA, including a male (Pret. North, 16 ii 1917, C.J. Swierstra). The genitalia of two females (1♀, Abachaus, SW Africa, ii [19]43, G. Hobohm and 1♀, Abachaus, SW Africa, viii [19]44, G. Hobohm) were dissected, gen. slide no. CIS- 7209/Park and CIS-7210/Park.

Distribution. DR Congo (Katanga) ( Ghesquière, 1940), Namibia (new record), South Africa (Gauteng) ( Meyrick, 1913).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Adults of Lecithocerinae with their labels: A, Atrichozancla gymnopalpa Janse, lectotype ♂; B, Atrichozancla phaeocrossis Meyrick, paratype ♂; C. Eridachtha crossogramma (Meyrick), holotype ♂; D, Frisilia compostoma Meyrick, holotype ♂; E, Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, lectotype ♂; F, Lecithocera aenicta Meyrick, holotype ♂; G, L. binotata Mey- rick, holotype ♂; H, L. flavipalpis Walsingham, holotype ♀; I, L. ideologa Meyrick, holotype ♂; J, L. lucernata Meyrick, ♂ specimen; K, L. myopa Meyrick, lectotype ♂; L, Plagiocrossa picrodora (Meyrick), lectotype ♀.

FIGURE 4. Male and female genitalia. A, male genitalia of Atrichozancla gymnopalpa Janse, a paratype, gen. slide no. CIS- 7206/Park; B, ditto, close-up of aedeagus; C, ditto, abdomen; D, male genitalia of Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, gen. slide no. CIS-7222/Park; E, ditto, aedeagus; F, right valva of a Taiwanese specimen; G, ditto, aedeagus; H. female genitalia of H. lophophora Janse, gen. slide no. CIS-7223/Park. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Male and female genitalia. A, female genitalia of L. flavipalpis Walsingham; B, female genitalia of L. lucernata Meyrick, C, male genitalia of Plagiocrossa picrodora (Meyrick); D, ditto, aedeagus; E, forewing venation; F, close-up lateral view of gnathos; G, abdomen. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.