Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954, 2019

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 : 69-70

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4623.1.5

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F01190BC-7DF5-478A-8130-214313851BF1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3510484

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/251587B9-5355-FFCF-FF4D-0A692978FBCA

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954
status

stat. nov.

Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954 View in CoL , stat. rev., valid species

( Figs. 3E View FIGURE 3 , 4 View FIGURE 4 D–H)

Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954: 341 View in CoL . TL: Pretoria, South Africa. [TMSA].

Homaloxestis cholopis View in CoL auct., (nec Meyrick 1932); Gozmány 1978: 67 (syn.); Park 2018: 562 View Cited Treatment , misidentification.

Adult. ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ). See Janse (1954, Pl. 170, Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ). Wingspan 17 – 21 mm.

Diagnosis. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D–G). see Janse (1954, Pl. 152, Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 - photo; Pl. 176, Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 - photo). 1) the basal lobes of uncus emarginated medially on caudal margin ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D-1) and the basal plate of the gnathos wider; 2) the cucullus with triangularly produced, apically pointed process at lower corner ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D-2) (not sharply produced in H. cholopis ); 3) the outer margin of cucullus more deeply concave beyond the process at lower corner ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D- 3), 4) conic pegs in vesica of the aedeagus less numerous than in H. cholopis ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 E-4).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 4H View FIGURE 4 ). See Janse (1954, Pl. 178, Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 & 6 View FIGURE 6 - photos). In the female genitalia, a slight difference can also be found in the number of conic spines in the ductus bursae which is lower in H. lophophora than in H. cholopis ; corpus bursae much more elongate, as long as ductus bursae, whereas it is ovate in H. cholopis .

Material examined. [ South Africa] Type no. 3353, ♂ (lectotype, designated here), [South Africa], Pretoria , 10 x 1917 , C.J. Swierstra, gen. slide no. CIS-6579, deposited in TMSA, Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 . Paralectotypes: Types nos. 3354 – 3386 (gen. slide nos. CIS-5634, 6580, 6584, 6586, 6587, 6588, 6592). The species was described based on 12♂ and 22♀, collected from Barberton , Colenso , Durban , Melmoth , New Hanover , Nylstroom , Pretoria , Rietfontein , Rustenburg, Umkomaas, Umvuma, and Waterval Onder. A pair of an undetermined species placed in a separate drawer was examined, and both specimens were identified as H. lophophora : 1♂ and 1♀, Plot 12 Vaal River, Salsol Berg, 13 iii 1982 , D.M. Kroon, gen. slide no. CIS-7227/ Park (♂) and CIS-7228/ Park (♀) ( Fig. 4H View FIGURE 4 ). [ Cameroon] 1♂, Efulen, H.L. Weber , Acc. C.M. 6122; Apr. 25 1916 , gen. slide no. CIS-6853/Park; 1♂, same locality, H.L. Weber, Ac. 4938, May 10 1913 ; 1♂, same locality, H.L. Weber, Ac. 5251, Feb. 26 1914 . [ Gabon] 1♂, CM Acc. 4189, Nov. 9 1909 , gen. slide no. CIS-6858/Park. [ Kenya], 1♂, Lift Valley , Lake Elementeita, 6000 ft, 10 xii 1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz , gen. slide no. CIS-7126/Park; 2♂, Lift Valley , Turi 8000 ft, 20 v 1999 & 27 vi 1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz ; 1♀, Central , Thika 6000 ft, 30 iii 1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz , gen. slide no. CIS-7127/Park.

Distribution. Cameroon ( Park 2018), Gabon ( Park 2018), Kenya (new record), South Africa (Janse 1954).

Remarks. The record of Homaloxestis cholopis ( Meyrick, 1906) from South Africa (Transvaal) by Janse (1954) was due to a misidentification. H. lophophora Janse was synonymized with H. cholopis Meyrick by Gozmány (1978). However, in the present study, we carefully re-examined both species, comparing their male & female genitalia, H. cholopis Meyrick (from Taiwan, China) and H. lophophora Janse (from Cameroon, Kenya), and found that H. lophophora can be distinguished from the Oriental species by male and female genitalia. In addition, the DNA analysis using the mitochondrial COI gene for the above two species showed a remarkable genetic distance. The Afrotropical species, H. lophophora is generally larger than H. cholopis , with the forewing ground color more fuscous. Thus, H. lophophora Janse , stat. rev. is treated as a valid species, separate from the Oriental species, H. cholopis Meyrick.

TMSA

Transvaal Museum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Lecithoceridae

Genus

Homaloxestis

Loc

Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954

Park, Kyu-Tek & Prins, Willy De 2019
2019
Loc

Homaloxestis cholopis

Park, K. - T. 2018: 562
Gozmany, L. A. 1978: 67
1978
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