Acosma allardi, Yakovlev, 2020

Yakovlev, Roman V., 2020, New species of Acosma Yakovlev, 2011 (Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Zeuzerinae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecologica Montenegrina 35, pp. 1-4 : 2-4

Acosma allardi sp. nov.

Figs 1−3

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C3A970BB-71D2-47D6-B04A-B9DDE881529F

Material. Holotype, male, [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], Katanga : Ruwe [Mutoshi Mine, 10°40′40″S 25°32′07″E], 12-1959, Rec. V. Allard ( Royal Museum of Central Africa , Tervuren ). Slide number MRAC Coss 16/2015.

Description. Length of fore wing 15 mm. Antenna short, bipectinate in proximal half, simple in distal half. Thorax and abdomen covered with grey scales. Fore wing elongated, white, with dense pattern of undulated transverse dark-grey strokes throughout all wing, pattern more dense in cubital and postdiscal area, fringe mottles: dark at veins, light between veins. Hind wing white, with poorly expressed dark-grey reticulated pattern along outer edge of wing (from Sc to anal angle).

Male genitalia. Uncus relatively short, coracoidly curved, apically sharp; tegumen large; gnathos arms thin, not fused; gnathos absent; costal edge of valve smooth in proximal half, with small notch in distal half, semicircular notch on abdominal edge in proximal third, small lanceolate process on border between proximal and medium thirds, distal third semicircular, outer edge rounded; juxta semi-oval, with leaf-like lateral processes directed dorsally; saccus semicircular, of medium size; phallus heavily curved in medium third, shorter than valve, of medium thickness, vesica without cornuti.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. Externally, the new species clearly differs from the known species: the white fore wing with a dense pattern of undulated transverse dark-grey strokes throughout all the wing area, this pattern is more dense in the cubital and postdiscal areas (while the fore wing in the other species of the genus is coloured much lighter); the white hind wing with poorly expressed dark-grey reticulated pattern along the outer edge of the wing, from Sc to the anal angle (while the hind wing in the other species of the genus is white without pattern). There are small differences in the male genitalia: in A. equatorialis and A. stanleyi the phallus is less curved; in A. stanleyi the processes on the abdominal edge of the valve are thin and sharp; in A. gurkoi the costal edge of the valve is practically smooth.

Distribution. Known only from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Katanga Province).

Etymology. The new species is named after its collector, Vincent Allard (1921−1994), a medical doctor who spent much time in Congo (the Democratic Republic of Congo) where he collected mainly Coleoptera , but also Lepidoptera for the Royal Museum of Central Africa. He studied in Paris, France (University of Paris and Institute Pasteur) and also in the United States (Harvard Medical School) as a specialist in the field of fungal diseases. After his studies he lived almost for 25 years in Congo. He described many species of Coleoptera , mainly Cetoniidae ( Rigout 2003; pers. comm. W. de Prince).

Figures

Figures 1−2. Acosma allardi sp. n., holotype: 1. External habitus (Royal Museum of Central Africa); 2. Male genitalia (slide MRAC Coss16/2015).

Figure 3. Type locality of Acosma allardi sp. n. on the map.