Cossulus Staudinger, 1887

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Witt, Thomas J., 2017, World catalogue of the genus Cossulus Staudinger, 1887 (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) with description of Cossulus irtlachi sp. nov. from Kyrgyzstan, Zootaxa 4311 (1) : -

Description of Cossulus Staudinger, 1887

Medium sized, color of wings from white to dark grey and brown. Antenna structure various (from complete splitting of comb processes to almost complete fusion of notch and even reduction of comb processes). Apex of fore wing rounded, fore wing with characteristic reticulated pattern and alternation of paler and darker elements. Hind wing without pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus wide with rounded apex; gnathos arms long, thick; medial part of gnathos round, densely covered with small spikes. Valva lanceolately narrowing in distal part, more or less expressed crest (often with uneven edge) on dorsal edge; distal edge membranous; sclerotized and membranous parts of valva with fuzzy border. Transtilla processes uncinately bent, tapered with wide base. Juxta saddle-like with two long lateral processes. Saccus small, rounded. Phallus poorly sclerotized, distal aperture in dorso-apical position, in length from one-third to one-half of phallus.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales rounded on apices, relatively long. Posterior apophyses two times longer than anterior ones. Ostium slit-shaped, immersed; ductus of medium length, bursa copulatrix sack-like, without signa. Ductus seminalis extends from ductus near its confluence into bursa.

Adult flight period from April to October. The altitude where species of Cossulus occur ranges from 400 (in the Karakum Desert) to 3500 m (in Afghanistan). It is possible that species of this genus are univoltine. No data on the morphology and host plants of caterpillars are available.

Diagnosis. Cossulus differs from the other genera of Cossulinae by the specific shape of antenna (from complete splitting of comb processes to almost complete fusion of notch and even reduction of comb processes).