Homadaula agassizi, Mey, 2022

Mey, Wolfram, 2022, Unexpected diversity: ten new species of Homadaula Lower, 1899 from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (Galacticoidea: Galacticidae), Metamorphosis 33 (1), pp. 21-33 : 24-25

Homadaula agassizi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0FB9270D-243A-4DA3-BF1B-C1437433E356

Type material: Holotype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley , Turi, 8000 ft., 24.iii.2000, leg. D. J. I. Agassiz , D.J.I.A. slide 1348 (coll. Agassiz). Paratypes: (all leg. D. J. I. Agassiz): same locality , 1 ♂, 3 ♀, 7-24.i.2000, (coll. Agassiz), male genitalia Mey 40/21 ( MfN) ; 2 ♀, 26.ii–20.v.20002, genitalia slide Mey 26/03 ( MfN) ; 2 ♀, 23.v–14.vi.1999, (coll. Agassiz); 2 ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley , Naivasha, 6000 ft., 0°45′S 36°24′E, 4.xii.1999, D. J.I.A. slide 1280 (coll. Agassiz) ; 3 ♀, same locality, 2000 m, 14–20.iv.2003, (coll. Agassiz) ; 3 ♀, same locality, 4.xii.2006 and 5.xii.2011 ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, same locality, 16–17.xi.2012, leg. Agassiz, Beavan, Heckord & Ngugi (coll. Agassiz) ; 2 ♀, Kenya, Western , Kesogon, 6500 ft., 2.vi.1999 (coll. Agassiz) ; 1 ♀, Lake Naivasha , 1900 m, 0°47′S 36°24′E, larva from Acacia xanthophloea , em. 11.xii.2003, genitalia slide Mey 40/21 ( MfN) ; 1 ♀ with exuvia, Kenya, Rift Valley , Hell`s Gate N.P., 1945 m, 0°55′S 36°20′E, l[arva] in spinning, em. 21.xii.2003 (coll. Agassiz) ; 2 ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley , Gilgit, 2100 m, 0°37′S 36°22′E, 22.xii.2008, leg. D. Agassiz, L. Aarvik & A. J. Kingston , D. J.I.A. slide 1345 (coll. Agassiz); Kenya, Rift Valley , Gilgit 1 ♂, Kenya, Central , Naro Moru, 1945 m, 0°09′13′′S 37°00′42′′E, 3–5.xii.2015, leg. D. Agassiz & K. Larsen (coll. Agassiz) ; 2 ♀, Kenya, Eastern , Hunters Lodge, 930 m, 4.xi.2010, 2°12′48′′S 37°42′52′′E, leg. D. Agassiz & M. Ngugi , male genitalia in glycerol; 1 ♀, Kenya, Central , Castle Forest Lodge, 2000 m, 0°22′51′′S 36°18′35′′E, 20.xi.2009 (coll. Agassiz) . 1 ♀, Ethiopia, Addis Abbaba , 13.viii. 1979, Nr. 3830, leg. P. Angenstein , cleared abdomen in glycerol vial ( MfN).

Description: Adult ( Fig. 5 ). Length of forewing 6-8 mm, wingspan 14–17 mm. Head with semierect grey-tipped scales; labial palpi as long as eye diameter, porrect, with short brush of brown scales on tip of second segment, surrounding third segment. Antennae filiform, 0.5 of forewing length, short ciliated (0.3–0.4 of flagellomere diameter) on ventral side. Fore and middle legs grey, hind femur and tibia yellow-brown. Forewings brown, with grey-white tipped, brown scales in central and apical part, indistinct darker spots all over the surface, plical fold with some grey-white scales, often framed by black scales before and afterwards, hindwings brown, pale brown basally, translucent patch present, Cu1 and M3 with short stalk, female with two frenular bristles.

Male genitalia: ( Fig. 6 ). Pleural lobes of segment VIII short, with long, lamellar scales, tergal plate (= segment VIII) broad and elongate, rounded at apical corners and roundly excised in the middle. Segment IX forming broad, compact, ring-like structure, vinculum with narrow bridge between bases of valvae; uncus absent, gnathos arms (or derived socii) bulbous, sclerotised apically; anellus with elongate basal part and large, distal part in form of a gear wheel; valva long, straight, with dorsal lobe. Phallus short, dagger-like.

Female genitalia: Henia very long, with scerotised, curved stab emerging from membranous base, bulla seminalis present, bursa copulatrix with pair of oval signum on dorsal side close to origin of ductus bursae, and with additional, singular oval signum on opposite side of bursa.

Diagnosis: The species is unique in the genus by bearing three signa in the bursa and the composite henia of the female genitalia. The form of the valvae and the tergal plate in the male genitalia distinguish the species from congeners. The brown forewings with some grey-white scales in the plical folds seems to be a diagnostic, external character. The species is most similar to H. calamitosa and H. watamomaritima .

Biology: The species was reared from Vachellia xanthophloea . Specimens were collected at the lights from January to June and from November to December, which points to the development of at least two generations per year.

Distribution: Kenya, Ethiopia.

Etymology: The species is named in honour of David Agassiz (London), acknowledging the successful rearing project and his untiring activity on research of Microlepidoptera.

Figures

Figure 5 – Homadaula agassizi sp. nov., female paratype, Ethiopia.

Figure 6 – Male genitalia of Homadaula agassizi sp. nov., a – lateral, b – dorsal, c – ventral, scale bar: 0.5 mm.