Urodeta bisigna, Sruoga & Prins, 2022

Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2022, New species of Urodeta Stainton, 1869 (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae, Elachistinae) from Ghana and Democratic Republic of the Congo, with identification keys to the Afrotropical species of the genus, ZooKeys 1089, pp. 25-36 : 25

Urodeta bisigna sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 15-18

Material examined.

Holotype. Congo Dem. Rep. • ♀; Bas-Congo, Nat. Res. Luki-Mayumbe, 05°27'S, 13°05'E; 320 m alt.; 29 Mar. 2006; J. De Prins leg., gen. prep. VS511.

Diagnosis.

Urodeta bisigna is a small, lightly-coloured species, with indistinct wing markings. In female genitalia, the new species is comparable to Afrotropical species with vestigial apophyses and a comb-shaped signum consisting of few stout spines, i.e., U. maculata (Mey, 2007) known from Namibia, U. bucera Sruoga & De Prins, 2011 and U. talea Sruoga & De Prins, 2011, known from Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, U. bisigna is distinguished most easily by its additional irregularly shaped signum.

Description.

Female (Figs 15 , 16 ). Forewing length 2.2 mm; wingspan 5.0 mm (N = 1). Head: frons, vertex and neck tuft creamy white, neck tuft weakly mottled with brown tipped scales; labial palpus vestigial, visible only as very short greyish extension; scape creamy white, mottled with brown tipped scales above, pecten creamy white; flagellum greyish brown, annulated with paler rings basally and slightly serrated apically. Thorax and tegula creamy white, mottled by brown tipped scales. Forewing: creamy white powdered with brownish creamy tipped scales. Denser grey brown scales forming two irregular patches: one in basal part of wing; other extending obliquely at 2/5 of costa towards tornus of wing. Blackish brown scales forming two small irregular spots: one at 2/5 of costa and other opposite at dorsum; fringe greyish white. Hindwing and its fringe pale brownish grey.

Male. Unknown.

Female genitalia (Figs 17 , 18 ). Papilla analis very short, ventral surface setose. Apophysis posterioris vestigial, visible only as tiny extension basolaterally, apophysis anterioris absent. Ostium bursae situated in membrane between sterna 7 and 8. Antrum and colliculum not distinct. Ductus bursae very long, spirally coiled in proximal 1/2. Corpus bursae with minute internal spines and two signa, one comb shaped, consisting of 5 stout teeth, slightly varying in size and few smaller spines; another signum irregularly shaped, with one short spine.

Biology.

Unknown.

Flight period.

Based on the specimen available, adults fly in March.

Distribution.

So far, this species is known only from western Democratic Republic of the Congo (Figs 3 , 4 ).

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the Latin prefix bi (two), and signum in reference to presence of two signa in female genitalia.

Remarks.

The forewing in the holotype is somewhat abraded, therefore the description is approximate.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Collecting localities in Sub-Saharan Africa 1, 2 Bobiri Forest, Ashanti, Ghana 3, 4 Mayumbe Forest, Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Figures 15 - 18. Urodeta bisigna sp. nov., female, holotype 15 habitus 16 head, fronto-lateral view 17 caudal part of female genitalia 18 ductus and corpus bursae.