Acrocercops combreticola Vári, 1961

Triberti, Paolo, Staude, Hermann, Sharp, Ian & Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos, 2024, Exploring the diversity of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) in South Africa: host plants, distribution, and DNA barcoding analysis, with the description of nine new species, Zootaxa 5529 (1), pp. 1-51 : 17

17. Acrocercops combreticola Vári, 1961

( Figs 12 , 70 )

Acrocercops combreticola, Vári, 1961: 153 .

Material. 1♀, South Africa, Gauteng, Tshwane , 25°35’13.2”S, 28°25’44.4”E, 1270 m, mn 04/xii/2018, pup 17/ xii/2018, em 24/xii/2018, (rearing: AM278) A. Sharp leg., CLV8190 .

Additional material. One adult, South Africa, Limpopo, Lapalala Wilderness , 14/xi/2017, J.deWaard & E.Zakharov leg., (light trap), BIOUG36904 -A07 .

Biology. Vári (1961) described the biology of A. combreticola on Combretum apiculatum Sond., Here we present a new host plant record on C. zeyheri Sond. ( Combretaceae ) ( Fig. 70 ).

Distribution. South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo).

DNA barcodes. Two barcodes on its unique BIN BOLD:ADL5667 ( Table S1 ).

Remarks. Like the previous species, the male and female genitalia figured by Vári (1961) seem to indicate an unknown genus for which, however, the description is referred to the collection of more material. So combreticola is left in Acrocercops .

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Adults of South African Gracillariidae. 7, Semnocera procellaris, Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 8, Conopomorphina ochnivora, Gauteng, Magaliesburg, A. & I. Sharp leg. 9, C. aptata, Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 10, Cuphodes melanostola, Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 11, Acrocercops syzygiena, Gauteng, Tshwane, A. Sharp leg. 12, A. combreticola, Gauteng, Tshwane, A. Sharp leg.

FIGURES 67–72. Immature stages of South African Gracillariidae. 67, Conopomorphina aptata, mine on Schotia brachypetala (Fabaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 68, Acrocercops syzygiena, mine on Syzygium cordatum (Myrtaceae), Gauteng, Tshwane, A. & I. Sharp leg. 69, A. syzygiena, larva, ibidem. 70, A. combreticola, mine on Combretum zeyheri (Combretaceae) Gauteng, Tshwane, A. Sharp leg. 71, Cryptolectica capnodecta, larva on Syzygium cordatum (Myrtaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 72, C. terminalina, mine on Terminalia sericea (Combretaceae), A. & I. Sharp leg.