Cuphodes melanostola (Meyrick, 1918)

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 : 15-16

14. Cuphodes melanostola (Meyrick, 1918)

( Figs 10 , 65 )

Phrixosceles melanostola Meyrick 1918a , 6: 39.

Cuphodes melanostola Vári, 1961 :.190.

Material. 1♂, South Africa, Limpopo, Hoedspruit, Casketts farm mn 04/i/2015, pup 05/i/2015, em 12/i/2015, Euclea divinorum Hiern ( Ebenaceae ), A. & I. Sharp leg., (rearing: M988), CLV7583 .

Additional material. 29 Malaise trapped adults (26 from South Africa, two from Kenya and one from Tanzania) as follows: South Africa: two adults, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park , Crocodile Bridge , Lufund Chantal Muthelu leg., 22/05/2018 and 02/02/2019, BIOUG43487-B03 and BIOUG48029-A01 ; one adult, Gauteng, Hekpoort , Mogale’s Gate Biodiversity Centre , H. S. Staude leg., 21/12/2012, BIOUG06207-G05 ; two adults, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park , Lower Sabie , Constance Mathoho leg., 17/viii/2018 and 12/xii/2018, BIOUG45774-C01 and BIOUG47821-B06 ; one adult, Gauteng, Hekpoort , Magaliesburg , Golden valley , P. Hebert & J. deWaard leg., 18/ ii/2012, BIOUG02090-G09 ; one adult, Limpopo, Mahlangeni, Packs Mathebula leg., 06/xi/2018, BIOUG45439- A01 ; three adults, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park , Malelane , Albert Smith leg., 08/xii/2018 and 21/vii/2018, BIOUG48764-C11 , BIOUG48764-F09 , BIOUG48561-E06 ; two adults, Free State National Botanical Gardens , Lufuno Nenungwi leg., 08/ii /022, BIOUG81815-G03 , BIOUG86457-D11 ; four adults, Karoo Desert National Botanical Gardens , Eric Malgas leg., 08/ii/2022, 05/iv/2022, 03/v/2022, BIOUG84182-G07 , BIOUG84887-D01 , BIOUG84885-A01 , BIOUG84198-B09 ; two adults, KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Gardens , Mpho Mathalauga leg., 08/ii/2022, BIOUG87208-H05 , BIOUG87208-H11 ; two adults, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park , Skukuza camp, Lindokuhle Gumede & Meurel Baloyi leg., 03/vii/2018 and 30/viii/2018, BIOUG42978-G11 ; BIOUG46024- H10 ; one adult, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park , Stolznek , Marius Snyders leg., 25/xi/2018, BIOUG46728- E04 ; three adults, Limpopo, Kruger National Park , Vlakteplaas , Tomas Ramabulana leg., 05/i/2019, 02/ii/2019, BIOUG47945-A02 , BIOUG47942-F07 , BIOUG48137-G01 ; two adults, Limpopo, Kruger National Park , Nxanatseni North woodlands, Philile Dlamini leg., 17/v/2018, 23/viii/2018, BIOUG43375-E03 and BIOUG46061-E06 . Kenya: two adults, Laikipia, Mpala Research Centre , Margaret Kinnaird leg., 03/viii/2014, 23/xi/2014, BIOUG23695-B10 ; BIOUG24713-B12 . Tanzania: one adult, Serengeti National Park , Hembe Campsite , Joseph Hubert Masoy leg., 15/xi/2019, BIOUG93060-G01 .

Biology. Previously unknown host plant: Euclea divinorum Hiern ( Ebenaceae ) ( Fig. 65 ).

Distribution. In South Africa, it was known before to occur in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape; it was also known from Namibia. Here we record it for the first time from Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Free State, Kenya and Tanzania.

DNA barcodes. 47 barcodes forming a single BIN BOLD:ABW0962 ( Table S1 ).

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 61−66. Immature stages of South African Gracillariidae. 61, Caloptilia sp., larva on Cryptocarya transvaalensis (Lauraceae), Limpopo, Lekgalameetse N. R., A. & I. Sharp leg. 62, C. cataractias, larva on Rhynchosia minima (Fabaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 63, Macarostola noellineae, larva on Syzygium cordatum (Myrtaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 64, Ectropina spirostachydis sp. nov., larva on Spirostachys africana (Euphorbiaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 65, Cuphodes melanostola, mine on Euclea divinorum (Ebenaceae), Limpopo, Hoedspruit, A. & I. Sharp leg. 66, Conopomorphina ochnivora, Gauteng, Magaliesburg, on Ochna pretoriensis, (Ochnaceae), H. Staude leg.