Alloclita francoeuriae Walsingham, 1905

Koster, Sjaak (J. C.), Falck, Per, Junnilainen, Jari, Karsholt, Ole & van Nieukerken, Erik J., 2020, The francoeuriae species group in the genus Alloclita Staudinger, 1859 with description of A. canariensis Koster & Junnilainen, sp. nov. from the Canary Islands (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Cosmopterigidae), Nota Lepidopterologica 43, pp. 95-116 : 95

Alloclita francoeuriae Walsingham, 1905 Figs 4 , 7 , 12 , 17 , 18 , 19

Alloclita francoeuriae Walsingham, 1905: 126.

Alloclita francoeuriae ; Sinev 1993: 134 [review]; Koster and Sinev 2003: 102 [redescription]

Allocrita francoeuriae ; Rungs 1979: 61 [record Morocco] [misspelling]

Material examined.

Syntypes. Algeria • 1 ♂; Biskra; 34.86°N, 5.73°E; 23 Feb. 1895; [Eaton leg.]; Walsingham 96473 leg.; Walsingham Collection B.M. 1910-427; Genitalia not dissected; NHMUK • 1 ♀; “Hammam-es-Salahin” [Hammam Salihine]; 34.857°N, 5.70819°E; Apr. 1903; larva on Pulicaria undulata ; emerged 18 Jul. 1903; Walsingham 96451 leg.; Walsingham Collection B.M. 1910-427; genitalia slide: BM 29280; NMMUK.

Other material.

Algeria • 1 ♂; “Hammam-es-Salahin” [Hammam Salihine]; 34.857°N, 5.70819°E; 12 Mar. 1904; Walsingham 97937 leg.; Walsingham Collection B.M. 1910-427; NHMUK • 1 ♂; same locality as preceding; 6 Apr. 1904; Walsingham 97943 leg.; Walsingham Collection B.M. 1910-427; genitalia slide: BM 29279; NHMUK.

Morocco • 1 ♂; Guelmim-Oued Noun: Sidi Ifni; 29.38333°N 10.1725°W; alt. sea level; 5-7 Mar. 2017; C. Hviid, O. Karsholt, K. Larsen, D. Nilsson leg.; genitalia slide: JCK 8689; DNA barcode sample COSM069-18; ZMUC; RMNH.INS.15581.

Spain • 1 ♂; Canary Islands, Fuerteventura, Calderata; 28.59°N, 13.88°W; alt. 120 m; 7-27 Nov. 2017; P. Falck leg.; genitalia slide: JCK 8688; DNA barcode sample COSM068-18; CF; RMNH.INS.15580 • 2 ♂♂; Canary Islands, Fuerteventura, Betancuria; 28.425°N, 14.057°W; alt. 400 m; 7-27 Nov. 2017; P. Falck leg.; CF.

Other localities

(material examined by S. Yu Sinev, personal communication). Algeria • Beni Ounif; 32.05°N, 1.25°W; • El Golea; 30.559°N, 2.887°E.

Morocco • Ademine (nr Ain Nekhla); 30.318°N, 9.356°W • Ait Melloul; 30.34°N, 9.5°W.

Tunisia • Gafsa; 34.431°N, 8.77°E • Kaliuli (possibly Bir el Khalloul; 34.83°N, 10.59°E) • Tozeur; 33.918°N, 8.122°E.

Diagnosis.

Alloclita francoeuriae can be distinguished from A. canariensis and A. subitariella by the proximal dark brown streak of the forewing which reaches dorsum, and by the distal dark brown streak above fold which has a basal extension towards dorsum (Fig. 4 ). In the male genitalia (Fig. 7 ) it differs from A. canariensis by the shorter basal lobe of the valva and by shorter and broader cucullus. It differs from A. subitariella by the rounded tip of the right lobe of the valva and by the short shallow protrusions arising halfway along the anellar tube. In the female genitalia (Fig. 12 ) it differs from A. canariensis by the very shallow rounded anterior edge of segment VIII, by the band-shaped sclerotization of the ostium and by the sheet-shaped sclerotization of the signum.

Distribution

(Figs 17 , 18 ). Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco ( Koster and Sinev 2003), Spain: Canary Islands: Fuerteventura (new record). In northern Africa along the northern border of the Sahara.

Biology.

Larva in April burrowing under the woolly bark of Pulicaria undulata ( Asteraceae ), after eating out the inside of the leaves it makes sand galleries attached to the crown of the root. Pupa pale brown, in a dense white cocoon, covered with sand and frass particles ( Walsingham 1905). Pulicaria undulata and other species of Pulicaria are also known from Fuerteventura ( Hohenester and Welß 1993).

Adults from the end of February to early April, in July ( Koster and Sinev 2003) and November.

DNA barcodes

(Fig. 19 ). We barcoded one specimen from Fuerteventura and one from Morocco. Both share BINBOLD:ADR0547. The intraspecific distance between the two is only 0.16%.

Remarks.

Walsingham (1905) cited a male and a female type, these are thus syntypes, and other original material does not belong to the type series (ICZN Art. 72.4.6, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999). We do not see a need to select either syntype as lectotype.

Figures

Figure 7. Alloclita francoeuriae, male genitalia, BM 29279. 7 a ventral aspect 7 b lateral aspect. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

Figure 17. Map showing records of Alloclita canariensis sp. nov. and A. francoeuriae on the Canary Islands and nearby Morocco. Red circles: A. canariensis, green circles: A. francoeuriae.

Figure 18. Map showing records of the Alloclita francoeuriae group. Red circles: A. canariensis, green circles: A. francoeuriae, purple circle A. subitariella.

Figure 19. Neighbor Joining tree of DNA barcodes of seven species of Alloclita.

Figures 3, 4. Alloclita species, adult habitus. 3 A. canariensis sp. nov., female paratype, Fuerteventura, Lajares, RMNH. INS 15579. 4 A. francoeuriae, male, Fuerteventura, Calderata, RMNH. INS 15580. Scale bars: 2 mm.

Figures 11, 12. Alloclita species, female genitalia. 11 A. canariensis sp. nov., paratype, ventral aspect, genitalia slide JCK 8678 12 A. francoeuriae, syntype, ventral aspect, genitalia slide BM 29280. Scale bars: 1 mm.