Phyllonorycter turensis De Prins, 2012

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 97-98

29. Phyllonorycter turensis De Prins , new species

( Figs 68 , 322 , 383 )

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter turensis is quite distinct from other species of the hibiscina group in possessing plain background wing colour without shine and indistinct forewing pattern. The female genitalia of P. turensis resembles that of P. hibiscina . Both species have long band-like heavily sclerotized signum on corpus bursae and long posterior and anterior apophyses. The ratio of the length of posterior apophyses to length of anterior apophyses is similar in both species (ca. 1.2), but in P. turensis , the apophyses are generally 1.2× longer than these in P. hibiscina . In P. hibiscina the signum on corpus bursae is as long or longer than the length of posterior apophyses; in P. turensis signum is more than 2× shorter than the length of posterior apophyses.

Holotype: 1♀, [1] ‘ Kenya, Rift Valley / Turi , 8000 ft / 26.v.1999 / [leg.] D. J. L. Agassiz’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3493♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘DNA voucher [two hindlegs] / CLV15807’, in CCDB; [4] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / turensis / De Prins, 2012 ’, in BMNH.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 68 ). Forewing length: 2.81 mm (holotype).

Head: Vertex tufted with plain dull light ochreous, dark brown tipped pilliform scales, with faint intermixtion of a few shiny ochreous appressed small scales on vertex and a few dark brown apressed longer piliform scales on latero-occiput; frons smooth, white with light beige shading, without shine. Maxillary palpus pale beige, tiny. Labial palpus ca.1.5× longer than eye, apically pointed, curved downward, dull white with a light beige shading and with a few light brown scales scattered on lateral sides on second and third palpomeres; haustellum pale beige, with dark brown long and narrow stripes ventrally, one time curved. Antenna almost as long as forewing, consisting of 39–41 flagellomeres, each flagellomere pale beige with longitudinal, very narrow, but clearly defined brown stripes, apical part of flagellomeres is slightly darker shading than basal part; scape light beige in ground colour with a few light brown small scales mostly anteriorly, scape bears numerous pale beige pecten of different length with majority of short ones; pedicel light beige almost whitish, without darker scales; terminal flagellomere whitish with two brown stripes.

Thorax: Pale beige entirely; tegula pale beige with narrow white apices. Forewing pale ochreous, with light grey shading, with whitish indistinct markings, consisting of very short basal streak, two transverse obscure fasciae, fused costal and dorsal strigulae, and apical patch; basal streak indistinct, obscure, pale beige, very short oblique towards apex, first fascia at 1/4 obscure, without any distict edging, oblique towards apex, second fascia at 1/2 more or less straight, obscure, without any distict edging, fused costal and dorsal strigulae with their tips almost form third fascia at 3/4 which is slightly angulated, with hardly visible basal edging at dorsal half, apical patch big, irregular shaped stretching along termen; 3–4 dark brown scales present on apex, forming hardly visible apical spot; a hardly visible irregular row of dark brownish scales run along termen to tornus, not forming clearly defined fringe line; fringe short whitish with slight beige shading along termen and long whitish with light beige shading. Hindwings whitish with light beige shading and silver shine; fringe long whitish beige not shiny. Fore femur and fore tibia dark fuscous dorsally and dirty beige ventrally, tarsus beige with golden lustre; midfemur and midtibia beige, midtibia with a small light brown spot on base, midsize spot in midden part and a large light brown patch on apex; tibial spurs beige with slight suffusion of darker brown shading, tarsus beige with two dark brown spots on subbase and subapex of tarsomere I. Hindlegs were used for DNA barcoding and are not available for description.

Abdomen: Greyish dorsally, and light grey ventrally.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Figs 322 ). Papillae anales laterally compressed almost round, with sparsely set long setae ca. 140 µm long, intermixed with dense short setae; basal bar absent. A slender needle-like sclerotized projection ca. 162 µm long extending along segment VIII, not reaching segment VII. Posterior apophyses sclerotized, very slender, also at bases, with sharp apices, very long (525 µm), reaching anterior 1/3 of segment VII. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally. Anterior apophyses long, but slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, ca. 410 µm long, with lightly sclerotized, broad rectangular plate at bases, very slender, with sharp apices, slightly curved; posterior apophyses ca 1.28x length of anterior apophyses. Ostium bursae round, lightly sclerotized, located at subanterior part of segment VII (ratio distance posterior margin ostium bursae/anterior margin ostium bursae 1.5), with sterigma as very narrow crescent-shaped small lamella antevaginalis, and broad lamella post-vaginalis as arc-like sclerotized suture. Antrum very short without sclerotizations. Ductus bursae and corpus bursae are not perceptible in preparation. Signum on corpus bursae of median length, ca. 252 µm long, strongly sclerotized, narrow, band-like, consisting of small spines arranged in a narrow row. Signum less than ½ lngth of posterior apophyses.

DNA sequences. A COI barcode is available (Molecular sample code: Ptur [ JX888193 ]; Table S1 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the type locality, Turi.

Habitat. East African savannah.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults have been collected in late May.

Distribution ( Fig. 383 ). Recorded only from the type locality in Rift Valley, Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 63–68. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 63, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, paratype 6408♂, South Africa, Hennops River, 15.iii.1955, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 64, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, ♂, Kenya, Lake Nakuru, mine 11.x.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004032. 65, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, ♂, Kenya, Lake Nakuru, mine 11.x.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004033. 66, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 31.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005149. 67, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus, paratype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 31.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005150. 68, Phyllonorycter turensis, holotype ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 26.v.1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, in BMNH.

FIGURES 322–323. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 322, Phyllonorycter turensis, holotype, genitalia prep. De Prins 3493, in BMNH. 323, Phyllonorycter hibiscola, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00384, in RMCA.

FIGURES 379–390. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 379, Phyllonorycter brachylaenae. 380, Phyllonorycter dombeyae. 381, Phyllonorycter hibiscina. 382, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus. 383, Phyllonorycter turensis. 384, Phyllonorycter hibiscola. 385, Phyllonorycter lemarchandi. 386, Phyllonorycter albertinus. 387, Phyllonorycter caudasimplex. 388, Phyllonorycter leucaspis. 389, Phyllonorycter ololua. 390, Phyllonorycter didymopa.