Phyllonorycter hibiscola 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 : 98-100

30. Phyllonorycter hibiscola De Prins , new species

( Figs 69 , 323 , 384 , 441 )

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter hibiscola share deep golden brownish ground wing colour with a few Afrotropical and Palaearctic species in the genus (see hibiscola species group description above). Female genitalia characters are diagnostic: the heavily sclerotized ring encircling the entire anterior margin of segment VII and long folded narrow sterigmatic sclerotization on segment VII can separate this species easily from other Afrotropical Phyllonorycter species.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Kenya / Kakamega Forest , 1590 m / 00°21’N 34°51’E / mine 28.iii.2003 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘ex Hibiscus / calyphyllus Cav. / [ Malvaceae ] / 10.iv.2003 ’; [3] ‘Gen. Prep. 3630♀ / De Prins’; [4] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00387’; specimen ID: [5] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003278 ’; [6] ‘DNA voucher / CLV14507 ’, in CCDB; [7] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / hibiscola / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratypes: 2♀ (including 2♀ genitalia preparations). 1♀, Kenya: Kakamega Forest, Udo Camp, 1600 m, 00°21’N 34°52’E, mine 17.iv.2001, leg. J. De Prins; ex Hibiscus calyphyllus Cav. [ Malvaceae ] 29.iv.2001, gen. prep. De Prins 3409♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00384), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003266, in RMCA, DNA voucher CLV13007, in CCDB . 1♀, Kakamega Forest, 1500 m, 00°21’N 34°51’E, mine 28.iii.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, ex Hibiscus calyphyllus Cav. [ Malvaceae ] 10.iv.2003, gen. prep. De Prins 3631♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00388), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003279, in RMCA, DNA voucher CLV14607, in CCDB .

Description. Adult ( Fig. 69 ). Forewing length: 2.1–2.4 mm (holotype = 2.4 mm).

Head: Vertex with two unicoloured dark brown tufts of piliform scales, directed dorsolaterally, separated by several very short, golden, shiny, appressed scales in median part of vertex; some shorter scales over occiput, with longer scales directed posteriorly, a row of short light scales slightly tufted dorso-anteriorly borders vertex and frons; frons covered with grey, long, appressed, piliform scales with silver shine, shorter and more slender appressed scales with ochreous shine on frontoclypeus and above eyes. Maxillary palpus greyish with silvery shine; proboscis yellowish beige. Labial palpus greyish white, with silver shine on first palpomere, slight ochreous shine on penultimate palpomere and apex of last palpomere, drooping, ca. 1.5× longer than eye, directed downwards, last palpomere sharply pointed. Antennae a little shorter than fore wing, dark fuscous at basal 2/3, slightly lighter with suffusion of ochreous shading towards terminal part dorsally, flagellomeres with slightly darker apices, but not ringed, ventrally dark grey with slight ochreous shading, pedicel coloured as rest of basal flagellomeres; scape brownish black dorsally, dark greyish beige ventrally, with pecten of up to six narrow greyish beige scales of same length as scape or shorter.

Thorax: Golden-brownish with dirty white posterior part and whitish median longitudinal line, tegula golden brownish. Fore wing elongate, ground colour golden brownish with dirty white markings, consisting of basal patch, two fasciae, one costal and one dorsal strigulae, and apical patch. Basal patch a small not edged silver shiny spot between midline and costa of forewing; first fascia at 1/5 of forewing, narrow, equaly wide on both costal and dorsal margins, straight, slightly oblique towards apex, edged with black scales apically; second fascia at 1/2 of forewing, running parallel to first fascia, slightly wider than first fascia, blackish edged basally, only a couple of black scales present on costal apical margin of second fascia, first costal strigula at apical 1/3 of forewing, triangular shaped, not reaching midline of forewing with its tip, blackish edged basally, first dorsal strigula opposite first costal strigula, but longer, curved towards apex, extending beyond midline of forewing with its tip, edged basally, a narrow gap filled with a couple of rows of dark brown scales separate first costal and first dorsal strigulae, both strigulae have no clear edging from apical side, but a concentration of dark brown scales bordering apical edge of first costal and first dorsal strigulae; apical spot dirty white with silver lustre; an irroration of dark brownish fuscous scales dispersed along termen; fringe line brownish fuscous at termen and tornum preceded by elongate, golden fuscous, dark-tipped scales at apex and golden brown elongate dark tipped scales at tornus; fringe short at apex and longer at tornum, gradually shading from dark grey at apex, greyish golden along termen and fuscous with wider golden tipped along tornus, pale beige along dorsal margin of forewing. Hind wing narrow, elongate, pointed, ground colour brownish fuscous, fringe of same shading as hindwing. Fore femur light fuscous, fore tibia fuscous with lighter subapical patch, tarsomere I pale beige with dark fuscous apex, tarsomere II pale beige with dark fuscous base, apical tarsomeres dark fuscous; mid-femur brownish fuscous, mid-tibia golden shiny beige with smaller browhish fuscous basal patch and median patch and a large apical patch; spurs dirty white shiny with median fuscous band, tarsomere I golden whitish with broad subapical fuscous band and narrow longitudinal stripes at base, tarsomere II dirty white, tarsomeres III–V dark fuscous; hind femur brownish beige, hind tibia golden brownish with whitish apex, medial spurs slightly lighter than tibia with dark fuscous basal halves, apical spurs silver beige with dark fuscous median patch, tarsomere I silver beige with gradually darkened subapex, tarsomere II pale fuscous with silver white apex, terminal tarsomeres pale fuscous with golden shine.

Abdomen: Dark fuscous on median terga, brownish shadow on anterior terga and genital segments.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 323 ). Papillae anales wide strongly compressed postero-anteriorly, ca. 4.8× as wide as long, vental and dorsal angles form a rectangular, covered with seldom distributed long slender hair like setae almost of equal length most abundant along basal margin of papillae anales; bases of papillae anales without sclerotized bar; a slender needle-like sclerotized projection goes from posterior margin of segment VIII and reaches middle of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses ca. 0.50–0.51 mm long, reaching midway into segment VII, with small bases, straight, slender, but slightly bulbed in midway of segment VIII, gently tapering into narrowly pointed apices. Segment VIII ca. 2/3 lngth of segment VII, weakly membranous and weakly connected with segment VII. Anterior apophyses initiate from ventrolateral angles of segment VIII, without basal sclerotized plate in sternum VIII or broad bases, slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, ca. 0.47–0.49 mm long, running into anterior sector of segment VII, slender, straight with sharp apices. Ostium bursae at middle part of segment VII, sterigma an elongate cuticular fold, sac-shaped, lamella antevaginalis thick sclerotized crescent-shaped, ca. 160 µm long. Antrum broad, tubular, broad sack shaped. Ductus bursae short, ca. as long as segment VII, broader and membranous posteriorly, narrower anteriorly near junction with corpus bursae, curved twice at intersection with ductus bursae. Segment VII strongly melanized with strongly sclerotized band of moderate width around anterior margin; dorso-lateral parts of band more strongly sclerotized than lateral ones. Corpus bursae ovoid, long sack shaped, without specialized membranous areas, no signum. Spermatheca large, oval, located at anterior margin of segment VII, ductus spermathecae forming ca. 26 coils, smaller in diameter at anterior part.

Etymology. The specific name is made combining the generic name of the host plant Hibiscus with the Latin suffix - cola meaning “inhabitant”.

Habitat. Eastern part of primary Guineo-Congolian rain forest ( Fig. 441 ).

Host plant(s). Malvaceae : Hibiscus calyphyllus Cav.

Mine. Semi-transparent, blotch under side mine, between veins of the leaf, usually on basal part of the leaf; fine black frass scattered at one end of mine.

Flight period. The species is recorded from late March to mid-April.

Distribution. ( Fig. 384 ). Known only from the type locality in West Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 69–74. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 69, Phyllonorycter hibiscola, holotype ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, mine 28.iii.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003278. 70, Phyllonorycter hibiscola, paratype ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, mine 17.iv.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003266. 71, Phyllonorycter jabalshamsi, holotype ♂, Oman, Jabal Shams, Al Hamra, 07.i.1993, leg. B. Skule, in ZMUC. 72, Phyllonorycter lemarchandi, holotype ♂, Madagascar, Antananarivo, mine 03.i.1949, in MNHN. 73, Phyllonorycter albertinus, holotype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 05.ii.1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, in BMNH. 74, Phyllonorycter albertinus, paratype ♂, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 18.i.1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000006147.

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.

FIGURES 441–445. Habitats of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 441, Kakamega Forest, Kenya, April 2003. The habitat is the most eastern relict of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest. 442, Faro River area, Cameroon, May 2005. The habitat is a repeatedly burned savannah and bush land. 443, Mayumbe Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2007. The habitat is an undisturbed primary rain forest. 444, Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda, August 2008. The habitat is a montane rain forest. 445, Morogoro are, Tanzania, July 2009. The habitat is variable: transitional dry lowland /submontane woodland.