Phyllonorycter silvicola 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 : 154-156

59. Phyllonorycter silvicola De Prins , new species

( Figs 112 , 350 , 410 , 441 )

Diagnosis. The wing pattern of P. silvicola differs from the rhynchosiae and hibiscina species groups in that P. silvicola has a very large volcano-shaped sterigma and very long posterior and anterior apophyses. In P. silvicola , the ostium bursae is situated at the junction of segments VIII and VII and the antrum is not sclerotized. The rodlike signum on corpus bursae located close to anterior margin of sternum VII. The combination of the above mentioned characters makes P. silvicola easily recognisable.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Kenya / Kakamega Forest 1575 m / 00°19’N 34°52’E / 31.iii.2003 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3629♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA 00386’, specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000003277 ’;[5] ‘DNA voucher / CLV14407 ’, in CCDB; [6] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter silvicola / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 112 ). Forewing length: 2.7 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted with whitish scales with a faint intermixtion anteriorly of tufted dark brown-tipped, greyish scales; frons smooth, white with silver shine with a elongate beige patch between antennae. Labial palpus ca. 2× as long as eye, narrow, drooping apically pointed, downturned, light beige with tiny, ochreous, intermixed with dark brown scales running along outer side of palpomeres; maxillary palpus white, haustellum pale beige with faint orange tint. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, flagellomeres golden yellow with dark fuscous apical 1/ 3, giving antenna slightly ringed appearance, shading of flagellomeres darkened towards apex, terminal flagellomeres light fuscous; scape light ochreous, dirty white at apical 1/3 with 12–14 dirty white pecten, 3–4 pecten with dark brown bases; pedicel almost as large as scape, dirty white, with light ochreous apex.

Thorax: Ochreous at anterior half and white posteriorly; tegulae ochreous anteriorly and white posteriorly bordering with white posterior part of thorax. Forewing light ochreous with white markings consisting of basal strigula, two transverse fasciae, two costal strigulae and one dorsal strigula; basal dorsal strigula short, oblique, directed towards apex, not edged; two black scales present on apical margin of basal strigula; first fascia at 1/4, slightly broader at dorsum than at costa, slightly oblique, with irregularly curved margins, one larger curve at subdorsal part, finely edged with blackish scales apically; second fascia at middle of forewing narrowed at middle, sand-clock shaped, twice broader at dorsum than at costa, finely blackish edged basally; first costal strigula at 3/4, triangular shaped, not reaching midline of forewing, finaly edged on both sides; first dorsal strigula opposite first costal strigula, triangular shaped, mirror shaping first costal strigula, almost reaching middle of forewing, finaly edged on both sides with a numeric assemblage of black scales between them; second costal strigula at apex, indistinct, comma shaped, without clear edging, but 3–5 blackish brown scales rarely situated along both margins; a congregation of black scales form an irregular spot intermixing with edging scales of first dorsal strigula at tornus; fringe line consisting of 12 black tipped scales at tornus; fringe short with silver shine along termen to tornus, long pale grey along dorsal margin. Hindwing pale fuscous with silver shine with long fringe of same colour and shading of hindwing. Fore costa light beige, fore femur and fore tibia dark fuscous, tarsomere I dark fuscous, tarsomere II dirty white, terminal tarsomeres light fuscous; mid-femur pale beige, mid-tibia dirty white with three ochreous patches, small patch at base, oblique elongate narrow patch at 1/2 of femur, third broad patch at subbasal part, apex white, short tibial spurs unicolour white, longer spurs with fuscous basal halves and white apices, tarsomere I white at base and apex with dark fuscous elongate patch at 1/2, tarsomere II dirty white with light fuscous apex, tarsomere III fuscous, terminal tarsomeres dirty white; hind femur light beige, hind tibia dirty white at base with very large median fuscous patch extending almost to apex, apical spurs white with a couple of dark fuscous scales at base and medially, medial spurs very long, light beige with irregular long fuscous patch at middle part, tarsomere I dirty white with subapical dark ochreous patch, rest of tarsomeres dirty white without special markings.

Abdomen: Brownish fuscous dorsally, except shade of pale brown scales on genitalia.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 350 ). Papillae anales not visible in preparation. A slender needle-like strongly sclerotized projection runs from bases of posterior apophyses and reaches middle of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses highly sclerotized, slender, very long (0.371 mm) gently tapering, with blunt apices reaching about midway into segment VII. Segment VIII strongly sclerotized at posterior half and weakly sclerotized at anterior half, transition without sclerotized bar, weakly connected with segment VII. Anterior apophyses slightly shorter than posterior apophyses (0.290 mm), slightly broader at bases, slender, straight, with blunt apices. Bases of anterior apophyses small, triangular shaped, situated at posterior sclerotized half of segment VIII. Edge between segments VIII and IX is sharp and clear. Ostium bursae narrow ring-like, unsclerotized, located at junction of segment VII and VIII, antrum tubular, very short and weakly sclerotized; sterigma strongly developed, occupying larger part of segment VII (ca. 0.230 mm²) triangular with blunt posterior top, conical, anterior margin of sterigma broadly bent, edged by highly sclerotized narrow bow. Segment VII, large, strongly melanized, but without sclerotized band edging anterior margin of segment VII. Ductus bursae widened anteriad antrum, broader and stronger sclerotized anteriorly; corpus bursae long, reaching well into segment V, narrow; a spine like signum present on corpus bursae close to anterior margin of segment VII.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a compound word consisting of two components in Latin: ‘silva’ (=forest) and ‘colere’ (=to dwell). It means “inhabitant of forest”, referring to the habitat in which it was found.

Habitat. Found on the eastern edge of primary rainforest intermixed with savannah vegetation ( Fig. 441 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. The adult specimen was collected in late March.

Distribution. ( Fig. 410 ). Known only from the type locality in West Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 111–116. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 111, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori, holotype ♂, Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains, Bundibugyo, 22.viii–3.ix.1952, leg. D.S. Fletcher, in BMNH. 112, Phyllonorycter silvicola, holotype ♀, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, 31.iii.2003, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003277. 113, Phyllonorycter umukarus, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 28.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005152. 114, Cremastobombycia kipepeo, holotype ♂, Kenya, Arabuko Sokoke Forest, 18.iii.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003285. 115, Cremastobombycia morogorene, holotype ♂, Tanzania, Morogoro, 30.viii.1992, leg. L. Aarvik, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000006148. 116, Porphyrosela desmodivora, paratype ♂, Cameroon, Ekona, 20.iv.1938, leg. S.G. Buhr, in ZMHB.

FIGURES 350–351. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 350, Phyllonorycter silvicola, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00386, in RMCA. 351, Phyllonorycter umukarus, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00487, in RMCA.

FIGURES 403–414. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 403, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi. 404, Phyllonorycter maererei. 405, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai. 406, Phyllonorycter ocimellus. 407, Phyllonorycter pavoniae. 408, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae. 409, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori. 410, Phyllonorycter silvicola. 411, Phyllonorycter umukarus. 412, Cremastobombycia kipepeo. 413, Cremastobombycia morogorene. 414, Porphyrosela desmodivora.

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.