Crambus attis, Bassi & I- & To, 2012

Bassi, Graziano, 2012, New Afrotropical species of the genus Crambus Fabricius, 1798 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Crambinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 119 (3), pp. 269-286 : 270-274

Crambus attis n. sp. Figs 1, 11, 14-15

HOLOTYPE: TMSA, without registration number; 3; [ RSA, Mpumalanga, 25°20’S, 30°35’E] Wonderkloof, Powal , 25.I.1939, Coll. Janse, GS 3877 GB , Holotype Crambus attis n. sp. G. Bassi det. 1996.

PARATYPES: RSA, MPUMALANGA . - CB, without registration number; 13, 1♀; Mt. Sheba ; 4.8. II .[19]85; B. Balinsky leg., GS 2860 GB and GS 373 Balinsky. - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; Graskop , T[rans]v[aa]l; 9. III.1967; Potgieter & Goode, GS 3876 GB . - TMSA, without registration number; 2♀♀; E[ast] Transvaal, Berlin , 300 m. below 25.33 S - 30.43 E; 4.2.1987; E-Y: 2416, UV light collection , leg. Endrödy-Younga. - TMSA, without registration number; 2♀♀; E[ast] Transvaal , Berlin, gorge-edge, 25.32 S - 30.44 E; 4.2.1987; E-Y: 2407, UV light collection , leg. Endrödy-Younga. - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; T[rans]v[aal], Nelshoogte gallery for[est], below St [aatbos], 25.51 S - 30.53 E; 4.12.1986; E-Y: 2354, UV light collection , leg. Endrödy-Younga. - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; Pilgrim’s Rest., Skea ; 26. XI . [19]20; Coll, Janse, GS 3466 GB . - MHNG, without registration number; 233, Mpumalanga , Waterval-Boven; 28-29. X.2002; st[ation] 11, leg. HW v[an] d[er] Wolf. - RSA, GAUTENG . - MHNG and CB (1♀), without registration number; 333, 2♀♀; 1000m, Pretoria East, 25°48’S 28°22’E; 09. XI.2004; leg. J. & W . De Prins, GS 5049 GB .

FIGS 1-6

Adults of Crambus spp. (1) C. attis sp. n., female paratype, RSA, Woodbush Village, wingspan 17. 2 mm. (2) C. rossinii sp. n., holotype, wingspan 13.5 mm. (3) C. paris sp. n., holotype, wingspan 16.5 mm. (4) C. mozarti sp. n., female paratype, Tanzania, E. slopes of Mt. Meru Forestry, wingspan 22 mm. (5) C. berliozi sp. n., holotype, wingspan 17 mm. (6) C. berliozi sp. n., paratype, wingspan 18.5 mm.

- RSA, LIMPOPO . - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; Haenertsburg ; 24. 31. XII.1921; C. J . Swiestra. - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; Entabeni Forest ; 6. XII.1964; Vári & Potgieter . - CB, without registration number; 1 ♀; Woodb [ush]. Vill [age]; 13. XII.1909; C. J . Swiestra. - RSA, NORTH WEST. - TMSA, without registration number; 13; Rustenburg, Natuurresrvat ; 6. VIII.1975; Potgieter & Scoble . - RSA, FREE STATE . - TMSA, without registration number; 13; Oranjekrag, H. F . Verwoord Dam ; 8-11. XII.1969; J. H . Potgieter. - RSA, KWA-ZULU NATAL . - CB, without registration number; 1 ♀; Royal Natal Nat. Park ; 10- 12. XII.2004; P . Ustjuzhanin leg. - MFNB, without registration number; 13; West-Natal, Dragon Peaks Park ; 9-12. II.1993; Leg. Mey & Ebert, GS 3943 GB . - CB, without registration number; 1 ♀; Sani Pass road, Mkomazana Mountain Cottages, m. 1600; 28. XI.2011; 29°38’ S, 29°26’ E, G . Bassi legit. – SWAZILAND. - TMSA, without registration number; 1♀; Miller Falls ; 10. I .92; N. J. Duke.

OTHER MATERIAL: 13, not included in type series because without label, TMSA .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to a Phrygian god of vegetation.

DIAGNOSIS: Crambus attis , C. rossinii , described below, and C. proteus ( Bassi & Mey, 2011) are characterized by their similar external appearance and genitalia of both sexes, C. proteus usually differing in the more ochreus tinge of the dark scales in forewings coloration, and in genitalia. C. attis differs from C. rossinii in male genitalia by the shorter valva and larger costal process. In female genitalia the lateral processes of the sterigma are rounded as opposed to elongate in C. rossinii .

DESCRIPTION (Fig. 1): Wingspan 14-17 mm. Labial palpi 3 X longer than widest diameter of eye, bronze brown with upper margin white. Maxillary palpi bronze brown with white basis. Frons clearly produced, rounded, white. Antennae bronze brown, serrate in male, slightly thickened in female. Ocelli and chaetosemata present. Head white, bronze brown around chaetosemata. Patagium white in middle, brown laterally. Tegulae brown. Thorax white. Abdomen light brown dorsally, ivory ventrally. Forewings ground color white, with costa with brown scales; apex moderately pointed; with dark brown stripe under cell; medial line usually complete, forming acute angle around end of cell, made of chestnut brown scales that become blackish below cell; subterminal area wide, white, with patch of dark brown scales toward apex, with inner margin bicolored: silvery toward margin and brown toward mid wing; subterminal area crossed by with 4-5 blackish terminal dashes; terminal line black; fringes bronze brown with white basis. Hindwings white with ivory and brownish suffusion, lighter in female; fringes white with ivory suffusion. Forelegs bronze brown; midlegs and hindlegs white with white and brown tarsomeres. Sclerotizations of abdominal segment VIII peculiar, as shown in Figure 11.

MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 11): Uncus thin, with rounded apex. Gnathos much longer than uncus, thin, with apex bent downward. Tegumen subtriangular, as long as gnathos. Vinculum suboval, with moderate dorsal projection. Pseudosaccus well developed. Juxta membranous. Valva short, with narrow cucullus, small mediodistal lamella and large costal process, strongly sclerotized, bent downward and pointed. Phallus as long as whole apparatus, with apex very thin and pointed; vesica without cornuti.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figs 14-15): Papillae anales divided into two lobes and apophyses posteriores of medium size. Apophyses anteriores reduced to cuticular thickening. Ostium bursae everted, with very complex and sclerotized sterigma, with FIGS 7-10

Adults of Crambus spp. (7) C. frescobaldii sp. n., holotype, wingspan 20 mm. (8) C. bachi sp. n., holotype, wingspan 15 mm. (9) C. netuncus sp. n., holotype, wingspan 20 mm. (10) C. varii sp. n., female paratype, RSA, Algeria Forestry, Clanwilliam Distr., wingspan 25 mm.

lamella postvaginalis bilobed and covered with small teeth. Ductus bursae as long as corpus bursae, more wrinkled in proximal third. Ductus seminalis opening in proximal third of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae suboval, with two signa, completely covered with sclerotized scobination.

DISTRIBUTION: RSA (Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, Kwa-Zulu

Natal, Free State) and Swaziland.

REMARKS: Forewings structure and maculation, male genitalia with gnathos longer than uncus and strong costal process, female genitalia with papillae anales with median fold, subvestigial apophyses anteriores and double signa suggest that C. attis complex is closely related with the type species of the genus. The particular shape of the phallus in male genitalia and of the sterigma in female genitalia distinguish this complex of species from all other known Crambus species.