Crambus paris, 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 : 283-284

Crambus paris n. sp. Figs 3, 23

HOLOTYPE: TMSA, without registration number; ♀; [ RSA, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 29°24’S, 30°16’E,] Karkloof N.P.; 13-19.XII.[19]’30; AJT Janse , Holotype Crambus paris n. sp. G. Bassi det. 1996, GS 3559 GB.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named after the eponymous character of the Greek mythology, legendary figure of the Trojan War.

DIAGNOSIS: The forewings with a very large white stripe extending to termen will separate the species from other African Crambus . In female genitalia the ostium is opening in a membranous area as opposed to opening among sclerotized structures in the other African Crambus species.

DESCRIPTION (Fig. 3): Wingspan 16,5 mm. Palpi 3.5 X longer than widest diameter of eye, white on inner side, bronzed brown with white basis on outer side. Maxillary palpi bronzed brown with white tip. Frons produced, conical with rounded apex, white with few brown scales around eyes. Antennae simple, brown, with costa whitish on scape and first flagellomeres, otherwise glossy bronzed brown. Ocelli and chaetosemata well developed. Head white, brown around chaetosemata. Tegulae bronzed brown. Thorax medially white, laterally brown. Forewings with very wide white median stripe reaching costa and subterminal lines close to termen; costa bronzed brown to chestnut brown towards apex, with two small diagonal brown streaks medially and sub-medially; subterminal line angled, silvery with costal end bordered brown; apical patch rounded, brown; four elongated dots in tornus area; terminal line silvery at tornus, then dark brown and curved at cell level; dorsal area white speckled brown to dark brown toward middle; fringes golden brown with white basis, wider around apex. Hindwings white suffused ivory with fringes concolorous. Forelegs bronzed brown, lighter on inner side of femur; midlegs whitish brown with tarsomeres white and brown; hindlegs whitish and yellow-brown with tarsomeres white and brown.

MALE GENITALIA: Unknown.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Fig. 23): Papillae anales divided into two lobes and apophyses posteriores of medium size. Apophyses anteriores absent. Abdominal segment VIII with narrow tergite and wide rounded and sclerotized sternite. Ostium bursae suboval, lightly sclerotized, opening in membranous area. Sterigma with lamella antevaginalis with wide biconcave upper margin and long and pointed arms, and lamella postvaginalis cup-shaped. Ductus bursae wrinkled, as long as 7/10 of corpus bursae. Ductus seminalis connected in proximal third of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae suboval, spiculate in proximal third, most evidently around two signa.

DISTRIBUTION: The new species is only known from the type locality in RSA .

REMARKS: The structure and maculation of the forewings, the presence in female genitalia of papillae with a median fold, the absence of apophyses anteriores, the complex sterigma and the double signa suggest that this species is close to the C. attis complex. In female genitalia the bifurcate shape of lamella antevaginalis is reminiscent of some Chrysoteuchia Hübner species, but in the latter ostium bursae directly opens in the middle of the bifurcate process while in paris ostium bursae is membranous and placed between well differentiated and bifurcate lamella antevaginalis and cup-shaped lamella postvaginalis. This feature could mean that this species is close to the C. mozart i complex, but only the discovery of the male will clarify the problem.