Urodeta faro, Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2011

Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2011, New species of Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zootaxa 3008, pp. 1-32 : 9

Urodeta faro sp. n.

( Figs 1, 3, 4 , 64–71 )

Type material. Holotype: 1Ƥ, CAMEROON, North Province, Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°23’N 012°49’E, 09.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5282, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 622 ( RMCA).

Paratype: 1Ƥ, CAMEROON, North Province, Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°25’N 012°47’E, 04.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5287, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 623 ( RMCA); 1Ƥ, CAMER- OON, Garoua, Faro Nat. Park., 300 m, 08°23’ 36,4N 12°49’ 29,3E, 28.iv.–9.v.2005, Knud Larsen & Toke Zandersen. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 6050, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 644 ( RMCA).

Diagnosis. Urodeta faro is a small, lightly-coloured species, with indistinct wing markings. The female genitalia of this species can be separated from other Urodeta species known from Sub-Saharan Africa by the following combination of characters: (1) colliculum sclerotized, with internal spines; (2) proximal part of ductus bursae with transversal foldings; (3) corpus bursae without signum.

Female ( Figs 64, 65 ). Forewing length 2.7–3.0 mm; wingspan 6.0–6.6 mm (n=3). Head: Frons white; vertex and neck tuft white, weakly mottled with brown tips of scales; labial palpus very short and straight, about 0.5 times as long as width of head, white; scape white, with few brown tipped scales; flagellum brown, basally annulated with white. Thorax, tegula and forewing white, irregularly dusted with brown, small brown spot on fold before middle of wing.; fringe greyish white. Hindwing and its fringe greyish.

Male. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Figs 66–71 ). Papillae anales triangular, distally tapered. Apophyses posteriores very short, curved outward. Tergum 8 very short, not sclerotized, apophyses anteriores weakly sclerotized except apices, extending from central part of segment and spreading apart laterad. Ostium bursae situated in membrane between sterna 7 and 8. Sternum 8 membranous, with weakly sclerotized, posteriorly curved band in central part. Antrum weakly sclerotized, posterior margin convex, gradually tapered anteriorly. Colliculum slightly longer than antrum, strongly sclerotized, with minute internal spines. Ductus bursae with a large coil before entering to corpus bursae, coiled part with transverse foldings. Corpus bursae round, without signum or internal spines.

Biology. Unknown.

Flight period. Based upon the three specimens available, adults fly in late April and early May.

Distribution. So far this species is known only from the North Province of Cameroon ( Figs 1, 3, 4 ).

Etymology. The species name is associated with the type locality – the floodplain of the Faro River. The specific name is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Collecting localities of the Afrotropical Elachistinae species. 1, Cameroon, North Province, Faro River floodplain; 2, DRC, Bas-Congo, Mayumbe Forest; 3, general map indicating collecting sites; 4, collecting site in Cameroon; 5, collecting site in DRC.

FIGURES 64 – 67. Urodeta faro, sp. n., holotype. 64, adult female. Scale bar 1 mm; 65, head, frontal view; 66, caudal part of female genitalia; 67, ductus and corpus bursae. Gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 622, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5282. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 68 – 71. Urodeta faro, sp. n., female genitalia. 68, caudal part, enlarged; 69, colliculum; 70, ductus bursae. Holotype. Gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 622, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005282; 71, corpus bursae. Paratype. Gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 623, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5287. Scale bar 0.1 mm.