Eoophyla belladotae, Published, 2012

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 27-28

Eoophyla belladotae sp. n.

Type locality: Kenya, Sagana .

Imago (Figs. 53, 54): Wingspan 16–22mm. Head whitish; labial palpus segment 2 with brown and white scales, segment 3 tapered, whitish, about as long as 2; antenna dull ochreous, 2/3 length of forewing. Thorax brown, sometimes pale; tegulae whitish. Forewing costa brownish, otherwise base white; a brown subbasal fascia, sometimes obsolete; a weak yellow antemedian fascia from dorsum halfway across wing, brown suffusion beyond, with two yellow strigulae from costa to beyond a silver grey tornal spot; termen yellow, preceded by a narrow dark brown line, a series of black dots along termen; cilia pale fuscous. Hindwing basal third as forewing; yellow antemedian fascia followed by a narrow silver grey fascia, edged brown; postmedian area scattered with dark fuscous scales; three irregular subterminal lines, the outer one interrupted in middle; four black eye-spots narrowly separated with ochreous, small silvery spots on the inner side of each; termen yellow before and after the eye-spots; terminal cilia dark fuscous in inner half, pale in outer half. Legs ochreous, brown above joints, especially on foreleg.

Females are much less strongly marked than males and can be pallid, almost without markings except the eyespots.

Male genitalia (Fig. 120): Uncus spatulate; gnathos 0.6 x length of uncus, digitate with a pair of thorns at apex; valva with apex pointed, a single specialised seta arising before apex, this is bent and ends in a broad tridentate processs; juxta with pointed protrusions on each side; aedeagus simple but of irregular width.

Attached to the 8th abdominal segment is a pair of coremata.

Female genitalia (Fig. 157): Ostium moderate, antrum membranous, gently tapering with sclerotised coil above colliculum; corpus bursae ovate, at first with a sclerotised plate bearing spines, a large spiculate patch along the length of much of the dorsal surface.

Tympanal organs: Venulae long and parallel, but diverging towards tympanal organs; tympani rather squared.

Diagnosis: Differs from E. nandinalis and other species in the triple subterminal line of the hindwing, and in the male genitalia with its distinctively shaped setae.

Derivation: In honour of my wife Dot (Dorothy), prefixed by bella, Latin for beautiful.

Biology: Unknown; in rivers, probably continuously brooded, adults taken in iv, v, vi, viii, ix, xi, xii.

Distribution: East Africa to South Africa:

Material examined: Holotype ♂ Kenya: Central | Sagana 1100m | 0˚ 42´S 36˚ 14´E| 25.xi.2005 | D.J.L. Agassiz; 14 paratypes, 12♂ 2♀ same data as holotype, including DJLA slides 1139 ♂ and 1140 ♀.

KENYA: Thika 13♂ 4♀, Nairobi 1 ♂, Meru 1♂, Sagana River 1♂ ( BMNH) , 1♂ 1♀ ( DJLA) , 2♂ 7♀ Kericho, 3♀ Kangema ( DJLA) , 1♂ Nyeri, 1♀ Ndoinet , 1♂ 1♀ Aberdares C.C., 1♀ Naro Moru ( DJLA) ; UGANDA: Entebbe 1♂ ( BMNH) , ZAMBIA, Ikelenge , 2♀ ( TMP) , SOUTH AFRICA, Marieps Mt. 1♀ ( TMP)