Sesamia typhae, Le Ru, 2015

Kergoat, Gael J., Toussaint, Emmanuel F. A., Capdevielle-Dulac, Claire, Clamens, Anne-Laure, Ong, George, Amo, Conlong, Desmond, Berg, Johnnie Van Den, Cugala, Domingos, Pallangyo, Beatrice, Mubenga, Onesime, Chipabika, Gilson, Ndemah, Rose, Sezonlin, Michel, Bani, Gregoire, Molo, Richard, Ali, Abdalla, Calatayud, Paul-Andre, Kaiser, Laure, Silvain, Jean-Francois & Ru, Bruno Le, 2015, Integrative taxonomy reveals six new species related to the Mediterranean corn stalk borer Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Sesamiina), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 175 (2), pp. 244-270 : 258-259

SESAMIA TYPHAE LE RU SP. NOV.

( FIGS 6E–H; 7F,L; 8G; 9F; 10)

Type material examined. Holotype male: South Africa: Queenstown , Eastern Cape province, 31°55.406′S, 26°49.766′E, 1041 m a.s.l., XI 2009, ex larva, in stem of T. latifolius , gen. prep. LERU Bruno /G12, B. Le Ru leg., MNHN, Paris . Paratypes: South Africa: 1 female gen. prep. LERU Bruno /G14 , 2 males, 2 females, Rustfontein , Kwazulu-Natal province, 30°26.425′S, 29°10.613′E, 1506 m a.s.l., XI 2009, ex larva, in stem of T. latifolius ; 1 male, 1 female, Roosenekal , Mpumalanga province, 25°05.983′S, 29°51.731′E, 1024 m a.s.l., II 2007, ex larva, in stem of T. latifolius ; 2 males, 2 females, from Boskop Dam, Potchefstroom, Northwest province , 26°30.904′S, 27°07.417′E, 1506 m a.s.l., II 2006, ex larva, in stem of T. latifolius ; 1 male gen. prep. LERU Bruno /G13 ; 1 male, 2 females, same data as holotype; B. Le Ru leg. MNHH, Paris ; 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype, B. Le Ru leg., TMSA, Pretoria .

DESCRIPTION ( FIG. 6E–H)

Antennae short-bipectinate, serrated at apex in the male, filiform in the female, flagellum with ochraceous scales. Body colour and wing pattern similar in both sexes, but slightly darker in male. Palpus ochreous-buff irrorated with fuscous. Head and thorax ochreousbuff covered with long hairs. Abdomen cartridge-buff irrorated with fuscous. Legs ochreous, fore femur and tibia strongly infuscated on their inner surfaces. Forewings ochreous suffused with fuscous scales; an antemedial black spot below the cell; a longitudinal ochreous fascia from base along lower margin of cell, partly within, partly without cell limited to the first two-thirds of the wing and a postmedial row of spots. Fringe bright ochreous with a basal black line. Hindwings white, veins with cartridge-buff scales; fringe white iridescent. Underside of forewings pale cartridgebuff at the base, cartridge-buff on costa; apex and terminal area heavily suffused with fuscous, with cartridge-buff scales along the veins. Underside of hindwings white, costa and apex suffused with fuscous scales; fringe white iridescent with a basal cartridgebuff line.

Wingspan 32–34 mm (males) (n = 8); 35–44 mm (females) (n = 12).

Male (33, 34, 32, 33, 33, 34, 32, 32)

Female (36, 36, 43, 37, 44, 39, 36, 35, 37, 35, 38, 39)

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7F,L) Uncus small, wide, narrowing sharply at about halfway. Tegumen with small peniculi. Vinculum with a large saccus, u-shaped at the bottom margin, w-shaped at the top margin with an indentation in the middle. Extension of sacculus wide, slightly curved inwards with several rows of short stout spines on the tip. Long slightly spatulated cucullus and long coastal spine bifid. Juxta lampshade-shaped with a long wide neck and shortly bifid. Aedeagus ( Fig. 7l) short, slightly dilated basally and curved in the middle, presence of sclerotized elongate carina crest. Female genitalia ( Fig. 8G) Corpus bursae elongate without signa; ductus bursae short, strongly sclerotized near the ostium; lateral plates of ostial segment medium sized, sclerotized and not rounded, less than 1.5 times longer than wide. Ovipositor lobes 2.5 times longer than wide.

Larvae L5 instar ( Fig. 9F): length, 40–45 mm, breadth, 4.0 mm; head smooth, brown, prothoracic shield pink purple; body with ground colour pink purple, dorsally adorned with two lateral, narrow, bright buff stripes, pinnacula and caudal plate pale yellow brown. Young larvae are very similar in appearance to mature ones.

Etymology: epithet of Typha , the host plant genus name.