Athrips asymmetrica, Bidzilya & Aarvik & Agassiz, 2023

Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David, 2023, New species and new country distribution records of Athrips (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 5343 (5), pp. 489-500 : 493-494

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.5.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:994299E8-E89F-436A-9A0A-E19E2399528C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8346307
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EAD554-E126-FFA9-FF54-FAF5FA16FE47
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Athrips asymmetrica
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Athrips asymmetrica View in CoL sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype ♁, South Africa, Hluhluwe Nat. Park , 18.ii.1997 (S.A. Bakke) (gen. slide NHMO 2317 View Materials , O. Bidzilya) ( NHMO).

Diagnosis. Athrips asymmetrica sp. nov. resembles externally A. savannae ( Bidzilya, 2010) , comb. nov., but differs in having a more distinct oblique yellowish brown strip from 1/3 of costa, lighter fold and absence of white costal and tornal spots on 3/4. The male genitalia with asymmetrical sacculi are unique among species of Athrips .

Description. Adult ( Fig. 3 View FIGURES 1–10 ). Wingspan 12.0 mm. Head covered with grey, brown-tipped scales, labial palpus recurved, palpomere 2 light brown with two dark brown belts, inner surface uniformly light brown, palpomere 3 light brown with narrow dark brown ring in middle and before apex; thorax light brown; tegulae light brown, mottled with dark brown; forewing covered with yellowish to light brown scales, costal margin with brown suffusion, termen spotted with brown, dorsal margin, fold and subcostal margin to 1/2 yellowish-brown, oblique yellowish brown strip edged with brown from 1/3 of costa to middle of cell, diffuse brown spot on 2/3 near dorsal margin, two brown irregular spots in fold; cilia grey brown-tipped; hindwing and cilia grey.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 13 View FIGURES 11–15 ). Uncus elongate, 1/3 length of tegumen, constricted in middle, distinctly widened apically, densely covered with strong setae in distal 2/3; gnathos strongly curved at base, distal 2/3 long, straight; tegumen broad at base, then gradually narrowed, anteromedial emargination broadly rounded, extending almost to 1/2 length of tegumen; cucullus gradually broadened from base to middle, then narrowed towards weakly pointed apex, short triangular process on 2/3, distal 2/3 densely covered with long hairs, far exceeding top of uncus setae; sacculus short, about 1/8–1/7 length of cucullus, asymmetrical: left sacculus subtriangular, with ventral margin straight and dorsal margin convex, about as broad as adjacent portion of cucullus; right sacculus broad as base, distal half slender, 1/2 width of adjacent part of cucullus, with short pointed tip; vinculum broad, posterior margin covered with short spines, with deep triangular emargination; transtilla lobes 3 times as long as sacculus, and 1/3 length of cucullus, slender, straight; saccus short, broadly rounded, 3 times broader than long, posterior margin with distinct V-shaped medial emargination; phallus tube inflated in basal part, distal part about 1/2 width and 1/2 length of basal half, both margins weakly bent, apex rounded.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Biology. The adult was collected in February.

Distribution. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the asymmetrical sacculi that are characteristic for the new species.