Asapharcha, Meyrick, 1920, Meyrick, 1920

Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Mey, Wolfram & Rajaei, Hossein, 2024, Taxonomic revision of Asapharcha Meyrick, 1920 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 5443 (4), pp. 548-566 : 550

Key to species identification based on external characters of adult specimens

1. Forewing with large dark spot on posterior margin ( Figs 1, 3, 5 , 11–14 ).......................................... 2

- Forewing without spot on posterior margin ( Figs 6–10 , 15 ).................................................... 5

2. Ground colour of the forewing white ( Fig. 5 ).............................................. A. lacistoides sp. nov.

- Ground colour of the forewing grey or brown.............................................................. 3

3. Ground colour of the forewing grey, forewing broad ( Figs 11–14 )...................................... A. tauropis

- Ground colour of the forewing brown, forewing narrow...................................................... 4

4. Segment 2 of labial palpus roughly scaled, apex of the forewing concolorous with ground colour ( Figs 1 , 17 )............................................................................................... A. angustella sp. nov.

- Segment 2 of labial palpus smoothly scaled, apex of the forewing darker than ground ( Figs 3 , 18 )........ A. fuscomaculata

5. Ground colour of the forewing light, pale ( Figs 7–10 , 15 )..................................................... 6

- Ground colour of the forewing dark, brown to greyish-brown ( Figs 2, 4, 6 )....................................... 7

6. Forewing predominantly pale, hindwing light grey ( Fig. 15 )................................ A. unipunctella sp. nov.

- Forewing distinctly shaded with dark along margins and near apex, hindwing dark brown ( Figs 7–10 )......... A. strigifera

7. Head ochreous brown, thorax black ( Fig. 6 )............................................ A. ochrocapitella sp. nov.

- Head concolorous with thorax ( Figs 2, 4 ).................................................................. 8

8. Segment 2 of labial palpus with tuft of scales beneath, hindwing lighter than forewing ( Fig. 4 )................. A. hirsuta

- Segment 2 of labial palpus smooth scaled, hindwing darker than forewing ( Fig. 2 )....................... A. centrotypa

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Asapharcha spp., adults, dorsal view. 1. A. angustella sp. nov., holotype, male (SouthAfrica, Lelyfontein; gen. slide 48/09, O. Bidzilya). 2. A. centrotypa, holotype, male (Zimbabwe, Sawmills, gen. slide “g. 4248”). 3. A. fuscomaculata, holotype, male (Namibia, Kunene, Palmwag Lodge). 4. A. hirsuta, holotype, male (Zimbabwe, 38 miles N of Bulawayo, road to Victoria Falls). 5. A. lacistoides sp. nov., holotype, male (Namibia, Hobatere Lodge). 6. A. ochrocapitella sp. nov., holotype, male (Zimbabwe, Bulawayo; gen. slide 508/07, O. Bidzilya). 7–10. A. strigifera. 7. Female (South Africa, Gauteng Province, junction of Crocodile and Marico rivers; gen.slide B.M. 7393). 8. Male (holotype of Lacistodes brunneostola). 9. Male (Namibia, Varianto, Otavi Mts). 10. Male (Namibia, Waterberg NP; gen. slide 44/09, O. Bidzilya).

FIGURES 11–16. Asapharcha spp., adults, dorsal view. 11–14. A. tauropis. 11. Holotype, female; 12. Female (holotype of A. crateropa). 13. Male (South Africa, Hoedspruit). 14. Male (Kenya, Lake Bogoria). 15. A. unipunctella, holotype, male (Namibia, Rundu, Okavanga River; gen. slide 484/07, O. Bidzilya). 16. Lasiarchis pycnodes, holotype, male (South Africa, Pretoria; gen. slide 503/23, O. Bidzilya).

FIGURES 17–22. Asapharcha spp., head. 17. A. angustella sp. nov., lateral view. 18. A. fuscomaculata, dorsolateral view. 19. A. lacistoides sp. nov., lateral view. 20. A. strigifera, lateral view. 21. A. unipunctella, sp. nov., dorsal view. 22. Lasiarchis pycnodes, holotype, male, lateral view (South Africa, Pretoria; gen. slide 503/23, O. Bidzilya).