Homadaula malawiensis, Mey, 2022

Mey, Wolfram, 2022, Unexpected diversity: ten new species of Homadaula Lower, 1899 from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (Galacticoidea: Galacticidae), Metamorphosis 33 (1), pp. 21-33 : 28

Homadaula malawiensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:15959A61-244F-4D42-8EF8-692A31F9D615

Type material: Holotype ♂, Malawi, Mt. Mulanje, 1000 m, 15°58′N 35°39′E, 8.xii.2002, leg. D. Agassiz, genitalia in glycerol vial (coll. Agassiz).

Description: Male ( Fig. 17 ). Forewing length 6.5 mm, wing span 14.5 mm. Head with semi-erected scales, grey, with pale tips; labial palpi short, basal segment white, terminal segments brown; antenna ciliate on ventral and lateral sides. Thorax grey-brown dorsally. Fore-wings ground colour grey-brown, with some small, dark scales, dispersed over the wing surface; hind-wings white-grey in basal half, becoming darker towards apex, fringes pale grey. M3 and Cu1a with a long stalk, M2 connected with Cu1a by short cross-vein.

Male genitalia: ( Fig. 18 ). Pleural lobes of segment VIII short and flat,, with long, lamellar scales, tergal plate (= segment VIII) split to half of its length in dorsal view, forming two elongate, slightly diverging lobes separated by an nearly triangular emargination, ventral side of lobes with long, black bristles; segment IX compact, ring-like, vinculum with narrow bridge between bases of valvae; uncus absent, gnathos arms (or derived socii) bulbous, asymmetrical, sclerotised apically and encompassing anal tube; anellus with elongate basal part and large, distal part in form of a small gear wheel-like structure, appendage of anellus only on left side present; valva long, with large, triangular dorsal lobe and longer ventral lobe, valva in ventral view like the pincer of a scorpion, tips of ventral lobes acute. Phallus short, dagger-like, bulla seminalis not observed.

Female: unknown.

Diagnosis: In the male genitalia, the deeply divided tergal plate together with the form of the valvae are diagnostic for the species. Externally, the brown forewings of the new species are similar to H. taraktica sp. nov. and H. peregovitsi sp. nov. The species are closely related to each other and can only be separated by examination of the male genitalia.

Remarks: The new species occurs sympatrically with H. ravula on Mt. Mulanje ( Mey 2004).

Etymology: The species is named after the name of the country where the holotype was collected.

Figures

Figure 17 - Homadaula malawiensis sp. nov., male holotype.

Figure 18 – Male genitalia of Homadaula malawiensis sp. nov., a – lateral, b – ventral, c – dorsal, scale bar: 0.5 mm.