Crassuncus kenzo Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2017

Kovtunovich, V., Ustjuzhanin, P., Morney, M. De, Udovichenko, P. & Bezverkhov, Yu., 2017, Fauna of Plume Moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) of Garden Route National Park, South Africa, Zootaxa 4350 (3) : -

Crassuncus kenzo Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov.

( Figs 4 – 7 )

Type material: Holotype male, ( TMSA 15333 ) South Africa , Eastern Cape, Garden Route N.P., Tsitsikamma , 34°01'S 23°53'E, h 94 m, 06–08.xii.2016, Kovtunovich V., Udovichenko P. & Bezverkhov Yu.; Paratypes: 15 ♂ , 4 ♀, with same data as holotype: (1 ♀ ZISP; 1 ♂ TMSA 15334 , 1 ♀; 1 ♂, 201703, 1 ♀ MfN; 1 ♂ CUK 309, 1 ♀ 310, 12 ♂) .

External characters. Male. Wingspan 17 – 19 mm. Head, thorax and tegula with brown-grey scales. Labial palpus slender, dark brown, equal to diameter of eye in size. Antenna thin, grey. Forewing brown grey; a black longitudinal streak present along costal edge of first lobe above cleft base; a poorly expressed dark brown spot at cleft base; fringe inside cleft dark brown, yellowish hairs along hind edge of second lobe in middle part. Hindwing unicolorous, dark brown, slightly darker than forewing, fringe of same color. Hind leg brown grey.

Female. Wingspan 20 – 21mm. Head, thorax and tegula yellowish-grey. Labial palpus thin, straight, equal to eye diameter in size, black from above, white from below. Antenna thin, yellowish brown. Forewing yellow, interspersed with dark brown scales; two longitudinal dark brown streaks along costal edge of first lobe above cleft base and in middle part; fringe inside cleft with yellow and dark brown hairs; two small dark brown spots in apical part of second lobe. Hindwing unicolorous, dark grey, fringe concolorous. Hind leg pale yellow with dark scales at spur base.

Male genitalia. Valvae asymmetrical. Left valva with prominent forked harpe, wide at base, its distal part arched, extending to beyond middle of valva. Costal edge of both valvae in the shape of two wide sclerotized folds. A large sclerotized process in the shape of a smoothly curved tooth present in base of fold on right valva. Anellus arms wide, straight, slightly widened in distal part. Saccus arched. Uncus wide in basal part, more narrow in distal part. Phallus slightly curved in basal part, thin, half as long as valva, without cornuti.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales wide, oval. Posterior apophysis slightly shorter than papillae anales. Ostium situated in centre of segment. Antrum narrow, funnel-shaped, equal to posterior apophyses in length. Ductus bursae thin, sclerotized, membranous at point of transition to corpus bursae, the latter small, slightly oval (almost round), without signum, equal to anterior apophysis in length.

Diagnosis. In the male genitalia, C. kenzo is similar to Crassuncus agassizi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2016 , but differs in having wider anellus arms, wider sclerotized folds on the costal edge of the valvae and the phallus being less curved in its basal part. In the female genitalia the new species is similar to Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) , but readily recognized on account of its thin ductus bursae, almost round corpus bursae and broadly oval papillae anales, while in C. ecstaticus the ductus bursae is stout, the corpus bursae is narrow and elongated, and the papillae anales long and narrow.

Distribution: South Africa.

Flight period: December.

Etymology. The species is named after the prominent Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 7. Crassuncus kenzo Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov. 4. Adult male (Holotype, TMSA); 5. Adult female (Paratype, CUK); 6. Male genitalia (Holotype, TMSA 15333); 7. Female genitalia (Paratype, CUK 310).