Mahomedella hoggarensis, Yakovlev & Müller & Prozorov & Traore & Sulak, 2023

Yakovlev, Roman V., Müller, Günter C., Prozorov, Alexey M., Traore, Mohamed M. & Sulak, Harald, 2023, Mahomedella hoggarensis sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Cossinae) from Southern Algeria, Ecologica Montenegrina 68, pp. 42-47 : 43-46

Mahomedella hoggarensis sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D3311D41-FB67-4B4A-8AB7-55F206BE3AB4

Figs 1‒2 , 5‒7

Material. Holotype, male, South Algeria, Hoggar Mts., 1600‒2400 m, Aug. 2010, leg. Müller & Mooser (private collection of G. Müller, Freising) . Paratypes: 3 males, 1 female, same locality and data (private collection of G. Müller, Freising) .

Description. Male. Length of fore wing 13 mm. Thorax and abdomen densely covered with light-brown scales. Antenna in length about half of fore wing, bipectinate, setae 3.5‒4 times longer than antenna stem in diameter. Fore wing light-yellow, poorly modified pattern of thin wavy brown strokes, big brown strokes only in cubital area, fringe light-yellow, unicolorous. Hind wing light-yellow without pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus robust, apically semicircular; gnathos arms thick, gnathos poorly sclerotized, covered with fine spikes; valve wide, cup-like, distally membranous (by one fourth of valve length), costal margin (on border between medium and distal thirds) with small sclerotized crest; transtilla process very thick basally, uncinately curved, apically acute; juxta tapered with pair of long lateral processes, diverged at an angle of 90º; saccus semicircular, of medium size; phallus shorter than valve by one third, strongly curved, vesica aperture in dorso-apical position, 1/3 of phallus in length, vesica without cornuti.

Female. Length of fore wing 15 mm. Thorax and abdomen densely covered with light-brown scales. Antenna in length about half of fore wing, with tiny denticles (processes about half of antenna stem in diameter). Pattern on wings the same as that of male.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales tapered; apophyses posteriores twice longer than apophyses anteriores, poorly expressed oblique notch on lateral surfaces of ovipositor; ostium slit-like; antrum short, sclerotized; ductus bursae copulatrix long, membranous; ductus seminalis thin, passing from basal wall of bursa copulatrix; bursa copulatrix shaped as elongated bag, without signa.

Diagnosis. The new species clearly differs from the previously known species M. rungsi in a series of characters:

- in the males of M. hoggarensis , the fore wing pattern is very poorly developed (in M. rungsi the reticulated pattern on the fore wing is well expressed);

- The transtilla process in M. hoggarensis is very thick basally (in M. rungsi the transtilla process base in significantly thinner);

- in M. hoggarensis the crest on the costal margin of valve is more developed than in M. rungsi .

Catalogue of Genus

Figures

Figure 5. Genitalia of M. hoggarensis sp. n., male, holotype (slide Prozorov 2022/0455).

Figure 6. Genitalia of M. hoggarensis sp. n., female, paratype (slide Prozorov 2022/0454).

Figure 7. Distributional map of Mahomedella.

Figures 1‒4. Adult specimens of Mahomedella: 1. M. hoggarensis sp. n., male, holotype; 2. M. hoggarensis sp. n., male, paratype; 3. M. rungsi, male, holotype and labels (MNHN); 4. M. rungsi, female, allotype and labels (MNHN).