Merrifieldia arenbergeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2022

Ustjuzhanin, Petr., Kovtunovich, Vasiliy N. & Streltzov., Alexander N., 2022, Merrifieldia arenbergeri - new species of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) from the Republic of South Africa, Ecologica Montenegrina 50, pp. 47-51 : 49-51

Merrifieldia arenbergeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E38310E7-72A0-4CE1-B054-7C6E399D1489

( Figs. 3-5 )

Type material: Holotype, male, ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1979) Rep. S. Africa, Free State, Golden Gate Highlands National Park , S 28°30’ E 28°34’, h 1870 m, 26. ii. –04.iii. 2018, V. Kovtunovich & P. Udovichenko leg. ; Paratype, 1 female, ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1980) same data as holotype, V. Kovtunovich & P. Udovichenko leg.

External characters

Head with brown hairs, thorax and tegulae yellowish-brown. Labial palpi thin, straight, slightly shorter than longitudinal eye diameter. Antennae dark-brown with tiny sharp needle-like spikes at each segment. Wingspan 14–16 mm, in holotype – 16 mm. Fore wing yellowish-brown. Dark-brown, almost black hairs on costal edge of fore wing discally. Distinct narrow bright-yellow stripe on first lobe along inner edge from cleft base to apex. Second lobe light-yellow. Dark-brown fringe inside cleft and along outer edge of fore wing. Hind wing noticeably darker than fore wing, unicolorous brown-grey, fringe between lobes grey. Hind legs dark-brown.

Male genitalia. Valves narrow, asymmetric. S accular process on left valve narrow, needle-like, smoothly arched and apically acute, extends beyond middle of valve length. S accular process on right valve located in distal part of valve, short, basally slightly extended, smoothly narrowing to end. Uncus narrow, slightly concave, apically acute. Anellus arms narrow, finger-like, left arm slightly shorter than right one. Tegumen bilobed. Saccus arched. Aedeagus almost straight, apically noticeably narrowing, slightly shorter than right valve in length.

Female. Papillae anales triangle, relatively wide. Posterior apophyses straight, of equal width along all their length. Antrum funnel-like. Ductus short, wide. Ductus seminalis wide, narrow-oval, passing from base of antrum. Bursa copulatrix small, round.

Diagnosis. In the external characters, the new species is close to Merrifieldia innae Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2011 (type locality: Lesotho, Valley Mt., Masoleng, 10 km N of Mafolaneng), but differs in the absence of the dark spot in the cleft base and in the male genital structure. In the male genitalia, in the s accular process on both valves, the new species is close to Hellinsia bidzilya Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2019 (type locality: South Africa, Eastern Cape, Graaff-Reinet, Asante Sana Game Farm), but in the new species the saccular process on the left valve is narrow, needle-like, smoothly arched and apically acute, and on the right valve it is short, basally wide and gradually narrowing to apex, while in H. bidzilya the s accular process on the left valve is thick, wavy, not arched and on the right valve it is equal in width and sharply narrowing only at the apex.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa: Free State.

Flight period: February–March

Etymology. The species is named in memory of our friend and colleague, an outstanding Austrian specialist in Pterophoridae of the world fauna, Ernst Arenberger (1933-2020).

1980).

Figures

Figure 3. Merrifieldia arenbergeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov. Adult (Holotype, male, ZISP).

Figure 4. Merrifieldia arenbergeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov. Male genitalia (Holotype, gen.pr. Nr. 1979).

Figure 5. Merrifieldia arenbergeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov. Female genitalia (Paratype, ZISP, gen. pr.