Phyllonorycter mwatawalai De Prins, 2012

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 145-146

54. Phyllonorycter mwatawalai De Prins , new species

( Figs 105 , 344 , 405 , 445 )

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter mwatawalai resembles P. farensis , P. gozmanyi , and P. pavoniae . However, P. mwatawalai is significantly smaller than the other three species. The wing pattern of P. mwatawalai resembles most similarly P. gozmanyi and P. farensis , but the shape of central fascia is different: in P. mwatawalai the central fascia lacks a defined apical margin, in P. farensis and P. gozmanyi this fascia is shaped like a sand clock. Phyllonorycter pavoniae has a much darker ground colour, and basal first white marking is clearly defined almost straight fascia, edged on both sides. The basal first white mark of P. mwatawalai is a strongly oblique strigula, without margining. The colour of tuft on posterior part of head is different in both species as well: in P. mwatawalai it is ochreous, the same colour as the ground colour of forewing, in P. pavoniae it is snowy white. Phyllonorycter mwatawalai differs from P. farensis by size and ground colour: P. farensis possesses much lighter shading of ground colour. Females of the rhynchosiae species group are characterized by possessing a strongly sclerotized boomerang-like or pyramid-shaped cuticle fold of sterigma on segment VII, and a stellate signum on corpus bursae. Females of P. mwatawalai , however, clearly differ from the other species of the rhynchosiae group in possesing a crescent-shaped lamella post vaginalis and sclerotized narrow ring-like lamella antevaginalis; the number of rays in stellate signum in P. farensis and P. gozmanyi is 21–23 and in P. mwatawalai 9–10.

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Tanzania / Morogoro 500 m / ca. 10 km SE of Mikese / 06°46’S 37°55’E / 14.vii.2009 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘Gen. Prep. 3781♀ / De Prins’; [3] ‘MRAC/KMMA 00525’, specimen ID: [4] ‘ RMCA ENT 000005331 ’; [5] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / mwatawalai / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA.

Paratype: 1♀ (including 1♀ genitalia preparation). Tanzania: Morogoro, SUA Horticultural Unit, 06°50’S 37°39’E, 500 m, 13.v.2010, leg; J. & W. De Prins, gen. prep. De Prins 3794♀ (MRAC/KMMA 00536), specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005913, in RMCA .

Description. Adult ( Fig. 105 ). Forewing length: 1.7 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted, with light ochreous, appressed scales; frons snowy white. Labial palpus directed downwards, slightly longer than eye, white. Maxillary palpus small, white; haustellum mediately long, curved, pale beige. Antenna greyish ochreous gradually darkening in shading towards apex, consisting of 30–31 flagellomeres, each flagellomere ochreous at basal half and grey apically, terminal flagellomeres grey intermixed with darker ochreous shading; scape ochreous with ca. eight pecten of variable length; pedicel pale ochreous.

Thorax: Ochreous with some white anteriorly, tegulae ochreous with light ochreous apices. Forewing elongate, ground colour ochreous with golden lustre, and with white markings including two dorsal strigulae, one angulated fascia and two apical strigulae; basal streak very small, just a small white dot at base of middle of forewing, first dorsal strigula at 1/4 oblique towards apex, narrow, long, extending beyond middle of forewing, terminal part not shaped clearly, without defined edging, second fascia at 1/2 of forewing, sharply angulated, tip of sharp angle in subcostal region, fascia quite broad, however, apical margin with borders anastomosed, indistinct, basal edge margined with black scales; second dorsal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, broad triangular shaped, not reaching middle of forewing, edged basally; first costal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, opposite second dorsal strigula, broad triangular shaped, reaching middle of forewing, edged basally, a suffusion of black scales apical strigula, rod shaped, not reaching middle of forewing, without edging, a row of black scales, at subtermen streching from apex to tornus, following shape of termen, which corresponds to a long fringe line; termen covered with elongate ochreous scales with greyish tips, fringe light grey with silver shading. Hindwing pale grey with silver shine, fringe long, same colour as hindwing. Fore femur and fore tibia white with silver shine, tarsus dirty white intermixed with grey, tarsomere I grey, tarsomere II dirty white with dark grey apex, tarsomere III grey, tarsomere IV dirty white, terminal tarsomere dark grey. Mid-femur dirty white with dark brown apex, mid-tibia white with three dark ochreous patches of similar size, on base, at middle and at apex, tibial spurs white, tarsus dirty white with five dark ochreous patches, tarsomere I dirty white with two large ochreous patches at base and at apex, and a small ochroeus patch at middle, tarsomere II white with dark ochreous apex, tarsomere III greyish ochreous, tarsomere IV dirty white, terminal tarsomere dark grey. Hind femur dirty white with ochreous base, hind tibia ochreous with whitish midden part, tarsus white with two ochreous patches, tarsomeres I–II white with ochreous apices, tarsomere III–IV white, terminal tarsomere grey.

Abdomen: Dorsally dark grey ochreous, ventrally ochreous with silvery shine.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 344 ). Papillae anales moderate, flattened caudally, with distant long setae at outer margin and dense setae in middle of papilla, setae of approximately equal length, ca.100–102 µm; basal parts of anterior apophyses narrow, elongate, separated; a slender slightly curved and unequal needle-like strongly sclerotized projection ca. 84 µm long (holotype), extending from basal bar of papillae anales to middle of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses strongly sclerotized, 173 µm long (holotype), with narrow triangular bases, straight, broader at basal 1/2, gradually tapering with sharp pointed apices. Segment VIII sclerotized, connected ventrally and dorsally, quite short, ca. 1/3–1/2 length of posterior apophyses; anterior apophyses as long as posterior ones (171 µm in holotype), slender, with broader triangular bases, gently tapering towards apices, slightly curved, parallel to each other, reaching middle of segment VII. Segment VII trapezium-shaped, thick, without any special strong sclerotizations. Ostium bursae located in subposterior sector of sternum VII, antrum short, sclerotized tube, 30 µm long, with stronger sclerotized anterior part, and a bifurcate plate, situated just anteriad sterigmatic, cuticle sclerotization; sterigma lamella antevaginalis forms large, sclerotized, triangular fold on posterior margin of segment VII, a narrow sclerotized ring on anterior part of antrum, sterigma lamella post-vaginalis shaped as strongly sclerotized small crescent. Ductus bursae about 660 µm long, broad at initial section close to antrum gradually tapering towards mid-sector and again broadening close to corpus bursae. Corpus bursae moderate, oval shaped, as large as 270 × 187 µm (in holotype); membranous area covered with sharp spicules, a stellate circular signum set with 9–10 broad, marginal, dentate rays, situated in middle of corpus bursae; ductus spermatecae short, 177 µm long, arising from anterior part of segment VII, with about 21–22 spiraled tight convolutions terminating in large bean-shaped bulla spermathecae, situated in segment VI, close to posterior margin.

Etymology. Named after Maulid Mwatawala, entomologist at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, to honour his efforts to organize the entomological activities in East Africa.

Habitat. Adults were collected in a small, partially degraded savannah-like, natural biotope rich in lowgrowing woody Acacia tree and bushes and thick low dry herbarious vegetation. The area was surrounded by cultivated agricultural areas (orchards and maize fields) ( Fig. 445 ).

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults fly from mid-May to mid-July.

Distribution. ( Fig. 405 ). Known only from the type locality, Morogoro area, Tanzania.

Figures

FIGURES 105–110. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 105, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai, holotype ♀, Tanzania, Morogoro, 14.vii.2009, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005331. 106, Phyllonorycter ocimellus, holotype ♂, Kenya, Taita Hills, mine 09.iv.2001, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000003353. 107, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, holotype 6391♂, South Africa, Chipise, 28.v.1953, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 108, Phyllonorycter pavoniae, ♂, South Africa, Kruger National Park, Punda Milia, 18–30.v.1975, in TMSA. 109, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, holotype 6379♂, South Africa, Pretoria, 14.iii.1949, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 110, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae, paratype 6390♂, South Africa, Hartebeestpoort, 11.ii.1955, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA.

FIGURES 343–344. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 343, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi, paratype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00281, in RMCA. 344, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00525, in RMCA.

FIGURES 403–414. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 403, Phyllonorycter gozmanyi. 404, Phyllonorycter maererei. 405, Phyllonorycter mwatawalai. 406, Phyllonorycter ocimellus. 407, Phyllonorycter pavoniae. 408, Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae. 409, Phyllonorycter ruwenzori. 410, Phyllonorycter silvicola. 411, Phyllonorycter umukarus. 412, Cremastobombycia kipepeo. 413, Cremastobombycia morogorene. 414, Porphyrosela desmodivora.

FIGURES 441–445. Habitats of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 441, Kakamega Forest, Kenya, April 2003. The habitat is the most eastern relict of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest. 442, Faro River area, Cameroon, May 2005. The habitat is a repeatedly burned savannah and bush land. 443, Mayumbe Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2007. The habitat is an undisturbed primary rain forest. 444, Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda, August 2008. The habitat is a montane rain forest. 445, Morogoro are, Tanzania, July 2009. The habitat is variable: transitional dry lowland /submontane woodland.