Proterospastis autochthones (WALSINGHAM, 1907)

Gaedike, Reinhard, 2009, New or poorly known Tineidae from Mauretania, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (Lepidoptera), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 59 (2), pp. 489-512 : 498-500

Proterospastis autochthones (WALSINGHAM, 1907)

Tunisia: 1 ♂, Tunisie, C. DUMONT; MNHN: New country record .

Amphixystis maroccana sp. n.

Material:

Holotype, ♂ “ Morocco, 8 km S Sidi Ifni, 20.iii.2005, 50 m, O. KARSHOLT”; “Coll. ZMUC Copenhagen Denmark ”; “Gen. präp. [genitalia slide] GAEDIKE NR: 6180”; “ Holotypus ♂ Amphixystis maroccana sp. n. det. R. GAEDIKE 2008”; ZMUC.

Paratypes: 1 ♂ with same dates; DEI ; 1 ♂ “ 17.05.2005, MA [ Morocco] - Souss-Massa-Drâa Anezi, 10 km W, M004 -9,45897 / 29.66919, 800 m, lum. act. leg. MEYER M.”; “Gen. präp. [genitalia slide] GAEDIKE NR: 5579”; “ Paratypus ♂ Amphixystis maroccana sp. n. det. R. GAEDIKE 2008”; Coll. MEYER ; 2 ♂, “ Marokko, Imlil, Strassenrand [roadside] – 31°09'45" - 07°55'49", Lichtfang [lux], 19.05.2005, leg. ANDREAS WERNO (one specimen with genitalia slide GAEDIKE NR: 6532)”; “ Paratypus ♂ Amphixystis maroccana sp. n. det. R. GAEDIKE 2009”; Coll. WERNO; DEI ; 2 ♂, “ Marokko, Westlich Anezi - Strassenrand [roadside] – 29°40'09" – 09°27'32" Lichtfang [lux], 17.05.2005, leg. ANDREAS WERNO”; “ Paratypus ♂ Amphixystis maroccana sp. n. det. R. GAEDIKE 2009”; Coll. WERNO; DEI ; 1 ♀, with same dates, “Gen. präp. [genitalia slide] GAEDIKE NR: 6531”; Coll. WERNO .

Description ( Fig. 8 ):

Wingspan 13 mm; head brush bi-coloured: from insertion of antennae to palpi dark grey, the other part light cream-coloured; antenna dark grey, underside light cream-coloured; thorax also cream-coloured, tegulae dark brown, nearly black; forewing also bi-coloured: dorsum from basis to apex (with fringe) cream-coloured, the other part of wing dark brown, nearly black, the border uneven, but distinct; hindwing grey.

Male genitalia (Figs 37-39). Uncus with two long slightly curved, more strongly sclerotized socii, with pointed tip, apical edge more strongly sclerotized, tegumen broad, vinculum narrow, saccus long and thin; valva as long as uncus+tegumen, with short transtilla, costal edge concave, ventral edge convex, parallel, apically rounded, ventral edge before 1/2 with a more strongly sclerotized tooth; phallus nearly as long as valva, narrow, laterally before apex with some hook-shaped sclerotizations.

Female genitalia ( Figs 40-41 ). Anterior apophyses forked, ventral branch connected in the middle with antrum; ductus bursae behind ostium enlarged for a short distance, somewhat more strongly sclerotized, first half of ductus with some very small thorns, in second half one area with larger thorns, before corpus bursae an area with many very small thorns.

Life history: Unknown.

Etymology: Named after the country in which the new species was collected.

Remarks:

The new species is the third member of the genus in the Palaearctic. Superficially it is similar to all other members of the genus, but the shape of phallus differentiates it from islamella (TURATI, 1927) (recorded from Israel and Libya), from undosa (WALSINGHAM, 1908) (recorded from Canary islands) and from the other known African species. In female genitalia the enlarged first part of ductus bursae distuinguishes the new species from islamella and undosa .

Checklist of tineid moths, at present known from Mauretania, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

Figures

Fig. 8: Amphixystis maroccana sp. n.

Figs 40-41: Amphixystis maroccana, ♂: (40: anterior apophyses with antrum. - 41: last part of ductus bursae).