Yponomeuta hemileuca Meyrick, 1932

Agassiz, David J. L., 2019, The Yponomeutidae of the Afrotropical region (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea), Zootaxa 4600 (1), pp. 1-69 : 20

19. Yponomeuta hemileuca Meyrick, 1932

Hyponomeuta hemileuca Meyrick, 1932: 346

Type locality: Uganda, Busana .

Redescription of adult ( Plate 3). Wingspan 14–21 mm. Head white, labial palpus slender, black but whitish on joints, segment 3 slightly longer than segment 2; scape white distally black, flagellum pale grey. Thorax white with two black dots, tegula white with one black spot. Forewing white in dorsal half, pale grey in costal half, three longitudinal rows of black spots, 4–6 subcostal, 5–7 along fold and 5–7 subdorsally, terminal fringe pale grey. Hindwing pale grey, a basal hyaline patch. Abdomen and legs pale grey.

Male genitalia ( Plate 11 ). Socius simple and digitate but with bent lateral arms with irregular apex; valva with costa concave towards apex, dorsum evenly curved; saccus simple, about half length of valva. Aedeagus long and slender, about twice length of valva, a pair of very weak cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Plate 21 ). Lamella postvaginalis much extended into a pair of lobes with a deep gully between them, antrum straight but weakly sclerotised, ductus long and narrow, corpus bursae.

Diagnosis. The contrast between the grey costal half of the forewing and the much paler dorsal half distinguishes this from all other species.

Biology. The species has been reared from Gymnospermum senegalensis , adults taken in March April, October and December.

Distribution. Uganda, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana.

Type material. Lectotype ♂ J.F.G.Clarke 7530 + 6 paralectotypes, 4 ♂ 2 ♀ Busana , Uganda, inc. 28367 & 28368 22–25.iv.1932 G.L.R. Hancock ( NHMUK).

Other material examined: UGANDA: 1 without abdomen Masindi, 28.xii.1917 Dr Ansorge; 1 without abdomen Serere 2.iii.1960 M. Ecodu ex G. senegalensis ; 1 ♂ 2 ♀ Kibale National Park, Biol Field Station , 19–24.xi.2014, LF leg. W. Mey ( MfN) ; 1 ♂ NIGERIA: N. Nigeria, Zariam Samaru 23.x.1972 J.C. Deeming ; GHANA: 1 ♀ Gold Coast, N. Territ. Kete-Drachi, A.W. Cardinell 1925 ; CAMEROON: 1 ♀ North Province, Fac riverside 289 m 8°16’S 12°49’E 3.xii.2003 J De Prins MRAC ENT 000006428 ( MRAC) .

Figures

PLATE 11.

PLATE 21.