Afroarabiella sulaki, Yakovlev & Witt, 2016

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Witt, Thomas J., 2016, Two new species of Afroarabiella Yakovlev, 2008 (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from Sudan and Ethiopia, European Journal of Taxonomy 240, pp. 1-8 : 3-4

Afroarabiella sulaki sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B4ACF01C-2639-4A5E-A9B8-7B296CCFEBAB

Figs 10, 12 , 14 , 16.

Diagnosis

By external characters Afroarabiella sulaki sp. nov. can be confused with A. tahamae , but differs from it by the following features: the grey costal margin of the fore wing, the longer transtilla process, the long needle-like cornutus and the phallus smoothly curved in its basal third.

Etymology

The new species is named after the German lepidopterist Harald Sulak (Munich).

Material examined

Holotype SUDAN: ♂, env. SE Bahr al Azraq , Wad Madini, 540 m, 14º25.069 N, 33º37.553 E, 28 Mar. 2010, leg. Harald Sulak (Museum Witt, Munich; GenPr Heterocera MWM 25.289 ).

Paratype SUDAN: 1 ♂, Province of Nahr on the Nile, 390 m, 16º25.189 N, 33º14.575 E, 20 Mar. 2010, leg. Harald Sulak (Museum Witt, Munich).

Description

Male

EXTERNAL CHARACTERS. Length of fore wing 11 mm, wingspan 22 mm. Front and patagia ochre-brown. Antennae bipectinate. Thorax grey. Abdomen pale yellow. Fore wing wide with rounded apex; pattern of thin undulated transverse lines; costal margin of wing grey, pale yellow portion in discal area; dim pale brown fields with blurry outline in post-discal area; hind margin of wing, submarginal and marginal areas greyish-brown; marginal band thin (0.5 mm), pale yellow with even edges; fringe pale brown, unicolorous. Hind wing pale yellow with poorly expressed pattern of rare grey strokes; fringe pale yellow.

MALE GENITALIA. Uncus long, edges almost parallel, apex rounded; gnathos arms rather thick, of middle length; gnathos poorly sclerotized, covered with small spines; valve with wide base, gradually tapering caudally, with wide rounded poorly sclerotized apex; area of expressed sclerotization on costal margin of valve from base to middle; transtilla process hook-likely bent, thin, with wide base and tapered apex; juxta large, saddle-lake, with two lateral processes; lateral process of juxta large, elongated, edges parallel, apex rounded; saccus of middle size, semicircular; phallus slightly shorter than valve, with thick base and strong caudal tapering (apex tapered), slightly curved in basal third; vesica aperture in dorsal-apical position, in length about ¼ of phallus; vesica with long needle-like cornutus, located along phallus axis.

Female

Unknown.

Remarks

The paratype is a little smaller. Length of fore wing 10 mm.

Distribution

Sudan (Provinces Al Jazirah and Nahr an Nil).

Flight period

March.

Figures

Figs 12-13. Afroarabiella species (male genitalia). 12. A. sulaki sp. nov., male genitalia. 13. A. strohlei sp. nov., male genitalia .

Figs 14-15. Afroarabiella species (type localities). 14. A. sulaki sp. nov., type locality (photo by H. Sulak). 15. A. strohlei sp. nov., type locality (photo by M. Ströhle).