Coccophila, Bartsch, Daniel, 2015

Bartsch, Daniel, 2015, New taxa of southern African Sesiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), Zootaxa 3956 (3), pp. 428-436 : 431-433

Coccophila , new gen.

Type species: Aegeria pythes Druce, 1899 , designated here.

Description ( Figs. 8–11 , 14 , 16 ). Head: Haustellum well developed and likely functional; labial palpus long and straight, scales short, rough, second palpomere twice the length of other ones; frons about 1.5× the diameter of an eye, frons and vertex rough, the latter mixed with hair-like scales; antenna clavate, entire surface covered with closely fitting ciliae ( Fig. 14 ). Thorax: Scaling dorsally rough, mixed with hair-like scales, ventrally smooth; legs strong and rather short, smooth, femora ventrally with hair-like scales; tibiae dorsally with raised scales, hind tibia internally with a long tuft of pale, hair-like, apparently androconial scales; all pairs of spurs long, outer ones half as long as inner ones. Forewings opaque, hindwings hyaline, anal area narrow; forewing ( Fig. 16 ) with R4 and R5 stalked, hindwing with M3 and CuA1 from a common stalk, CuA2 arising near cell tornus. Abdomen: Vestiture dorsally rough, mixed with hair-like scales, ventrally smooth, second and third abdominal tergite dorso-laterally with strongly or moderately raised scales; anal tuft well developed, laterally flattened. Male genitalia ( Fig. 12 ) with tegumen narrow; gnathos small, forming two short, down curved hooks, which are connected by a narrow transverse ridge; uncus narrow, straight, somewhat bilobed, ventro-laterally densely covered with long, thorn-like, proximad pointing setae, flexibly linked with tegumen; valva broad, rectangular, with strong protrusion dorsodistally, inner surface without crista, medially to ventro-distally covered with long, thorn-like, proximad pointing setae, ventral and distal margin covered with bristle-like setae; juxta narrow, posteriorly projected; vinculum with processes vinculi, fused with tegumen, saccus rather short; manica with numerous minute spines; phallus slender, almost straight, about as long as valva with well developed coecum penis; vesica densely covered with long spines. Female genitalia ( Fig. 13 ) with papillae anales and segment eight narrow, lamella postvaginalis triangular; apophyses long, posterior pair nearly one third longer than anterior one; ostium bursae wide, membranous, located intermediary between segment seven and eight; antrum cup-like, with sclerotized ring; ductus bursae long, membranous with longitudinal folds; bursa copulatrix clearly separated, round, with small, oval signum.

Diagnosis. The genus can be defined by: (1) proboscis well developed; (2) antenna clavate, without rami, entirely covered with appressed ciliae; (3) wing venation with common stalk of forewing veins R4 and R5, and hindwing veins CuA1 and M3 from common point; (4) valva dorso-distally with uniquely strong protrusion.

Coccophila pythes is very similar to species of Hagnogyna ( Sesiini ) and Homogyna (Osminiini) in size and proportions. Diagnostic is the hindwing vein CuA1, which has a common origin with vein M3 from the cell tornus in Coccophila , a short common stalk with M 3 in Hagnogyna, and arises well proximal of the cross vein in Homogyna . Species of Hagnogyna differ further by the presence of distinct rami of the male antenna. Most characteristic are the genitalia. In the males the uncus is short and broad in Hagnogyna, reduced with two ventrolateral protrusions in Homogyna , and medium long and rather narrow in Coccophila . The valva is short, basally very broad, distally narrower with dorso-distally located dense patch of setae in Hagnogyna; triangular, distally distinctly broader than proximally and entirely covered with setae in Homogyna ; rectangular with a dorso-distal protrusion in Coccophila . The setae of the uncus and valva are bifurcate in Hagnogyna, simple or short bifurcate in Homogyna , and thorn-like in Coccophila . The female genitalia have the eighth segment and the papillae anales short and broad with a reduced lamella postvaginalis in Hagnogyna, very long and narrow with the papillae anales small and strongly pointed and the lamella postvaginalis well developed in Homogyna , and of average size with the papillae anales somewhat pointed and the lamella postvaginalis well developed in Coccophila . The bursa copulatrix is ovoid, without a signum in Hagnogyna and Homogyna , whereas it is round with a small oval signum in Coccophila (compare Gorbunov & Arita 1998, Bartsch 2013).

Some similarities in the structure of the male genitalia can be recognized between Coccophila and the Madagascan genus Madasphecia Viette, 1982 . In particular, the shape of the uncus; the broad, angular, ventrodistally pointed valva; the form and arrangement of the setae of uncus and valva; the short saccus; and the covering of the vesica with numerous fine spines (compare Bartsch 2009). However, there are distinct differences, such as the flat, appressed ciliae of the male antenna (erect in Madasphecia ); the shape of the gnathos with two short, down-curved hooks (tongue-like in Madasphecia ); the narrower uncus lobes; and the trapezoidal, rather than rectangular valva.

Distribution. Currently, only a single species is known, which occurs in the eastern half of southern Africa and in Zimbabwe.

Etymology. From the ancient Greek terms “Kokkos” (= berry) and “philein” (= to like), gender is feminine.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Scanning electron micrograph of antenna of Coccophila pythes (Druce, 1899). Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 8 – 13. Specimens and genitalia structures of Coccophila pythes (Druce, 1899). 8. Adult female holotype. 9. Adult female, South Africa, the Haven, Transkei. 10 – 11. Adult male, same data. 12. Male genitalia, South Africa, the Haven, Transkei. 13. Female genitalia, Pretoria, Willows.

FIGURES 15 – 16. Wing venation. 15. Microsesia nana, new sp. 16. Coccophila pythes (Druce, 1899).