Conaspasia, Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David J. L., 2014

Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David J. L., 2014, Revision of African Neaspasia Diakonoff, 1989 and the related Conaspasia, n. gen. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), Zootaxa 3754 (2), pp. 117-132 : 127-128

Conaspasia , new genus

Type species: Niphadophylax albonigra Razowski & Wojtusiak, 2012 .

Description. Head and Thorax: As in Neaspasia . Abdomen: Male genitalia with socii well sclerotised, with row of strong spines on ventral edge; valva not strongly emarginate before cucullus, with one or two groups of strong spines on sacculus, cucullus spined in ventral part; phallus with internal folds, no cornuti. Female genitalia generally the same as in Neaspasia , but with two horn-shaped signa with broad bases, typical of that in numerous genera of Olethreutinae.

Diagnosis. Externally Conaspasia is closest to Neaspasia having a similar wing pattern, venation, and modifications of the hind wing and hind tibia in males. As in Neaspasia , there are abdominal depressions (dorsal pits) on tergum 2 in both sexes. In males the hind wings tend to be shorter than in females.

Systematic position. Neaspasia and Conaspasia are considered sister genera. In addition to the external similarity and the structure of the female genitalia, the shared abdominal pits provide evidence of their relationship. Accordingly Conaspasia n. gen. is placed in the Neopotamia group. Razowski & Wojtusiak (2012) considered Conaspasia sophrona ( Razowski & Wojtusiak, 2012) , comb. n., to belong to Neopotamiae.

Remarks. Razowski & Wojtusiak (2012) placed two of their new species, i.e., albonigra and sophrona , in Niphadophylax Diakonoff, 1992 , described from Madagascar ( Diakonoff 1992). However, both the female and male genitalia as described and figured by Diakonoff (1992) show that the three species placed here in Conaspasia are not congeneric with Niphadophylax hemicycla Diakonoff, 1992 , the type species.