Lecithocera soniana Park, 2024

Park, Kyu-Tek, Yu, Tae-Uk & Jeong, Su-Yeon, 2024, The genus Lecithocera (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae: Lecithocerinae) in Kenya and Tanzania, with descriptions of six new species, Zootaxa 5538 (6), pp. 575-588 : 579

Lecithocera soniana Park , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C2FAC4B7-C956-4875-9ED5-CD22205209F7

( Figs 3 , 12 )

Type specimen. Holotype female, Tanzania, West Usambaras , Soni 3000 ft, 4 viii 2000, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, gen. slide no. CIS-7566, in NHMUK . Paratype: 1♀, same collected data as holotype, gen. slide CIS-7575, in NHMUK .

Diagnosis. The new species is superficially similar to the preceding new species, L. grisella sp. nov., but it can be distinguished by the more bronze-yellowish brown forewing ground colour and the female genitalia characters: antrum cup-shaped, not triangular as in L. grisella sp. nov., and the signum smaller with much stronger spines as illustrated in Fig. 11 .

Description. Female ( Figs 3, 3a, b ). Wingspan 14.0 mm.

Head: vertex yellowish brown, with greyish-orange erect scales laterally. Antenna slightly as long as forewing; scape elongated; flagellum grayish orange, with dark-brown annulations. Second palpomere thickened, sabershaped, dark brown in basal 4/5 and yellowish orange beyond on the outer surface; 3rd palpomere shorter than 2nd, yellowish orange irregularly scattered with dark-brown scales laterally, dark-brown ventrally.

Thorax: notum and tegula dark brown. Forewing ground colour mustard brown uniformly, without distinct markings; apex rounded; termen slightly oblique; fringe with narrow, orange-white basal line, followed by broad, dark-brown band and greyish brown beyond half. Hind wing pale greyish brown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ): ostium bursae wide, nearly flat. Antrum large, cup-shaped. Ductus bursae narrowed in distal 2/5 and much broadened medially, densely wrinkled; ductus seminalis arising from middle. Corpus bursae semi-ovate, shorter than ductus bursae; signum broadened, with somewhat strong conical spines.

Male unknown.

Distribution. Tanzania (North: West Usambaras).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the “ Soni” which is the name of a waterfall in the Usambara Mountains of N. Tanzania.

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Adults of Lecithocera: 1, L. kitulangaroensis Park, sp. nov. (male, holotype); 1a, head, dorsal view; 1b, labial palpus; 2, L. grisella Park, sp. nov. (male, holotype): 2a, Head, dorsal view; 2b, labial palpus; 3. L. soniana Park, sp. nov. (female, holotype): 3a, head, dorsal view; 3b, labial palpus.

FIGURES 11–13. Female genitalia: 11, Lecithocera grisella Park, sp. nov. (paratype, gen. slide no.CIS-7567) with close-up signum. 12, L. soniana Park, sp. nov. (holotype, gen. slide no. CIS-7566) with close-up signum. 13, L. majorella Park, sp. nov. (gen. slide no. CIS-7608) with close-up signum. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.