Leucinodes pseudorbonalis, Mally, Richard, Korycinska, Anastasia, Agassiz, David J. L., Hall, Jayne, Hodgetts, Jennifer & Nuss, Matthias, 2015

Mally, Richard, Korycinska, Anastasia, Agassiz, David J. L., Hall, Jayne, Hodgetts, Jennifer & Nuss, Matthias, 2015, Discovery of an unknown diversity of Leucinodes species damaging Solanaceae fruits in sub-Saharan Africa and moving in trade (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea), ZooKeys 472, pp. 117-162 : 129-131

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Crambidae

Leucinodes pseudorbonalis sp. n. Figs 4, 17, 26, 33

Type-locality.

Angola, Huambo Province, Luimbale, Mt Moco, 1800-1900 m, 12°28'S, 15°10'S, 18 March 1934, K. Jordan leg.

Material examined.

Type-specimen. Holotype ♂ [red-circled label] "Holo- | type", "Mt. Moco, | Luimbale, | 1800 - 1900m., | 18 March 1934.", "Angola | (Dr K. Jordan)", "Rothschild | Bequest | 1939-1.", BM Pyralidae slide 23135 (BMNH). - Additional material.SENEGAL. 1♂ Dakar, 01.viii.1952, leg. A. Villiers (BMNH); UGANDA. 1♂ Masindi, 29.xii.1897, leg. Ansorge, BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 23125 (BMNH); 1♂ Labonga, Unyoro, 13.xii.1897, leg. Ansorge, BMBH Pyralidae slide No. 23126 (BMNH); 1♂ Nabagulo Forest, 15 m from Kampala, 25.x.-06.xi.1921, leg. W. Feather, BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 23145 (BMNH); 1♂, Ruwenzori Range, Ibanda, 4,700ft, 4.-12.ix.1952, leg. D.S. Fletcher, BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 23146 (BMNH); 1♂ Masindi, 30.x.1897, leg. Ansorge, prep. RM707 (BMNH); 2♂ Kampala, 1897, leg. Dr. Ansorge, BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 23149, prep. RM705 (BMNH); 1♀ same data, prep. RM706 (BMNH); THE NETHERLANDS (IMPORT): 1♀ Barendrecht, import Uganda, 26.ii.2014, leg. Sluijs, on Solanum melongena , prep. RM758 (NPPO); GREAT BRITAIN (IMPORT). see Suppl. material 2.

Diagnosis.

Frons is moderately to strongly bulged; Wing pattern indistinguishable from those of Leucinodes orbonalis , Leucinodes africensis , Leucinodes rimavallis , Leucinodes kenyensis and " Leucinodes spp.", but distinguished from Leucinodes malawiensis by the absence of the forewing basal transversal streak and the presence of the apical half moon-shaped patch, and from Leucinodes laisalis , Leucinodes ethiopica and Leucinodes ugandensis by the predominantly white forewing ground colour. In male genitalia the prominent dorsad fibula and the fibula-like sacculus process are roughly of same size and run parallel or cross each other (as in Leucinodes orbonalis , fibula and fibula-like sacculus process very small in Leucinodes ugandensis ). Very similar to male genitalia of Leucinodes orbonalis , but valva tips slimmer and more acute, juxta with larger hemicircular base, elongated saccus tip and more prominent oval sclerite at posterior phallus apodeme. In female genitalia discriminated by the globular, posteriorly somewhat constricted antrum with a longitudinal, sclerotized exocuticular strip bearing transversal ridges (as in Leucinodes africensis ).

Description of adults.

Head. As for the genus, with frons moderately to strongly bulged.

Thorax. As for the genus, with dorsal side whitish.

Wings. Forewing length ♂ 7.0-8.5 mm, ♀9.0-11.0 mm; wing pattern as in Leucinodes orbonalis .

Abdomen. First segment whitish, remainder orange-brown.

Male genitalia. As for the genus, apart from: juxta oval to rectangular; valvae roughly rhombic; sacculus process claw-shaped, extending dorsad, parallel to or crossing with fibula; fibula slightly curved, spine-like, extending dorsad; posteriodorsal phallus apodeme with a small oval or semicircular sclerite, posterioventral apodeme with simple rodlike process.

Female genitalia. As for the genus, apart from: anterior antrum shortly coiled in coronal plane, with the exoculticle exhibiting a longitudinal sclerotized strip bearing transverse ridges (Fig. 33); sternite 8 intruding into the posteriorly somewhat constricted antrum, giving it a globular appearence.

Immature stages.

Larva. Only one specimen available, examined live. Black spots present on dorsal pinacula; in the final instar, MSD1 and MSD2 on a shared pinaculum on both meso- and metathorax; crochets mesally triordinal.

Etymology.

Composition of greek pseud(o) ‘false’ and orbonalis, meaning 'false orbonalis’, referring to the similarities in external and male genital characters with Leucinodes orbonalis .

Distribution.

Angola, Senegal, Uganda.

Foodplants.

Solanaceae : Solanum aethiopicum L., Solanum melongena L.

Remarks.

We found this species among material from Senegal, Uganda and Angola, leaving a considerable distribution gap in Central Africa.

Recently, several interceptions of larvae in solanaceous fruits imported from Uganda have been recorded in England (own observation) and the Netherlands (Marja van der Straten, pers. comm.). Leucinodes pseudorbonalis is one of the three African Leucinodes species intercepted at European ports of entry.