Dichomeris paulianella ( Viette, 1955 ) Park & Koo & Minet, 2020

Park, Kyu-Tek, Koo, Jun-Mo & Minet, Joël, 2020, Review of the Malagasy lecithocerid species described by Pierre Viette and deposited in MNHN (Paris), with new generic combinations and descriptions of a new subfamily and genus of Momphidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea), Zootaxa 4845 (2), pp. 151-190 : 173-174

Dichomeris paulianella ( Viette, 1955) , comb. nov. (Dichomeridinae)

( Figs. 17 A–G)

Lecithocera paulianella Viette, 1955: 20 . TL: near Maroantsetra.

Type. 1♀ (holotype), North-East Madagascar, near Maroantsetra, Ambodivoangy forest, 23–27 iii 1952, P. Viette leg.; genitalia: prep. J. Minet no. 1665 .

Adults ( Figs. 17 A–D). Wingspan, 14 mm. Head yellowish white; antennae light brown. Labial palpus large, sickle-shaped, smooth-scaled (segment 2 without scale-tuft); segment 2 relatively thick, light yellowish grey outwards (paler inwards); segment 3 darker, partially blackish. Patagia yellowish white; tegulae and mesonotum dark brown; metanotum and dorsal surface of abdomen dark grey. Body yellowish white ventrally. Mid- and hindlegs yellowish white; forelegs brown outwards. Dorsal surface of forewing uniformly brown, with some yellowish iridescence and two ill-defined blackish dots (one in middle of cell, the other one on discocellulars). Hind wing dark grey dorsally. Both pairs of wings greyish ventrally. Abdominal segments ( Fig. 17G ) without spinose zones on dorsal surface; tergum II edged with thin lateral rods, its anterior edge bent mesally, markedly produced cephalad; sternum II without anterolateral processes, without distinct apodemes, but with venulae (in its anterior third) and a strongly arched, heavily pigmented ridge near its concave anterior ridge.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 17 E–F). Corpus bursae elongate, subovate, longer than ductus bursae and provided, in its central region, with a long, petiolate appendix bursae; an ovate, sclerotized and scobinate signum at the base of the appendix bursae. Just cephalad of the antrum, ductus bursae forming an excrescence from which arises the ductus seminalis ( Fig. 17F ). Apophyses anteriores about 1/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Papillae anales with a number of very long, thin bristles.

Distribution. Madagascar (East) ( Viette, 1955).

Remarks. “ Lecithocera ” paulianella clearly belongs to the Gelechiidae , as shown by its “radial” female retinaculum (a row of curved scales along the base of the upper edge of the discal cell: Fig. 17B ). We transfer it to the genus Dichomeris Hübner (Dichomeridinae) on account of its distinctive female genitalia, which have an elongate appendix bursae arising from the corpus bursae, near a distinct, scobinate signum ( Fig. 17E ). The antero-abdominal sternum, with venulae and without distinct apodemes, is also of the dichomeridine type ( Hodges, 1986 and [ 1998]).

A nomenclatural problem should nevertheless be noted: Viette ([1957]: 213) also used the name paulianella for another Dichomeris species (described from the Ankaratra massif) and the name of this species becomes a secondary homonym of Dichomeris paulianella ( Viette, 1955) . Although Dichomeris paulianella Viette, [1957] clearly belongs to the Dichomeridinae and seems to be a genuine Dichomeris , proposing a replacement name for this species is outside the scope of the present study.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Dichomeris paulianella (Viette, 1955), comb. nov.: A, holotype; B, retinaculum beneath forewing; C. Lateral view of head; D, labels; E, female genitalia, prep. J. Minet no. 1665; F, ditto, posterior part of ductus bursae and base of ductus seminalis; G, abdomen. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.