Elophila acornutus, Published, 2012

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 17-19

Elophila acornutus sp. n.

Type locality: Uganda, Kampala.

Imago (Fig. 21): Wingspan ♂ 12–14mm, ♀ 15–17mm. Head pale fuscous; labial palpus short, segment 2 clothed with long pale fuscous scales, segment 3 very short and pointed; maxillary palpus slender, almost as long as labial palpus; antenna dull ochreous, darker scales on joints. Thorax pale fuscous. Forewing chiefly fuscous; a whitish subbasal cross line; ground colour becoming darker before broad median fascia whitish irrorate fulvous, dark fuscous beyond; an irregular whitish subterminal line; termen dull orange. Hindwing basal area dark fuscous; a broad whitish median fascia, becoming fuscous towards costa; termen dull orange. Specimens from Sudan are paler.

Male genitalia (Fig. 94): Uncus broad, sides parallel for much of their length; gnathos slender, 2/3 length of uncus, about 4 spines near apex on dorsal surface; valva with costa and dorsum nearly straight, slightly diverging, a pad bearing setae near base; anellus with short spines. Aedeagus (Fig. 94a) slender, apical third wider, without cornutus, scobinate around tip.

Sternum 8 (Fig. 94c) with a pair of rounded sclerotised projections, separated by a U-shaped incision.

Female genitalia (Fig. 143): Ostium wide, ostial chamber conical, slightly scobinate; antrum sclerotised, long and slender; corpus bursae a small membranous sac without signum.

Tympanal organs: Venulae arising near edge of 7th segment, waisted but then outwardly curved towards tympanal organs; bulla tympani pronounced; tympanum broad.

Diagnosis: Differs from E. africalis in the smoother appearance of the forewing, the conspicuous angulate outer edge of median fascia; in the male genitalia in the broad uncus and lack of cornuti in the aedeagus.

Derivation: From the absence of cornuti in the aedeagus.

Biology: Unknown. Adult recorded in i, ii, iv, v.

Distribution: Sudan, Uganda, D.R. Congo.

Material examined: Holotype ♂ “ KENYA (sic): Kampala C.G.M. de Worms, BMNH Pyralidae slide No.12347. 2 paratypes: ♂ SUDAN: White Nile ( BMNH) inc. BMNH Pyralidae slide No. 16744.

1♂, 1♀, both without abdomen, White Nile, 09º N and 7º 40' N ( OUM) ; 1♂ D.R. CONGO: Kivu, Riv. Bishakishai Kamatembe, 2100m, 11♀ 22.iv.1934, G.F. de Witte., slide No. DJLA 3001 ( MRAC) , UGANDA: 1♂ 1♀ without abdomen Ruwenzori range ( BMNH) , 3♀ Malamigambo Forest ( DJLA), including slide No. DJLA 1129, 1♀ Malamigambo Forest ( AJK) .

Elophila africalis ( Hampson, 1906)

Parthenodes africalis Hampson, 1906: 470 .

Type locality: Malawi: Chiromo .

Imago (Figs. 18, 19, 20): Wingspan ♂ 12–16mm, ♀ 16–22mm. Head whitish; labial palpus short, second segment with a tuft of mixed fuscous scales beneath, terminal segment short and blunt; proboscis obsolete; antenna pale fuscous. Thorax white mixed fuscous. Forewing ground colour dull orange-brown; an indistinct whitish subbasal fascia; a narrow obscure whitish median fascia interrupted by a blackish discal spot; narrow postmedian and subterminal fasciae which are irregular, whitish mixed fuscous; termen dull orange, fine fuscous lines at base and tip of terminal cilia. Hindwing base dull orange; fuscous scaling before whitish median fascia, wider towards costa and including diffuse ochreous discal spot; postmedian area dull orange with a scattering of dark fuscous scales and containing a narrow whitish subterminal fascia; cilia as forewing. Abdomen whitish ochreous.

Variation: in some specimens the orange coloration is replaced by blackish throughout. The female is generally less brightly coloured, being predominantly orange-fuscous. Specimens from West Africa are often very pale in colour.

Male genitalia (Fig. 93): Uncus broad, tapered; gnathos ¾ length of uncus, narrowed centrally, apex much broadened, a series of about ten teeth on dorsal surface extending from apex almost to halfway; valva with sides nearly straight, diverging slightly to a rounded termen, numerous long setae in apical area and a pad bearing setae near base; juxta with a short row of spines in each side. Aedeagus (Fig. 93a) stout towards apex, two cornuti in vesica, one arising from a twisted sclerotised plate. Sternum 8 (Fig. 93c) with a pair of pointed processes separated by a U-shaped excavation.

Female genitalia (Figs. 144a–c): Ostium wide, almost half width of abdomen; ductus short and broad leading almost immediately into corpus bursae; this has a sclerotised plate around the dorsal side of the corpus extending about half of its length; signa comprising a large sclerotised patch bearing spines. There is considerable variation, the number of these spines varies from just a few in Sierra Leone (Fig. 144a) to many in central Africa (Fig. 144b) and then none in south central Africa (Fig. 144c).

Tympanal organs: Venulae wide and divergent posteriorly; tympanum almost square with rounded corners.

Diagnosis: Differs from other African Elophila spp. in the comparatively even ground colour of the wings, in the male genitalia by the cornutus in the aedeagus and the pointed octavals on sternite 8 and in the broad ostium of the female genitalia.

Biology: Larva recorded from Azolla on which it can be a pest ( Alam, 1987), in a case on Vossia procera ( Ghesquière, 1942) . Probably feeds on a number of aquatic plants. Adults have been taken in February and every month from April to November; this implies that the species is likely to be continuously brooded.

Distribution: Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Sierra Leone, Côte D’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda; Madagascar.

Material examined: Lectotype hereby designated, the specimen cited by Hampson from Malawi bearing labels: 1, a purple-circled lectotype label: Nyasaland | v. viii .99| Col & Pres by| E.M. de Jersey and Pamego | below Chiromo.

ZAMBIA: 8 ♂, 4♀ Lialui ( BMNH) , 6♂ 4♀ Jeki ( AJK) ; ZIMBABWE: 2♀ Harare ( BMNH) , 6 ♂, 7♀ Malema ( DJLA) , 1♀ Katombora rapids ( NMB) ; BOTSWANA: 1♀ Maun ( BMNH) ; ANGOLA: 1♀ Rocada ; MOZAMBIQUE: 1♀ Sarra Rotanda, E. of Chimanimani ( NMB) , 3♀ Salon River, 25m SW of Mariomeu ( NMB) , 1♀ 1♂ Magude ( TMP) ; BOTSWANA: 4♀ Savuti Channel , W. Chobe National Park ( NMB) ; SOUTH AFRICA: 1♀ Nduma, Nat. ( TMP) ; NAMIBIA: 1♀ Kapako Camp, Okavango ( TMP) , 1♂ Bangani Camp ( TMP) ; UGANDA: 3♂ 11♀ Malamigambo Forest ( DJLA) , 6♀ ( AJK) ; SIERRA LEONE:, 5♀, 1♂ Bo 1♀ bred Azolla ( BMNH) ; NIGERIA: 1♀ Ibadan , 1♀ Zaria , 8♀ Sapele , 11♀ Warri , 3♀ Lokoja , 2♀ R. Niger , 4♀ Ogruga , 1 ♂ 1♀ Lagos ( BMNH) ; SENEGAL: 7♀ Sédhiou ( BMNH) ; GHANA: 2♀ Bibianasha , 3♀ bred Pistia Accra ( BMNH) ; NIGER : 1♂ Foucados ( BMNH) ; BENIN: 1♂ 1♀ Calavi ( BMNH) , 1♂ 1♀ Melanville ( KVNM) ; CÔTE D’IVOIRE: 1♂ Dabou ( KVNM) , 1♀ ( MNHNP) ; CAMEROON: 1♀ ( BMNH) ; D.R. CONGO: 1 ♂, 3♀ ( BMNH) 27♀ ( MRAC) ; UGANDA: 1♀ Jinja , 1♀ Rwenzori ( BMNH) , 3♂ 11♀ Malamigambo For. ( DJLA) ; KENYA: 1♀ Arabuko-Sokoke For. ( KVNM) ; ZAMBIA: 8♂, 4♀ Lialui ( BMNH) ; TANZANIA: 2 ♂ Usa River ( DJLA) .

. Remarks: The pale West African form was misidentified by Ghesquière (1942) as the Far Eastern species turbata (Butler) to which it bears a strong superficial resemblance.