Ptilothyris crossoceros Meyrick, 1934

Park, Kyu-Tek, Mey, Wolfram, Koo, Jun-Mo, Prins, Jurate De & Cho, Soowon, 2019, Revision of the genus Ptilothyris Walsingham, 1897 (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Lecithoceridae), with descriptions of eight new species from Africa, Zootaxa 4567 (2), pp. 201-235 : 224-227

13. Ptilothyris crossoceros Meyrick, 1934

( Figs. 16 A–G)

Ptilothyris crossoceros Meyrick, 1934: 452 . TL: Tanzania. [NHMW]

Diagnosis. Male ( Figs. 16 A–C). Forewing length 12 mm. Ptilothyris crossoceros can be distinguished from other known species of the genus by the color pattern of both wings and the dorsally pale orange antenna: forewing with a more or less triangular pale orange patch medially on inner margin; hind wing fuscous, with large, deep orange in basal half, occupying from basal 1/5 to 3/5 above anal veins; the basal plate of gnathos in male genitalia convex caudally and not trifurcate.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 16 D–G). Uncus slightly convex on caudal margin. Basal plate of gnathos strongly convex on caudal margin, forming a large, fan-shaped plate and much more exceeding the apex of uncus caudally. Valva slightly convex basally along costa, ventral margin nearly straight; cucullus elongate, with nearly straight costal margin, outer margin oblique; apex rounded. Juxta ventral plate rather short; dorsal plate banded with triangular ends laterally; a vertical flap on ventral surface near base. Vinculum banded, narrow, heavily sclerotized. Phallus slender, much shorter than valva; cornutus absent or fallen away.

Material examined. [ NHMW]: 1♂ (lectotype hereby designated), Tanzania, Tanganyika-See, N. W. Ufer , 1900–2100 m, ii ‘[19]10, Grauer, Ptilothyris crossoceros Meyr. , det. Meyrick ; 1♂ (paralectotype), data same as lectotype. [ RMCA] : 1♂ (paralectotype), DR Congo, N. Kiru, Ngresho , ix 1937, G. Ghesquière, gen. slide no. CIS- 7104 .

Distribution. DR Congo, Tanzania.

Remarks. The species was described based on the three males collected from Tanzania. Two of them are deposited in NHMW, and the third male specimen collected from DR Congo is preserved in RMCA. The male type in RMCA was dissected and the genitalia are illustrated here.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Ptilothyris crossoceros Meyrick. A, Lectotype, male, in NHMW; B, Labels of lectotype; C, Dorsal view of head; D, Male genitalia, gen. slide no. CIS-7104, paralectotype; E, Phallus; F, Uncus and juxta; G, Apical part of phallus.