Coleophora afrodianthi Tabell, 2023

Tabell, Jukka, Kullberg, Jaakko, Mutanen, Marko, Tokár, Zdenko & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2023, New and little known Coleophora Hübner, 1822 species from Morocco. Part I (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae), Zootaxa 5374 (2), pp. 151-195 : 174-175

Coleophora afrodianthi Tabell , sp. nov.

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ABX5909

Figs. 16, 17, 29, 51, 52, 62

Type material. Holotype ♂ (GP 5718 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25638 Lepid Phyl): Morocco, Al Haouz Prov., Imlil, 1680 m, [31.1429 N 7.9222 W] 30.VI.2016, J. Tabell leg. http://id.luomus.fi/GBT.23 (coll. MZH) . Paratypes: 2 ♀ (GP 5713 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25639 Lepid Phyl), same collecting data as holotype; 2 ♂ (GP 5452 J. Tabell, DNA sample 24537 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample 24536 Lepid Phyl) Morocco, Middle Atlas, Ifrane Prov. , Azrou 2.5 km NW, 1215 m, 17.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg. (all coll. TAB); 1 ♂ Morocco, Meknès-Tafilalet, Azrou , 33°28´14´´: -5°14´43´´, 1260 m, 4.V.2011, J. & A. Kullberg leg. (coll. MZH) .

Diagnosis. Externally C. afrodianthi is similar to many Coleophora species, which share the same wing pattern, and the study of genitalia is indispensable for correct identification. The genitalia resemble especially those of C. dianthi Herrich-Schäffer, [1855] and C. grotenfelti Tabell & Kosorín, 2020. In the male genitalia, the main distinguishing characters are the shape of sacculus and phallotheca rods. In C. afrodianthi , the ventrocaudal angle of sacculus is without a protuberance, or it is small, pointing downwards (in C. dianthi the protuberance is markedly longer, pointing sideways), lateral margin of sacculus is slightly convex (straight or slightly concave in C. dianthi and C. grotenfelti), and both phallotheca rods are armed with teeth (untoothed in C. grotenfelti). The female genitalia are similar to those of C. dianthi , but the sterigma is slightly shorter and the colliculum is markedly shorter.

Molecular data. Four specimens were sequenced successfully, resulting in 658 bp barcodes. The nearest neighbour to C. afrodianthi is C. dianthi , with a 2.18 % divergence. The barcodes of C. afrodianthi exhibit 1.24 % maximum intraspecific variation.

Description. Adult. Wingspan 14–17 mm. Antenna white, annulated with brown. Scape dirty white, not tufted. Labial palp pale brown mixed with white, second article 3x as long as third article, third article short. Head and thorax pale brown mixed with white. Forewing mottled, pale brown with scattered blackish brown scales and white distinct stripes along main veins. Costal and dorsal fringe cilia pale brown, apically paler. Hindwing pale grey, fringe cilia pale brown, apically paler. Abdomen light grey, slightly lustrous. Female paler.

Abdominal structures. Sternal bar thick, no tergal latero-posterior bar. Transverse bar slightly curved, proximal edge with a crescent-shaped sclerotization, distal edge formed of two crescent-shaped sclerotized bands. Tergal sclerite 4–5x as long as wide, covered with 30–40 conical spines (on T3).

Male genitalia. Gnathos knob oval. Tegumen constricted medially, reinforced by a sclerotized ”Y”, pedunculum broad, crescent-shaped. Transtilla narrow, wedge-shaped. Valvula broader than cucullus, ventral margin evenly rounded. Cucullus elongate, club-shaped, slightly tapered basally. Sacculus rectangular, well sclerotized; ventrocaudal angle without a protuberance, or the appendage is small, pointing downwards; lateral margin slightly convex; dorsocaudal angle with a large curved, horn-shaped protuberance. Phallotheca with two narrow, parallel-sided sclerotized rods of slightly different length; shorter rod with one apical triangular tooth, longer rod with two apical teeth. Vesica with 2–3 spiniform cornuti of different length, grouped into a tight bundle.

Female genitalia. Papilla analis oval, narrow, covered with bristles of different length. Anterior apophysis as long as sterigma, posterior apophysis 2.2x as long as anterior one. Sterigma as wide as long, distally slightly tapered, proximal margin straight, distal margin rounded, densely covered with short bristles, medial excavation wide and deep. Ostium broadly U-shaped, situated at lower half on sterigma. Upper half of colliculum bowl-shaped, sclerotized, lower half membranous, strongly bulged unilaterally. Antrum sclerotized, broad. Ductus bursae membranous, expanded towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae ovoid, with a leaf-shaped signum with round base and stub thorn.

Biology. Early stages remain unknown. In Azrou few bushes of a robust Dianthus sp. grow on the collecting locality, which is a probable host plant of the new species.

Distribution. Morocco.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to an African species close to C. dianthi .