Coleophora arefactella Staudinger, 1859

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 : 154

Coleophora arefactella Staudinger, 1859

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ABV9529

Figs. 32, 54

Material studied. 11 ♂ Middle Atlas, Ifrane Prov. , Azrou 2.5 km NW, 1215 m, 17.IV.2015, J. Tabell leg.; 2 ♂ Ifrane Prov. , Azrou 3 km NNW, 1210 m, 14.V.2016, J. Tabell leg.; 3 ♂ (DNA sample 27452 Lepid Phyl [barcoding failed]), 1♀ (GP 5797 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25788 Lepid Phyl) same collecting data, but 16.V.2016 (all coll. TAB); 1♀ (GP 13017 ZT) Rissani 15 km W, 800 m, 16.IV.2013, Z. Tokár leg. (coll. TOK) .

A series of both sexes enables us to describe the female genitalia.

Molecular data. The nearest neighbour is a Nearctic so far unnamed Coleophora species, with a 5.66 % divergence. The barcodes of C. arefactella exhibit 0.31 % maximum intraspecific variation (n=2).

Abdominal structures. Sternal bar long, well sclerotized. Tergal latero-posterior bar arched, 0.4x as long as anterior one. Transverse bar slightly curved, narrow, parallel-sided, both edges sclerotized. Tergal sclerite about 2x as long as wide, covered with about 60 conical spines (on T3).

Female genitalia. Papilla analis oval, covered with long bristles. Anterior apophysis as long as sterigma, curved posteriorly, posterior apophysis almost 2x as long as anterior one. Sterigma transversely trapezoidal, 1.7x as wide as long, distal third covered with short bristles, proximal margin convex, medial excavation broad and deep, sack-shaped. Ostium U-shaped, situated at 1/3 on sterigma. Colliculum chaliced, posterior part strongly sclerotized, crescent-shaped, anterior part membranous, narrow, with a sclerotized median band. Ductus bursae membranous, almost parallel-sided; spinose section short, with two short laminas; posterior section densely covered with small granules. Corpus bursae oval, signum cross-shaped, very small, strongly sclerotized.

Distribution. Spain, Morocco. Reported for the first time from Morocco and Africa by Baldizzone (1997).