Acrocercops gossypii Vári, 1961

Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2023, New species, new country distribution records, and a new generic combination of Afrotropical Acrocercopinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 5285 (1), pp. 75-115 : 79-81

Acrocercops gossypii Vári, 1961

( Figs 3A–F )

Acrocercops gossypii ; Vári 1961: 158–159; pl. 17, fig. 6; pl. 35, fig. 5; pl. 62, fig. 5; pl. 99, fig. 1.

Material examined. 1♁, Cameroon, North Province, Faro riverside, 289 m, 08°23’N 012°49’E, 06.xii.2003, leg. J. De Prins. Gen. prep. VS563, in coll. RBINS .

Diagnosis. Superficially Acrocercops gossypii is similar to many Afrotropical Acrocercopinae species with white transverse fasciae on the forewing. However, the male genitalia are highly distinctive with a group of long cornuti and two opposite hooks near the pointed apex of the aedeagus. In the female genitalia, it can be distinguished by a peculiar signum, consisting of spreading spines, and an oblong patch of short spines (for illustrations refer to Vári 1961, pl. 99, fig.1).

Flight period. Specimens were collected in two periods of the year: from early April to the July and from early November ( Vári 1961) to early December.

Host plant(s). Gossypium herbaceum Linn. , Malvaceae ( Vári 1961) .

Distribution. South Africa ( Vári 1961); Cameroon (new record).

Remarks. The inclusion of Acrocercops gossypii to the genus Acrocercops is doubtful following the concept of the genus presented by Kuznetzov (1979) and Kumata et al. (1988a). Some morphological characters of A. gossypii , i.e., valva without any comb, and tergum VIII with a slender anterior apodeme which median sclerotization extending caudad onto the tergite, do not fit the generic diagnoses by Kuznetzov (1979) and Kumata et. al. (1988a). These two features are characteristic of species within the genus Telamoptilia . However, A. gossypii has an antennal scape without a flap of scales and the forewing contains vein R1. These characters are absent in the species of Telamoptilia , therefore, we refrain from suggesting a new combination until a more comprehensive analysis of these genera can be completed.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Acrocercops gossypii, male. A, adult, scale bar 1 mm; B, head, frontal view; C, genitalia, general view (aedeagus removed); D, aedeagus; E, cornuti; F, caudal part of abdominal pelt, gen. prep. VS563. Scale bar 0.1 mm.