Cryptolectica curvatum, Sruoga & Prins, 2023

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 : 83-85

Cryptolectica curvatum , sp. nov.

( Figs 5A–G ; 6A, B )

Material examined. Holotype: ♁, Cameroon, North Province , Faro River Camp , 275 m, 08°22’N 012°51’E, 06.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Gen. prep. VS543, in coll. RBINS . Paratypes: 54♁, 1♀, Cameroon, North Province , Faro River Camp , 275 m, 08°23’N 012°49’E, 01.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Gen. preps. VS513, VS538, VS544, VS565. Wing venation prep. VS528; 37♁, same locality, 09.v.2005. Gen. preps. VS545, VS546; 6♁, Cameroon, North Province , Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°25’N 012°47’E, 04.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins; 5♁, Cameroon, North Province , Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°22’N 012°51’E, 06.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins, in coll. RBINS .

Diagnosis. In wing pattern and male genitalia, the new species closely resembles Cryptolectica convexa , known from DRC. However, C. curvatum is distinguished most easily by the apically tapered saccus, rounded cucullus and aedeagus with irregular sclerotized plate along with cornuti.

Description. Adult ( Figs 5A, B ). Forewing length: 3.0– 3.8 mm.

Head: Frons snowy white with few dark grey scales ventro-laterally; vertex snowy white, occipital tuft with few pale ochreous brown scales. Labial palpus twice as long as width of head, slightly upcurved, snowy white with some dark brown scales laterally. Maxillary palpus straight, 0.7 as long as width of head, snowy white with some dark brown scales laterally. Antenna as long as forewing, scape white, weakly suffused with fuscous and apex finely edged with dark grey and with large flap of scales below; pedicel dark grey, first flagellomere white, remaining flagellum fuscous above, underside greyish white in basal 1/3, apex dark grey.

Thorax: Ochreous brown at anterior half and white posteriorly, except caudal margin ochreous brown; tegulae ochreous brown at anterior half and white posteriorly. Forewing ochreous brown with whitish base and two transverse white fasciae, slightly tapering towards costa; beyond second fascia at 2/3 of costa an oblique white strigula; large subapical white spot at 4/5 of forewing with fine streak of white fringe scales at tornus, apex ochreous brown, fringe pale fuscous, fringe line dark brown; all white marks of forewing edged by 1–2 rows of dark brown scales on both sides. Hindwing pale brownish grey, its fringe scales somewhat paler. Fore femur dark brownish grey with small irregular white patch beyond middle, fore tibia dark brownish grey with white apex, tarsomere I white with medial brownish grey patch, tarsomere II with apical patch, tarsomeres III and IV without patches and tarsomere V brownish white, mid femur dark brownish grey with large white subbasal and apical patches, mid tibia white with dark brownish grey subbasal and apical patches, tarsomere I white with medial brownish grey patch, tarsomere II with apical patch, tarsomeres III and IV without patches and tarsomere V brownish grey; hind femur white with dark brownish grey basal, medial and apical patches, hind tibia greyish brown with base and apex white, tarsomere I white with basal half and apex greyish brown, tarsomeres II white with greyish brown apex, tarsomeres III–V brownish white.

Abdomen: Pale brownish grey dorsally and white ventrally, sterna with brownish grey posterior margins. Dorsocephalic apodeme of male tergum VIII triangularly shaped, about 1/3 as long as abdominal segment VII, apically truncated ( Fig. 5G ).

Male genitalia ( Figs 5C–F ). Tegumen oblong, weakly narrowed towards truncated apex, 0.6 length of valva, lateral margins inwardly bent in apical part, distal margin ventrally covered by dense setae and with three pairs of very long setae at distolateral margins. Valva about 1.7 as long as tegumen, costa considerably convex beyond middle of valva, cucullus rounded, ventral margin widely concave before middle of valval length; transtilla incomplete, without any process; long slender androconial scales scattered on outer surface of valva near base. Diaphragma membranous. Vinculum short, with saccus gradually tapered.Aedeagus slightly longer than valva, with short rounded dorsal process at 1/2 of length and acute apex; narrow in basal 1/3, ventrally curved at basal 2/7 and apical 1/7, and dorsally at 1/2 of length; vesica with many small cornuti aggregated into two parallel bands as long as 2/5 length of aedeagus and one small irregular sclerotizated plate; a group of small spines scattered in ventral surface distad from mass of cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Figs 6A, B ). Papillae anales rather short, obliquely transverse in lateral view, basal and dorsal margins strongly sclerotized, with long setae, ventral margin covered with very short setae. Apophysis posterioris as long as apophysis anterioris, straight. Ostium simple; antrum not conspicuous; ductus bursae gradually narrowed with longitudinal folds until short sclerotized ring at 1/2, anteriorly ductus gradually widened towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae oval, as long as 1.1 ductus bursae; proximal part of ductus bursae and corpus bursae with dense internal spines; two different signa present, one consisting of apically bifurcated strongly sclerotized rod and another one composed of numerous long, stout spines arising from sclerotized oval base.

Host plant(s). Unknown.

Flight period. Adults have been collected in early May.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in northern Cameroon.

Etymology. From the Latin ‘ curvatus’, referring to the curved shape of the aedeagus.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cryptolectica curvatum sp. nov., male. A, adult, scale bar 1 mm; B, head, frontal view; C, genitalia, general view (aedeagus removed); D, aedeagus; E, cornuti; F, apical part of aedeagus; G, caudal part of abdominal pelt. A–E, G, holotype, gen. prep. VS543; F, paratype, gen. prep. VS513. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Cryptolectica curvatum sp. nov., paratype, female genitalia. A, caudal part; B, ductus bursae and corpus bursae, gen. prep. VS565. Scale bar 0.1 mm.