Phyllonorycter ipomoellus De Prins, 2012

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 95-97

28. Phyllonorycter ipomoellus De Prins , new species

( Figs 66, 67 , 321 , 382 , 434 , 444 )

Diagnosis. Phyllonorycter ipomoellus most closely resembles P. brachylaenae and P. hibiscina and but the forewing ground colour of P. ipomoellus is slightly darker ochreous shading than in P. brachylaenae and P. hibiscina . Phyllonorycter ipomoellus can be separated from the latter species by the following external characters:

The second fascia in P. brachylaenae and P. hibiscina is quite broad at dorsal margin of forewing with significant constriction in middle; the second fascia is narrow and nearly straight in P. ipomoellus .

Tufted piliform scales of vertex are white in P. brachylaenae ; white with infusion of ochreous in P. hibiscina and ochreous in P. ipomoellus .

The thorax of P. ipomoellus is ochreous, the anterior part is snowy white in P. brachylaenae and P. hibiscina ..

Tegula ochreous with slight whitish shading at posterior end in P. ipomoellus ; the posterior half of tegula is snowy white in P. hibiscina and P. brachylaenae .

The female genitalia of P. ipomoellus cannot be confused with P. brachylaenae due to the short posterior and anterior apophyses of the latter. Diagnostic differences between the female genitalia of P. hibiscina and P. ipomoellus are the following:

The posterior edge of segment VII in P. hibiscina has minute scobination, the posterior edge is smooth and not sclerotized in P. ipomoellus .

Anterior apophyses are 1/3 shorter than posterior apophyses in P. hibiscina , the anterior apophyses are almost as long as posterior apophyses in P. ipomoellus .

The needle-like posterior apophysis is longer than 1/2 length of anterior apophysis in P. hibiscina ; it is shorter than ½ length of anterior apophysis in P. ipomoellus .

The convex lamella post-vaginalis of sterigma occupies less than 1/2 of the surface of sternum VII in P. hibiscina . It almost completely crosses sternum VII in P. ipomoellus .

Corpus bursae in P. hibiscina is more than twice as long as broad (the form is oblong); corpus bursae in P. ipomoellus is 1.5× longer than broad (it is approximately round).

Signum in P. hibiscina is long and approximately equal in girth along entire length (1/4 longer than signum in P. ipomoellus ). It is narrow at posterior part of corpus bursae and very thick in caudal part of corpus bursae P. ipomoellus .

Holotype: ♀, [1] ‘ Rwanda / Nyungwe N.[ational] P.[ark] 1900 m / 6 km S Pindura / 02°32’S 29°11’E / mine 31.vii.2008 / leg. J. & W. De Prins’; [2] ‘e. l. Ipomoea bracteata Cav. / [ Convolvulaceae ] / 12.viii.2008 ’; [3] ‘Gen. Prep. 3751♀ / De Prins; [4] ‘MRAC/KMMA / 00484’, specimen ID: [5] ‘ RMCA ENT 000005149 ’; [6] ‘DNA voucher / DP08028, in UM-SI; [7] ‘Holotype ♀ / Phyllonorycter / ipomoellus / De Prins, 2012 ’, in RMCA .

Paratype: 1♀ (abdomen missing). Rwanda: ♀, Nyungwe N.[ational] P.[ark] 1900 m, 6 km S Pindura 02°32’S 29°11’E, mine 31.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, e. l. Ipomoea bracteata Cav. [ Convolvulaceae ] 11.viii.2008, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005150, in RMCA, DNA voucher DP08024, in UM-SI.

Description: Adult ( Figs 66, 67 ). Forewing length: 2.71–2.82 mm.

Head: Vertex tufted, with light ochreous piliform scales of different length with light suffusion of paler short scales on occiput; frons smooth, covered with shiny white long narrow piliform apppressed scales. Maxillary palpus small, shiny white. Labial palpus slightly longer than eye, drooping, white above with slight shine and fuscous on lateral sides fading from dark fuscous at basal palpomere to washed-out fuscous on terminal palpomere; terminal palpomere with pointed apex, directed downwards. Haustellum about 2× longer than labial palpus, curved distally, dirty white. Antenna slightly shorter forewing, consisting of 37–38 flagellomeres, each flagellomere (except scape and pedicel) light fuscous dorsally with narrow pale beige band at base, without ringed appearance; ventrally antenna dirty white basally and dark grey distally; pedicel slightly longer than following flagellomere with fuscous brown base followed by dirty white subasal area, median and apical part as in following flagellomeres—light fuscous; scape ochreous with a few round small dark brown scales mottled on posterior part of scape, 7–8 dirty thick, white, fuscous tipped pecten of similar length, slightly longer than scape.

Thorax: Ochreous with whitish irregular middle band; tegulae light ochreous anteriorly with smooth transition to ochreous whitish at posterior part. Forewing ground colour ochreous with white markings: two transverse fasciae, one costal, one dorsal strigulae and one apical patch; basal streak very short, just a couple of white scales with 1–2 black scales on dorsal margin; first fascia at 1/4 of forewing, slightly oblique, broader at dorsum gradually tapering towards sharp tip at costa, without any constrictions at midden, edged apically and only partly basally; second fascia at 1/2, broader than first fascia, gently curved with a slight constriction at subcostal part of forewing, edged with one row of black scales from both sides; first costal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, more or less triangular shaped, brightly white, not reaching midline of forewing, edged with regular one row of black scales from both sides; first dorsal strigula at 3/4 of forewing, situated opposite first costal strigula, half round or arc-shaped with broad base, bright white, just reaching midline of forewing, edged with a row of black scales basally, and with 2 rows of black scales apically; apical patch brightly white, rounded, surrounded by irregular 2–3 rows of black scales, which extends into an area of irroration of black tipped scales running along termen and bordering apical edge of dorsal strigula; fringe line long, running from apex along termen to tornus, fringe short pale beige at apex and termen, slightly longer with fuscous based scales at tornus and long pale grey along dorsum. Hindwing pale grey with slight bronze shading and shine with long fringe of same shading as hindwing, fringe gradually getting longer towards base of hindwing. Fore femur fuscous dorsally and dirty white ventrally foretibia and fore tarsus fuscous except terminal tarsomere ochreous whitish; mid-femur and mid-tibia ochreous fuscous, slightly mottled with dirty white medially, apical spurs median, white with fuscous median part, tarsus dirty white with three fuscous patches, tarsomere I fuscous with white patch subbasally, tarsomere II dirty white with pale grey apex, tarsomere III fuscous with pale grey apex, tarsomeres IV–V white, tip of tarsus ochreous; hind femur and tibia dark grey with ochreous shading, hind tibia with loosely appressed long piliform hairs; medial spurs short, with dirty white basal half and dark grey apical half, apical spurs ca. twice longer than median spurs, dirty white with blackish fuscous subapices; tarsus fuscous with three white irregular rings: tarsomere I fuscous, tarsomere II white at basal half and fuscous at apical half, tarsomeres III white with ochreous-fuscous subapex, tarsomere IV white, terminal tarsomere pale grey.

Abdomen: Dorsally dark fuscous, ventrally anterior half of sterna pale greyish beige, posterior half of sterna white.

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 321 ). Papillae anales subconical shaped, with stronger sclerotized outer lateral parts, touching each other with inner lateral sides, with moderate setation of different length, longest setae on caudal part of papillae anales ca. 114 µm long; basal bar absent. A slender needle-like strongly sclerotized projection ca. 115 µm long extending from bases of papillae anales to middle of segment VIII; anterior end of needle-like projection thicker and slightly bulbed, posterior end very sharp. Posterior apophyses well sclerotized, slender, with long triangular bases smoothly fusing into apophyses, ca. 309 µm long; caudal parts pointed apically, slightly diverging from each other, extending to posterior 1/6 of segment VII. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, connected dorsally and ventrally, long, almost as long as segment VII, cylindrical. Anterior apophyses very slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, ca. 297 µm long, without any distinct basal sclerotization, straight, slightly distancing from each other at caudal parts, sharp ended, reaching 1/3 anterior part of segment VII. Segment VII trapezoidal, melanized, as long as segment VIII. Ostium bursae crescent-like, sclerotized, located at middle of segment VII, antrum of ductus bursae with narrow longitudinal strongly melanized folds, except caudal broader part of ductus bursae; sterigma (lamella post-vaginalis) strongly narrow sclerotized broad arc-shaped suture almost crossing sternum VII. Ductus bursae moderate, with slender melanized folds, anterior 1/3 dilating before confluenting to corpus bursae; corpus bursae median, dinstictively separating from ductus bursae, quite round shaped, only 1.4 longer as broad (ca. 355 µm long and 246 µ m wide), with a large oval area ca 1/6 as large as corpus bursae, set with minute spines and a long, strongly sclerotized, thick, ridge-like signum, 308 µm long, consinting of 4-5 rows of sharp barbs, extending along entire corpus bursae, ending just before caudal sector. Ductus spermathecae stout, melanized, extending along anterior half of segment VII, consisting of 15–16 tight convolutions, which are slightly broader at posterior end and tightining, as well as stronger melanized, towards anterior end; bulla spermathecae small, situated between segments VII and VI.

DNA sequences. Three COI barcodes are available for P. ipomoellus (Molecular sample codes: Pipo1 [ JX888185 ], Pipo2 [ JX888186 ]; Table S1 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the generic name of the host plant, Ipomoea .

Habitat. Open clearings in montane wet forest at an altitude of 1800 m ( Fig. 444 ).

Host plant(s). Convolvulaceae : Ipomoea bracteata Cav. ( Fig. 434 ).

Mine. A small, tentiform, underside mine, between veins of the leaf, usually on subbasal part of the leaf. Onetwo mines are present on one leaf of the host plant.

Flight period. Adults are on the wing in mid-August.

Distribution ( Fig. 382 ). Known only from the type locality in the south-west of Rwanda.

Figures

FIGURES 63–68. Adults. Scale bar 1 mm. 63, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, paratype 6408♂, South Africa, Hennops River, 15.iii.1955, leg. L. Vári, in TMSA. 64, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, ♂, Kenya, Lake Nakuru, mine 11.x.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004032. 65, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, ♂, Kenya, Lake Nakuru, mine 11.x.2001, leg. J. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000004033. 66, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus, holotype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 31.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005149. 67, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus, paratype ♀, Rwanda, Nyungwe, mine 31.vii.2008, leg. J. & W. De Prins, specimen ID: RMCA ENT 000005150. 68, Phyllonorycter turensis, holotype ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley, Turi, 26.v.1999, leg. D.J.L. Agassiz, in BMNH.

FIGURES 320–321. Female genitalia. Scale bar 200 µm. 320, Phyllonorycter hibiscina, paratype, the drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the genitalia prep. Vári 7187, in TMSA. 321, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/ KMMA 00484, in RMCA.

FIGURES 379–390. Distribution of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 379, Phyllonorycter brachylaenae. 380, Phyllonorycter dombeyae. 381, Phyllonorycter hibiscina. 382, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus. 383, Phyllonorycter turensis. 384, Phyllonorycter hibiscola. 385, Phyllonorycter lemarchandi. 386, Phyllonorycter albertinus. 387, Phyllonorycter caudasimplex. 388, Phyllonorycter leucaspis. 389, Phyllonorycter ololua. 390, Phyllonorycter didymopa.

FIGURES 432–436. Leaf mines of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 432–433, Phyllonorycter umukarus mine on Triumphetta cordifolia [Malvaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 28 July, 2008. 432, adaxial side. 433, host plant in open cutting. 434, Phyllonorycter ipomoellus mine on the climbing plant Ipomoea bracteata [Convolvulaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 31 July, 2008. 435, Phyllonorycter adderis mine on Urena lobata [Malvaceae], Nyungwe, Rwanda, 03 August, 2008. 436, Phyllonorycter madagascariensis semi-transparrent, curved gallery mine which terminates as an irregular rounded blotch on Dombeya spectabilis [Malvaceae], Madagascar. The drawing is made by Willy De Prins after the description and the drawing of Paulian &Viette (1955: 157, fig. 15).

FIGURES 441–445. Habitats of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae species. 441, Kakamega Forest, Kenya, April 2003. The habitat is the most eastern relict of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest. 442, Faro River area, Cameroon, May 2005. The habitat is a repeatedly burned savannah and bush land. 443, Mayumbe Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2007. The habitat is an undisturbed primary rain forest. 444, Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda, August 2008. The habitat is a montane rain forest. 445, Morogoro are, Tanzania, July 2009. The habitat is variable: transitional dry lowland /submontane woodland.