Oiketicoides gracilis ( Turati & Krüger, 1936 )

Sobczyk, Thomas & Arnscheid, Wilfried R., 2021, Taxonomic revision of the North-African species of the genus Oiketicoides Heylaerts, 1881 (Lepidoptera: Psychidae: Oiketicinae), Zootaxa 4975 (3), pp. 483-508 : 486-488

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4975.3.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DCA11594-1D27-43CE-8648-81CE2C81DA99
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4836408
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/237C879E-085E-3B30-FF3F-8B97FE7E1B98
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Oiketicoides gracilis ( Turati & Krüger, 1936 )
status

Treatment

Oiketicoides gracilis ( Turati & Krüger, 1936)

( Figs 1 View FIGURES 1–6 , 19 View FIGURES 19–30 , 39 View FIGURES 35–44 , 51 View FIGURES 51–66 )

Pachytelia gracilis Turati & Krüger, 1936: 59 . Type locality: Libya, Cirene, Faro. Holotype ♂: Recent deposition unknown ( Sobczyk 2011).

Material examined: • 1 ♂, TUNISIA: vic. Gafsa, Sened Gare, Parc Nationale de Bouhedma, 11.ix.2009, leg. R. Bläsius, GU 018-2020, Sobczyk ( CTS) .

Supplementary description. ♂. Middle-sized Oiketicoides species , with finely scaled wings. Wingspan 21.0– 24.0 mm, body length 9.5 mm, forewing length 9.8 mm, FI 2.1.

Head. Antennae length 4.5 mm, with 30 segments, blackish brown, densely light brownish scaled. The longest pecten are of eight-times antennal segment length.

Head densely covered with long light brownish hair-like scales. Frons dorsolateral covered with blackish brown hair-like scales. Eyes large, blackish grey, EI: 0.5.

Thorax. Thorax and legs long light brown hairy. Forewings elongated, r3+r4 and m2+m3 stalked for one third. On hindwings m1 and m2 stalked of half length, sc and rr fused, at half length connected with a bar with dc. Wings densely covered with light brownish and very narrow scales, more densely at costal margin and in dc. Scales onepointed (class 2), exceptionally with two dentations ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 19–30 ). Fringes narrow (class 1), multi-pointed.

Abdomen. Dorsally and ventrally densely covered with long light brownish hair-like scales.

Male genitalia. (slide GU-018-2020, Sobczyk). Length 1.75 mm, width 0.6 mm. When closed, the valvae reach approximately the posterior end of the tegumen; tegumen tapered, distinctly folded inwards laterally. Valvae broad, sacculus rounded distally, covered with 5 small sharp extensions. Saccus short, slightly broader and roundish distally. Phallus 1.4 mm long, elongated tubular, nearly straight, distally with a hook-shaped extension ( Figs 39 View FIGURES 35–44 , 51 View FIGURES 51–66 ).

Distribution. Only known from Libya ( Turati & Krüger 1936) and Tunisia (present publication). The type specimen was collected at the lighthouse of Cyrene.

Similar species. Oiketicoides gracilis is similar to O. nivellei and O. hampsoni . It can be diagnosed from these two species by external and male genitalia characters: in O. nivellei , thorax and abdomen more narrow, wings broader, sacculus of the valvae with 3 extensions. The genitalia in O. hampsoni are with long and slender saccus.

Remark. Oiketicoides gracilis seems to be a very rare species. The here described specimen is the only one known to exist beside the holotype. In the original description O. gracilis was compared with Pachythelia villosella ( Ochsenheimer, 1810) .