Mormogystia Schoorl, 1990

Borth, Robert, Ivinskis, Povilas, Saldaitis, Aidas & Yakovlev, Roman, 2011, Cossidae of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen), ZooKeys 122, pp. 45-69 : 46

Genus Mormogystia Schoorl, 1990

Mormogystia Schoorl, 1990, Zool. Verhandelingen 263: 75-78. Type species - Cossus reibellii Oberthür, 1876.

Diagnosis.

Mormogystia is distinguished from all other Cossidae genus by having large silvery areas on the forewing.

Description.

Medium sized, brightly coloured moths. Male antennae bipectinate with very short processes; female antennal pecten much reduced. Large silvery areas on the forewing forming fasciae make this the only Cossidae genus to have such a high contrast pattern. Hindwings are uniform.

Male genitalia. Uncus elongate, with tapering or rounded broad apex; arms of gnathos short, fused to form a medium-size gnathos densely covered with small spines; valvae shovel-shaped, with pronounced sacculus and a large triangular costal projection; transtilla projections short, thick and uncinate; juxta saddle-shaped, with long lateral projections directed upwards; saccus massive, semicircular; aedeagus short, straight, thick; vesica opening located dorsoapically, its edges with short, spiny processes; vesica without cornutus.

Female genitalia. Short oviductus; papillae anales wide, elliptic; apophyses posteriores ⅓ longer than apophyses anteriores; ostium broad, covered with falciform postvaginal plate; ductus wide, sclerotised; bursa membranous, sack-shaped, without signa.

Remarks.

This small genus includes four species distributed in north Africa, Levante, Arabian peninsula and Kenya ( Yakovlev 2011).