Homaloxestis lactizonalis Park & Mey, 2019

Park, Kyu-Tek, Koo, Jun-Mo & Mey, Wolfram, 2019, Two new species of Homaloxestis Meyrick, 1910 (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) from Uganda, with a checklist of the genus in the Afrotropical Region, Zootaxa 4658 (3), pp. 591-598 : 594

Homaloxestis lactizonalis Park & Mey , sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 A–F)

Type. Holotype: male, Uganda, Mpigi, Mpanga Forest , 25–30 xi 2014, LF, leg. W. Mey, gen. slide no. CIS-7085/ Park, COI barcode CBNU069 .

Paratypes: 22♂, same as holotype, gen. slide no. CIS-7254/Park, wing slide no. CIS-7117/Park.

Diagnosis. Homaloxestis lactizonalis sp. nov. is similar to H. myeloxesta Meyrick, 1932 but it is smaller in size with forewing length 5.5–6.0 mm (vs. 7.0–8.0 mm in the latter), and the male genitalia are similar to those of H. multidentalis Park, 2004 which was described from Thailand, but can be distinguished by the larger gnathos, the cucullus with more or less sub-ovate process and absence of median protrusion beyond outer margin, whereas H. multidentalis has a sharply pointed triangular process, and the aedeagus is equipped with a long, slender apical spine, as long as 1/5 of aedeagus length.

Description. Male ( Figs. 2A, B ). Forewing length, 5.5–6.0 mm.

Head: Vertex yellowish brown, with creamy-white erect scales laterally. Antenna longer than forewing; basal segment elongate, slightly dilated toward apex, creamy white to orange white; flagellum filiform, orange white, lacking annulations. Second segment of labial palpus more or less slender, with appressed scales, pale yellowish brown; 3 rd segment as long as 2 nd segment, pale yellowish brown dorsally and dark brown ventrally.

Thorax: Tegula yellowish brown, with creamy-white band anteriorly; thorax of the same color. Fore and midtibia dark brown dorsally, yellowish white ventrally; hind tibia pale yellowish brown, with rough scales above and beneath. Forewing elongate, yellowish brown evenly, with creamy-white to yellowish-white band from base to near apex along costa; costa slightly arched in basal third, then almost straight, oblique beyond 3/4; apex more or less sharply produced; termen strongly oblique; fringe concolorous with ground color; venation ( Fig. 2C ) with R 1 arising from near middle of cell; distance between R 1 and R 2 about twice of that R 2 and R 3; R 3 stalked with R 4+5 for about 1/3; R 4 and R 5 stalked at about 2/3; R 5 to termen; M 1 remote from R 3+4; CuA 1 arising near lower corner of cell. Hind wing grayish white, scattered with brownish scales distally; apex acute; termen strongly oblique; fringe concolorous; venation with M 2 present; M 3 and CuA 1 stalked for about 1/3 of M 3.

Abdomen: Yellowish brown dorsally; abdominal sternite VIII broad, concave on caudal margin; segment VII with quadrate plate anteriorly, bearing long, narrow, sclerotized lateral rods, with a bundle of long, hair-pencils anteriorly ( Fig. 2F ).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 2D, E ): Uncus with short, ovate basal lobes, gently concave on caudal margin. Basal plate of gnathos narrowed in distal half and produced medially on caudal margin. Costal bar arising from anterior corner of tegumen to about 1/4 of costa of valva, strongly angled medially; cucullus slightly longer than basal part of valva, slightly arched and abruptly oblique before apical 1/4; ventral process sub-ovate, located before middle on ventral margin, bearing more than 12 pegs, then concave beyond with about five similar pegs along margin; apex obtuse; sacculus broad basally, narrowed toward apex, sharply pointed apically, with arched ventral margin. Juxta weakly developed, with short membranous latero-caudal lobes; anterior margin with triangular median process. Vinculum with narrow sclerotized band. Aedeagus more or less stout, about 4/5 length of valva, strongly curved; cornuti consisting of a long, slender, heavily sclerotized apical spine, as long as 1/5 of aedeagus, and with more than 20 variable sized conical spines from before middle to near apical part. Abdominal segment VII with a pair of long rods on anterior margin laterally.

Distribution. Uganda (Mpigi).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin, lacteus (= milky) + zona (= belt), referring to the creamy white band along costa of the forewing.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Homaloxestis lactizonalis sp. nov.: A, adult, holotype; B, ditto, lateral view; C, venation, wing slide no. CIS-7117/ Park; D, male genitalia, gen. slide no. CIS-7254/Park; E, ditto, aedeagus; F, abdominal segments VII–VIII. Scale bar: D, E = 0.5 mm.