Homaloxestis arcuatus 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 : 592-593

Homaloxestis arcuatus Park & Mey , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 A–E)

Types. Holotype: male, Uganda, Mpigi, Mpanga Forest , 25–30 xi 2014, LF, leg. W. Mey, gen. slide no. CIS-7049/ Park, COI barcode CBNU110 .

Paratypes: 2♂, Uganda, Kibale National Park, Biological Field Station , 19–24 xi 2014, LF, leg. W. Mey, gen. slide no. CIS-7264/ Park, -7265/ Park .

Diagnosis. Homaloxestis arcuatus sp. nov. is similar to the Palaearctic species, H. xylotripta Meyrick, 1918 described from Pakistan. The male genitalia of the new species are characterized by having an acute process followed by a deep emargination on ventral margin of valva.

Description. Male ( Figs. 1A, B ). Forewing length 7.5–8.0 mm. Female unknown.

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

Thorax: Tegula and thorax yellowish brown. Fore- and mid-tibia greyish brown ventrally; hind tibia greyish brown, with rough scales ventrally. Forewing elongate, yellowish brown, scattered irregularly with dark brown scales; costa almost straight, oblique beyond 3/4, pale orange along anterior margin; apex more or less acute; termen oblique; fringes concolorous with ground color. Hind wing cannot be seen, being folded with forewing.

Abdomen: Abdominal sternite VIII broad, deeply concave on caudal margin; segment VII with quadrate plate anteriorly, bearing long, narrow, sclerotized lateral rods, and with a bundle of long hair-pencils medially ( Fig. 1E ).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 1C, D ): Uncus with broad, subovate basal lobes, gently concave on caudal margin. Basal plate of gnathos capuche-like, narrowed in distal half and convex on caudal margin. Costal bar arising from anterior corner of tegumen and reaching between basal part of valva and cucullus, strongly angled medially. Tegumen deeply V-shaped incised on posterior margin medially. Valva with crescent concavity, extending to ventral process; costa slightly convex in basal 1/3, then nearly straight; sacculus broad in basal 3/5 with nearly straight ventral margin, then upturned, pointed apically; cucullus shorter than basal part of valva; ventral process triangular with sharply pointed apex followed by a deeply hollowed emargination, located near middle of ventral margin, and with conic spines along slightly concave outer margin, forming an obtuse apex. Juxta weakly developed; posterior margin concave with short membranous latero-caudal lobes; anterior margin with a small triangular median process. Vinculum with narrow sclerotized band along lateral margins, with round apex. Aedeagus more or less stout, as long as valva, curved at basal 1/5 ventrally; cornuti consisting of a cluster with numerous conic spines apically, about 1.5 length of aedeagus.

Distribution. Uganda (Mpigi).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin, arcus (= bow, shaped like a bow), referring to the concavity on ventral margin of valva in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Homaloxestis arcuatus sp. nov.: A, adult, holotype; B, ditto, lateral view; C, male genitalia, gen. slide no. CIS- 7049/Park; D, ditto, aedeagus; E, abdominal segments VII–VIII. Scale bar: C, D = 0.5 mm.