Thubdora ealaensis Park & De Prins, 2019

Park, Kyu-Tek & Prins, Willy De, 2019, Re-examination of the type specimens of Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera), deposited in the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Belgium, with descriptions of ten new species from DR Congo belonging to Thubdora Park and Torodora Meyrick, Zootaxa 4571 (4), pp. 451-476 : 455-456

Thubdora ealaensis Park & De Prins , sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 A–E)

Type. Holotype: male, Musée du Congo, [ Equateur], Eala, vii.1936, J. Ghesquière, gen. slide no. CIS-7243/ Park, in RMCA.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to T. neobarbata sp. nov. with similar color pattern of the forewing and the antenna with dark brown annulations on the flagellum, but it can be distinguished by the male genitalia: the gnathos is more narrowly elongated, the cucullus of valva is much more elongated, and the aedeagus has cornuti consisting of a bundle of long setae.

Description. Male ( Figs. 3A, B ). Wingspan 13.5 mm.

Head: Vertex dark brown, with pale-orange erect scales laterally. Antenna shorter than forewing; basal segment elongated, pale orange, slightly dilated apically; flagellum serrate, pale orange, with dark-brown annulations on flagellum, finely ciliate ventrally. Labial palpus strongly upturned; 2 nd segment thickened, orange white, shiny on both surfaces; 3 rd segment as long as 2 nd segment, pale orange dorsally, dark fuscous ventrally, sharply pointed apically.

Thorax: Tegula and thorax dark brown. Hind tibia dark brown in basal 1/3 and distal 1/3, creamy white in middle and apex, shiny all around; first tarsus with brownish scales dorsally, remains yellowish white. Forewing slightly broadened distally; ground color soot brown evenly, with a small, orange-white, triangular costal patch beyond 3/4 of costa; costa slightly arched near base, nearly straight medially, then slightly oblique beyond costal patch; apex rounded; termen nearly straight; fringe concolorous, with orange white basal line; venation similar to that of the preceding new species, with R 5 absent; M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 on a common stalk. Hindwing broader than forewing, pale grayish brown; venation with M 3 and CuA 1 shortly stalked.

Abdomen: dark fuscous dorsally. Abdomen with narrow spinous zones on tergites; a pair of long hair-like pencils between segment VII and VIII; tergite VIII with V-shaped, sclerotized sclerite ( Fig. 3E ).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 3C, D ). Uncus relatively narrow, strongly concave laterally before apex, with convex caudal margin. Basal plate of gnathos more or less rectangular, with rounded caudal margin, reaching to apex of uncus; median process elongated, narrowed, strongly bent downward beyond 2/3 of its length. Valva elongated, nearly parallel-sided, bent at basal 1/3, strongly upturned, densely haired on inner surface; costal margin deeply concave in basal 1/3, then nearly straight; ventral margin nearly straight in basal 1/4, then protruded outwardly; apex rounded. Juxta elongated, with transversal, sclerotized ridge beyond middle with short lobes laterally, and with triangular membranous plate distally. Aedeagus slender, slightly shorter than valva, slightly bent at basal 1/4; cornuti consisting of a bundle of long setae, located beyond middle.

Distribution. DR Congo ( Equateur).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Thubdora ealaensis sp. nov.: A, adult, holotype; B, labial palpus, lateral view; C. male genitalia, holotype, gen. slide no. CIS-7243/Park; D, ditto, aedeagus; E, abdominal segments VII–VIII, with hair-like pencils.