Symmoca hoffeinsorum, Mey, 2025

Mey, Wolfram, 2025, First records of species of Gelechioidae from Bitterfeld amber (Insecta, Lepidoptera) and notes on two gelechioid species from Baltic amber, Zitteliana 99, pp. 63-73 : 63-73

Symmoca hoffeinsorum sp. nov.

Figs 18 , 19–21

Material.

• 1 ♂, Baltic amber, coll. C. & H. Hoffeins (Hamburg), Nr. 124 / 1 .

Preservation.

The holotype is completely preserved. The small amber piece with the inclusion is embedded in a block of polyester resin.

Etymology.

The new species is named in honour of Christel and Hans Werner Hoffeins for their untiring interest, occupation and research of insects of Baltic amber.

Description.

Male (Fig. 18 ): Small moth with 5.1 mm wing length. Labial palpi long and upcurved, terminal segment longer than second segment, acute at apex. Antenna more than half the length of the forewing, scape without pecten. Epiphysis present in middle of foreleg tibia, first tarsomere as long as remaining tarsal segments together, preapical spurs on hindleg in the middle of tibia, with short hairs on inner side, spur formula 0.2. 4 (Fig. 19 ). Wing venation as in Symmoca , with R 4 and R 5 stalked in forewing, fork as long as its stalk, running to costal margin, three medial veins present (see Gozmány 2008).

Male genitalia (Figs 20 , 21 ): Uncus with paw-like apex, gnathos hook-like, curved distad only in apical third. Valva elongate, tapering towards rounded apex, sacculus tightly attached to ventral margin of valva, appendix nearly parallel to valva, longer than half length of valva.

Remarks.

This is the first documented individual of the family in Baltic amber, exhibiting clearly visible male genitalia, which are in agreement with many species of extant Symmoca , depicted in Gozmány (2008). The species it described and named, because comparisons with the original drawings of the fossil genus Symmocites Kusnezov, 1941 revealed substantial differences in wing venation. The forewings of Symmoca have five radial and three medial veins in contrast to Symmocites , with four radial and one medial vein only.

Figures

Figure 18. Symmoca spec., adult moth, dorsal.

Figures 19–22. Symmoca sp., 19. Foreleg with epiphysis; 20. Labial palpus; 21. Male genitalia, lateral (scale: 0.5 mm); 22. Male genitalia, ventral.