Adelomompha andrianella (Viette, 1968) Park & Koo & Minet, 2020

Park, Kyu-Tek, Koo, Jun-Mo & Minet, Joël, 2020, Review of the Malagasy lecithocerid species described by Pierre Viette and deposited in MNHN (Paris), with new generic combinations and descriptions of a new subfamily and genus of Momphidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea), Zootaxa 4845 (2), pp. 151-190 : 182-184

Adelomompha andrianella (Viette, 1968) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 22 A–L)

Lecithocera andrianella Viette, 1968a [9 February at the latest]: 88, TL: Analamazaotra.

= Lecithocera ranavaloella Viette, 1968b (20 February): 296, syn. nov.

Type material. 1♂ (holotype of andrianella Viette, 1968 ), East Madagascar, near Perinet, alt. 910 m, Analamazaotra forest, 19 iii 1955, P. Viette leg.; genitalia: prep. J. Minet no. 1664 . 1♀ (holotype of ranavaloella Viette, 1968 ), East Madagascar, Maroantsetra district , Farankaraina forest station, road to Navana at km 16.5, Antoroka valley, alt. 100 m, 8–18 i 1964, P. Viette leg.; genitalia: prep. P. Viette no. 4754 .

Adults ( Fig. 22 A–F). Wingspan, 18–20 mm. Head and dorsal region of thorax dark brown, lustrous, with violet (male) or bluish (female) iridescence on vertex and mesonotum. Iridescence rather green or yellowish on frontoclypeus. Labial palpus with its outer surface yellowish and its inner surface yellow (on segment 2) and greyish brown (segment 3). Antenna dark brown with violet iridescence in both sexes; a white band beyond middle and well before tip of antenna. Proboscis with yellow scales and also, in male, a few dark brown scales. Thorax mostly pale yellow latero-ventrally. Prothoracic androconial hair pencil elongate, yellowish (running caudad of coxa). Outer surface of foreleg blackish (with blue/violet iridescence) on tibia and tarsus, with one (male) to several (female) white or whitish zones on the tarsus. Midleg blackish outwards on tibia and tarsus, with white/whitish scales at apex of tibia and on certain areas of the tarsus (in male at the junction of the first two tarsomeres, in female proximally on tarsomeres); spurs white. Hindleg blackish outwards on tibia and tarsus, with white spurs and white tibial zones at the level of each pair of spurs (tibia greyish inwards); last two or three tarsomeres white (former condition in male, latter in female); dorsal region of the tibia with a conspicuous yellowish grey fringe in the male, with just a few loose (dark) piliform scales in the female. Forewing dorsal surface dark brown, lustrous, with a yellow patch along the inner margin, in the region where ends vein CuP; distal and costal regions of the wing with violet to pink iridescence in the male (violet and blue iridescence in the female); lower proximal region with green/yellowish (male) or bluish (female) iridescence. Hind wing dorsal surface dark brown, with violet to yellowish iridescence (more pronounced proximally in the male). Ventral surface of wings similar, although paler and less iridescent.Abdomen dorsally dark brown in both sexes.

Male and female genitalia. see description of the genus.

Distribution. Madagascar (East) ( Viette, 1968a and 1968b).

Remarks. The original description of “ Lecithocera ” andrianella Viette, 1968 was based on a single specimen (the holotype), a male whose abdomen has been dissected for the present study ( Figs. 22G, H, L ). Similarly, the taxon “ Lecithocera ” ranavaloella Viette, 1968 is based on the sole holotype, a female dissected by Pierre Viette but whose genitalia are described and illustrated here for the first time ( Figs. 22 I–K). In fact, we propose to synonymize these two taxa insofar as they are strikingly similar in wing venation, wing pattern, shape and coloration of the antennae and labial palpi, etc., and just differ in minor details (e.g. light-coloured areas of tarsi) or secondary sexual characters (notably presence/absence of conspicuous fringes of hair scales on hindtibiae, and of prothoracic androconial hair pencils). Moreover, both type-localities are rain forests in East Madagascar (although at different altitudes). The name andrianella was published in fascicle 2 of Bull. mens. Soc. linn. Lyon 37, a fascicle arrived on 9 February 1968 at the library of MNHN Entomology laboratory (date written on this fascicle by the librarian). It has thus priority over the name ranavaloella , which was published on 20 February 1968, in fascicle 9-10 of Bull. Soc. ent. Fr. 72 (accurate date of publication mentioned on page 336 of this fascicle). This chronology is also in accordance with the chronological list of Viette’s publications established by Minet & Thiaucourt (2018: 25).

Adelomompha andrianella also differs from most other Momphidae (not all, however) in its scape, which lacks a pecten, and in its forewing vestiture, which lacks raised tufts of scales. It should be noted that, despite some diversity in such characters, the subfamily Momphinae includes no more than four genera, namely Anchimompha Clarke , Mompha Hübner (several synonyms, including Moriloma Busck and Zapyrastra Meyrick according to the molecular phylogeny of Bruzzese et al. 2019; see also the subgenera considered by Koster & Sinev 2003), Palaeomystella Fletcher , and Synallagma Engel. Nevertheless , this classification must be regarded as provisional in the absence of a World revision of the Momphinae .

Figures

FIGURE 22. Adelomompha andrianella (Viette, 1968), comb. nov.: A, holotype of andrianella Viette; B and B', ditto, ventral surface of fore- and hind wings; C, ditto, labels; D, holotype of ranavaloella Viette; E, ditto, labels; F, ditto, lateral view of head; G, male genitalia, prep. J. Minet no. 1664; H, ditto, aedeagus; I, female genitalia (posterior region), prep. P. Viette no. 4754; J, ditto, bursa copulatrix; K, ditto, close-up of signum; L, abdomen of the male. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.