Prionapteryx somala Bassi, 2013

Bassi, Graziano, 2013, Notes on some Old World Prionapterygini Landry, 1995 (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Crambinae), with descriptions of new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 120 (1), pp. 131-160 : 152-155

Prionapteryx somala Bassi sp. n. Figs 12, 31, 48, 49

HOLOTYPE: 1- ‘3’; 2- ‘ SOMALIA | Mogadiscio | 7° Km [02°02’N 45°21’E] | 22.IV- 5.V.1986 | R. Mourglia legit’; 3- ‘Coll. Bassi n° 408’; 4 - ‘ HOLOTYPE | Prionapteryx | somala Bassi’. Deposited in MHNG (not dissected).

PARATYPES: CB, MHNG and MFNB; 633, 5♀♀, same data as holotype ; GS 1014 , 1015 , 1122 , 1123 , 1213 , 1239 , 5224 GB .

ETYMOLOGY: The name refers to the country where type series was collected. FIGS 45-49

Prionapteryx spp. , female genitalia, scale bar 0.5 mm. (45) P. albimaculalis (Hampson) , RSA, Pretoria, 16.III.1915, AJT Janse legit, Type 1593 TMSA Prosmixis albipicta Janse nomen nudum, GS 3066 GB. (46) P. plumbealis (Hampson) , Zimbabwe, GS 5152 GB. (47) P. helena sp. n., paratype GS 5342 GB. (48) P. somala sp. n., paratype GS 1123 GB. (49) P. somala sp. n., paratype GS 1014 GB.

DIAGNOSIS: Superficially, Prionapteryx somala (Fig. 12) is easily distinguished from its congeners by its small size and yellowish brown forewing ground color. The male genitalia of P. somala (Fig. 31) are closest to those of P. helena n. sp. described above (Fig. 30), but the tegumen is basally larger, the valvae are more elongate, the basal costal process is larger, and the phallus is medially bulged with a single strong cornutus in the vesica. The female genitalia (Figs 48, 49) are distinguished by the different shape of the papillae anales and 8th abdominal segment, shorter ductus bursae, and basally sclerotized corpus bursae.

DESCRIPTION (Fig. 12): Wingspan: holotype 16 mm, males 14-16 mm, females 18-20 mm. Labial palpi 3.5 x longer than widest diameter of eye, brown with dirty white base and short scales brown with paler bases. Maxillary palpi concolorous with labial palpi. Frons subconical, clearly produced, sandy yellow brown with small apical corneous point. Antennae bipectinate with well-developed black rami and costa greyish brown in males, simple and brown in females. Ocelli and chaetosemata well developed. Head creamy brown. Patagium medially creamy brown, laterally brown. Tegulae and thorax brown mixed with lighter scales. Abdomen sandy yellow with first tergite dirty white. Legs pale yellow, with tarsomeres lightly annulated brown; tibial spurs delicate, pale yellow. Forewings ground color sandy yellow with median area brown to greyish brown; hook moderate, marked with dark brown scales; costal area broad, sandy yellow; dorsal area concolorous, thin; median fascia broad, yellow, sometimes with distal margin brown; medial stripe short, ill-defined, white, ending in median fascia; subterminal area broad, sandy yellow with six blackish terminal dots between veins; fringes with short scales white with blackish apex, more contrasted in apical area, and long scales whitish with bronze brown apex in apical area, then uniformly bronze brown. Hindwings yellowish brown; fringes with short scales pale yellow and long scales dirty white. Sclerotizations of male abdominal segment VIII as shown in figure 31.

MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 31): Uncus 2.2 x as long as gnathos, slightly down curved, with rounded tip, with basal lateral rounded extensions and two lateral rows of setae, the apical more strongly developed. Gnathos rounded. Tegumen broad, subrectangular, with sclerotized margins. Juxta plate like. Vinculum with arms straight and narrow, with only a moderate lateral extension lightly sclerotized; base concave, thin, slightly projecting dorsally. Pseudosaccus small and subtriangular. Valvae elongate, with costa convex and sclerotized up to 2/3; costal process broad, finger like; proximal third of valva more strongly sclerotized and basally bulged; harpe with minute mediodistal tooth. Phallus 0.65 length of valva, medially bulged, with apex tri-lamellate; vesica with one strong and up-curved cornutus.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figs 48, 49): Papillae anales subtriangular, semi-fused dorsally, ventrally membranous, with dorsal sclerite thickened and spiny; setae mainly short and strong. Apophyses posteriores long and narrow. Abdominal segment VIII sclerotized, 0.6 x as long as apophyses posteriores, with tergal basal margin medially concave and distal margin moderately produced; membranous area of sternite narrow. Apophyses anteriores sclerotized, 1.2 x as long as apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae lightly sclerotized, slightly bulged. Ductus bursae reduced to 0.21 length of corpus bursae, lightly sclerotized. Corpus bursae suboval, basally lightly scobinate, basal 0.6 wrinkled and sclerotized, distally membranous and wrinkled; cottony basal expansion surrounding almost whole of ductus bursae. Ductus seminalis opening in proximal third of corpus bursae.

DISTRIBUTION: The new species is only known from the type locality in

Somalia.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO BASSI & MEY (2011)

Some errors and inaccuracies were made in this work and they are discussed here.