Homaloxestis cholopis (Meyrick, 1906)

Park, Kyu-Tek, 2018, Three new genera and ten new species of the subfamily Lecithocerinae (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae) from Cameroon, Africa, based on material collected in 1913 - 18, Zootaxa 4415 (3), pp. 561-579 : 562-563

Homaloxestis cholopis (Meyrick, 1906)

( Figs. 1 , 5, 5a–b ).

Lecithocera cholopis Meyrick, 1906: 149 . TL: Myanmar. Homaloxestis cholopis ; Meyrick, 1925: 225.

= Homaloxestis lophophora Janse, 1954: 341 . TL: Pretoria.

= Homaloxestis surrepta Diakonoff, 1968: 130 . TL: Philippines.

Diagnosis. Male ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 16 mm. This species is similar to H. baibaraensis Park , but it can be distinguished by the male genitalia: outer margin of valva broadly convex medially with dense short, peg-like scales, whereas the margin has two distinct protrusions in the latter. Illustration of the male genitalia are given in the Figures 5 and 5a .

Material examined. 1♂, Cameroon, Efulen, H.L. Weber, Acc. C.M. 6122; Apr. 25 1916, gen . slide no. CIS- 6853; 1♂, same locality, H.L. Weber, Ac. 4938, May 10 1913 ; 1♂, same locality, H.L. Weber, Ac. 5251, Feb. 26 1914 ; 1♂, Gabon, W Africa, CM Acc. 4189, Nov. 9 1909, gen. slide no. CIS-6858.

Distribution. India, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, The Philippines, South Africa, and Cameroon.

Remarks. The male genitalia of H. cholopis Meyrick from South Africa illustrated by Janse (1954, Pl. CXLI, Fig 7 & CXLVIII, Fig. 6 ) are not those of this species (see illustrations by Clarke, 1965, 88, Pl. 44, Figs 1, 1a–b ), and represent an undescribed species. The male genitalia of H. cholopis from Cameroon show slight differences from those of the Oriental specimens from Vietnam and Taiwan, but the differences are considered to be within the range of intraspecific variation.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Adults and venation of Homaloxestis: 1, H.cholopis (Meyrick), with its label; 2, H. subpallida Meyrick, with its label; 3, H. rawlinsi sp. nov., holotype, with its label; 4, venation of H.rawlinsi, paratype.

FIGURES 5–7. Male genitalia of Homaloxestis: 5, H. cholopis (Meyrick); 5a, ditto, phallus; 5b, ditto, abdominal segments VII–VIII; 6, H. subpallida Meyrick; 6a, ditto, phallus; 6b, ditto, abdominal segments VII–VIII; 7, H. rawlinsi sp. nov.; 7a, ditto, phallus; 7b, ditto, abdominal segments VII–VIII.