Alucita romieuxi Ustjuzhanin et Kovtunovich, 2020

Ustjuzhanin, P. Ya., Kovtunovich, V. N. & Streltzov, A. N., 2020, New species of many-plumed moth (Lepidoptera: Alucitidae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russian Entomological Journal 29 (2), pp. 199-202 : 202

Alucita romieuxi Ustjuzhanin et Kovtunovich , sp.n.

Figs 1–2 .

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂, ( MHNG gen.pr. 202005), Democratic Republic of Congo, Ht Katanga, Tshinkolobwe , 25.I. [19]31, J. Romieux leg.

DESCRIPTION: External characters ( Fig. 1 ). Head, thorax and tegula white. Antenna light grey. Labial palpus white, twice longer than longitudinal eye diameter, directed forward and slightly up, second segment interspersed with grey scales. Wingspan 10 mm. Wings snow-white, longitudinal light brown portions of scales along lobes of all wings. These portions longer and more contrast on fore wing, shorter and less contrast on hind wing. Fringe of white hairs. Hind leg white.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 2 ). Uncus evenly wide, apically flat. Gnathos short, thin, apically uncinately curved. Valve narrow, membranous. Anellus arms short, wide. Saccus arched. Aedeagus robust, slightly longer than all genital structure, with two large spiky cornuti.

Female unknown.

DIAGNOSIS. In the white colour of the wings and in the longitudinal brown portions of scales on the lobes, the new species resembles to Alucita snezhinka Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2018 , but differs in the less contrast light brown portions of scales which are short on the hind wings. In the male genital structure, the new species is close to Alucita crococyma (Meyryck, 1937) in the similar shape of the uncus. In the large aedeagus exceeding all the genital apparatus, the new species is similar to A. snezhinka , but differs in the uncus and gnathos structure, and in the anellus arms.

FLIGHT PERIOD: January.

ETYMOLOGY. The species is named after the Swiss entomologist Jean Romieux (1893–1951), who collected its specimens.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Alucita romieuxi, sp.n.: 1 — adult, male, holotype; 2 — male genitalia, holotype (MHNG gen.pr. 202005). Рис. 1–2. Alucita romieuxi, sp.n.: 1 — имаго, самец, голотип; 2 — гениталии самца, голотип (MHNG gen.pr. 202005).