Amphixystis taurus, Gaedike, 2014

Gaedike, Reinhard, 2014, On the Tineidae of the Southern Arabian Peninsula and Sudan (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 64 (2), pp. 193-219 : 205-206

Amphixystis taurus sp. n.

Holotype: , “ Yemen, Prov. Ta’izz, Wadi Warazan , 5 km NW Ar Rahidah, 27.iv. 1998, 1080 m [leg.] M. Fibiger et al.;” “Coll. ZMUC, Copenhagen Denmark;” “Gen. präp.[genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 6033;” “ Holotypus , Amphixystis taurus sp. n., det. R. Gaedike 2013;” ZMUC.

Derivatio nominis: Name refers to the shape of the two gnathos arms.

Diagnosis ( Fig. 24): Wingspan 9 mm; head brush pale creamy; antennae with dark grey-brown scape and grey-brown flagellum; labial palpi on inside creamy, on outside darker; thorax creamy, tegulae brown; forewings dark brown, from base to beginning of fringe and fringe creamy, forming the characteristic pattern of the genus; hindwings shiny light grey.

Male genitalia ( Figs 73-75 ): Tegumen broad, uncus absent; gnathos arms horn-like, strongly sclerotised, inner side more strongly sclerotised than outer side; vinculum broad, medially immersed, saccus thin, short; valvae with long apodemes, slender, apically rounded; phallus only 1/2 of the length of valva, thin, with one thorn-shaped cornutus.

Female genitalia: Unknown.

Remarks: The absent uncus, the horn-like gnathos arms and the small thorn-like cornutus are characteristics for this species.

Figures

Figs 67-75. 67: Crypsithyris unipuncta, ; 68-69: Ceratobia sudanica,  (68- Uncus-tegumen,valva; 69-phallus);70-71: Amphixystis minuta,  (70 - Uncus-tegumen-saccus; 71 - phallus; 72 - valva); 73-75: Amphixystis taurus,  (73 - Tegumen-gnathos-vinculum; 74 - phallus; 75 - valva).