Cameraria sokoke, De Prins, 2012

Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), Zootaxa 3594 (1), pp. 1-283 : 51

The sokoke group

The sokoke group consists of two species: C. sokoke De Prins , n. sp. and C. zaira De Prins , n. sp. The forewing ground colour of this group is ochreous with white/black markings consisting of three transverse, sinuoid, clearly defined fasciae, directed towards apex. The fasciae possess prominent margins. The specimens of C. sokoke and C. zaira do not show significant external morphological differences, the holotype of C. zaira is too worn to detect differences in the colour scaling of the legs or other minor external differences. The hostplants of the sokoke group of species are unknown.

The male genitalia show quite a few very diverse characters: two apical appendages on tegumen which can be long horn-like ( C. zaira ) or median-sized setose ( C. sokoke ); transtilla incomplete; long vincular process and developed fultura superior in C. zaira ; and simple v-shaped vinculum in C. sokoke .

The female genitalia are unknown.

Key to the species of the sokoke group based on male genitalia

1. Tegumenal processes with rounded setose apices, valva bar-shaped, with slightly enlarged cuculli, anellus weakly developed, without fultura superior; saccus short, just a slight extension of caudal part of vinculum, blunt, aedoeagus cylindrical with rounded vesical part ( Figs 162, 164 )............................................................... 10. sokoke

– Apex of tegumen with two long, naked, horn-like processes, valva straight with very broadly enlarged diamond-shaped cuculli, fultura superior on anellus with two sinuate thick sclerotized appendices terminating with slender, sharp-ended, flexible, downwards bent apices; saccus long, about half length of valva, slender, aedoeagus slightly shorter than valva, slender and narrow, coecum enlarged, balloon-shaped, vesica gently bent, with a small cluster of tiny subapical cornuti ( Figs 165, 166 )....... 11. z aira

Figures

FIGURES 162–166. Male genitalia. Scale bar 100 µm. 162–164, Cameraria sokoke, holotype, genitalia prep. MRAC/KMMA 00385, in RMCA. 162, ventral view. 163, sternum VIII. 164, aedoeagus. 165–166, Cameraria zaira, holotype, genitalia prep. De Prins 3517, in MHNG. 165, ventral view. 166, aedoeagus.