Melouia krooni, Agassiz, 2022

Agassiz, David, 2022, The tribe Cybalomiini (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Glaphyrinae) of sub-Saharan Africa, Zootaxa 5174 (2), pp. 101-156 : 122

Melouia krooni sp. n.

Imago (fig. 26): Wingspan 15 mm. Head pale ochreous, maxillary palpus (of male) curved inwards, just longer than diameter of eye, labial palpus upcurved, just shorter than maxillary palpus, antenna dull ochreous, weakly annulate. Thorax and tegulae pale ochreous. Forewing pale ochreous, a very weakly defined subbasal fascia without black spot, antemedian and postmedian fascias curved, each whitish edged pale brown, a spot before apex dark fuscous preceded by white, a narrow white band before dark fuscous terminal line, fringe fulvous. HIndwing base pale ochreous, antemedian and postmedian curved fascias as forewing but dark fuscous scaling in middle; termen pale fulvous.

Male genitalia (fig. 67): Uncus rounded, gnathos 4/5 length of uncus, valva comprising two arms, one long and almost straight, the other curved and ⅔ length of the longer one, tegumen surrounded dorsally by a broad ‘shield’; aedeagus just longer than valva with a cornutus in the form of an irregular plate.

Female genitalia: not known.

Diagnosis: Superficially similar to M. aspidophoralis but lacking the black dot near dorsum on subbasal fascia.

Life history: not known.

Derivation: Named after the captor Dr Douglas Kroon.

Distribution: Known from the type locality, Limpopo, South Africa, the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.

Type material: Holotype ♂ [ SOUTH AFRICA] Entabeni Forest, 23.i.1985 D.M. Kroon, genitalia slide DJLA 1743 ( TMSA); ZIMBABWE: 1♀ Manicaland, Upper Bvumba 1680 m 19° 07’ 15” S 32° 46’ 10” E 3.xi.2016 D. Agassiz & K. Larsen ( DJLA); ETHIOPIA: Oromia Harena Forest 16 km S of Forest Lodge N 06° 37.270 E 39° 44.259 LF 1850 m leg. R. Fiebig & D. Stadie.