Urodeta cuspidis, Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2011

Sruoga, Virginijus & Prins, Jurate De, 2011, New species of Elachistinae (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zootaxa 3008, pp. 1-32 : 8-9

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.278510
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3509367
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BF87CD-4819-8F07-FF2E-FBFFFB59FE7F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Urodeta cuspidis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Urodeta cuspidis , sp. n.

( Figs 1, 3, 4 View FIGURES 1 – 5 , 56–63 View FIGURES 56 – 60 View FIGURES 61 – 63 )

Type material. Holotype: 3, CAMEROON, North Province, Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°25’N 012°47’E, 04.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5283, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 612 ( RMCA).

Paratypes: 13, same data as holotype. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5286, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 613 ( RMCA); 13, CAMEROON, North Province, Faro River Camp, 275 m, 08°23’N 012°49’E, 01.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5281, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 614 ( RMCA); 13, same locality, 09.v.2005, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 5284, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 615 ( RMCA).

Diagnosis. Urodeta cuspidis is a small, lightly-coloured species. In wing pattern and male genitalia, the new species is comparable to U. crenata , known from the same locality. However, the forewing in U. cuspidis is without two blackish brown spots. It differs from U. crenata in male genitalia mainly by the sharply angled sacculus, bilobed juxta, shape of the phallus and by the presence of cornuti.

Male ( Figs 56, 57 View FIGURES 56 – 60 ). Forewing length 2.4–2.8 mm; wingspan 5.6–6.1 mm (n=4). Head: Frons white; vertex and neck tuft white, weakly mottled with brown tips of scales; labial palpus short and straight, about 0.5 times as long as width of head, white; scape white, with few brown tipped scales; flagellum brownish grey, without clear annulations. Thorax, tegula and forewing strongly mottled with scales basally white and distally brown; fringe greyish. Hindwing brownish grey, its fringe paler.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 58–63 View FIGURES 56 – 60 View FIGURES 61 – 63 ). Uncus short, posterior margin weakly sclerotized. Basal arms of gnathos weakly sclerotized, spinose knob of gnathos small, slightly ovate. Valva short and broad; costa straight; ventral margin of sacculus convex, distally strongly concave, forming sharp angle when meeting cucullus; cucullus narrow and short, apex with small upcurved spine. Ventral shield of juxta with strongly sclerotized median ridge, juxta lobes twice as long as wide, with few very short setae near apex; lateral membranous extension of juxta lobe apically bilobed, partly surrounds phallus ( Fig. 63 View FIGURES 61 – 63 ). Vinculum U-shaped, narrow, strongly sclerotized. Phallus longer than valva, slightly bent, gradually tapered towards pointed apex; vesica with one large, straight, basally broad and distally pointed cornutus, and group of minute spines.

Biology. Unknown.

Flight period. Based upon the specimens available, adults fly in early May.

Distribution. So far this species is known only from the North Province of Cameroon ( Figs 1, 3, 4 View FIGURES 1 – 5 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin cuspidis (pointed end) in reference to the pointed apex of phallus.

Remarks. In the male genitalia the juxta apically is fused with the phallus, therefore during preparation, if the phallus is removed, the juxta lobes or entire juxta can be separated along with the phallus ( Fig. 59 View FIGURES 56 – 60 ).