Eoophyla tripunctalis ( Snellen, 1872 ) Published, 2012

Agassiz, David J. L., 2012, The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa, Zootaxa 3494, pp. 1-73 : 47

Eoophyla tripunctalis ( Snellen, 1872) comb. n.

Cataclysta tripunctalis Snellen, 1872: 98 .

Argyractis triopalis Hampson, 1906: 377 .

Type locality: Congo: Congo Estuary.

Imago (Fig. 63): Wingspan 13–18mm. Head whitish; labial palpus with terminal segment whitish, long, slender and pointed; maxillary palpus conspicuous, pointed. Thorax whitish mixed ochreous. Forewing base whitish ochreous; a broad obscure yellowish antemedian fascia, whitish postmedially; terminal area yellow with a white costal subapical strigula edged fuscous on the outside; tornal spot elongate, pale leaden. Hindwing base whitish; a broad yellow antemedian fascia, doubly edged fuscous on outer side, then white with a broken double fuscous subterminal line; four black eye-spots interspersed with yellow wedges and with one or two irregularly placed bluish metallic dots; a silver grey tornal spot, terminal cilia fuscous, outer half paler.

Male genitalia (Fig. 123): Uncus evenly tapered; gnathos ¾ length of uncus, slender, set with spines near apex; valva with costa and dorsum evenly curved, a single specialised seta arising from near apex, bent sharply inwards; juxta long and narrow with very slight serrations along sides; aedeagus narrow, simple, apical fifth clothed with fine spines. Segment 8 (Fig. 123c) with a sclerotised plate which is long and narrow with a central digitate projection at the posterior end.

Female genitalia (Fig. 180): Ostium wide, antrum at first almost cylindrical then reduced by sclerotised scobinate ridges to the colliculum; corpus bursae long, weak, sausage shaped bearing a pair of weakly sclerotised spiculate ridges. Overall length of bursa 2/3 length of abdomen.

Tympanal organs: Venulae divergent, waisted near tympanals; tympani narrow, protruding forwards.

Diagnosis: Distinguished by the white outer part of the hindwing and yellow dorsum of forewing; in the male genitalia by the single specialized seta from the valva and distinctly shaped plate on sternum 8.

Biology: Unknown

Distribution: West Africa: Sierra Leone to Nigeria.

Material examined: Lectotype ♂ Africa| Banana| V.Woerden (Naturalis, Leiden)

Holotype ♂ of triopalis Hampson. Sierra Leone | W.G. Clements | 99–116|BM genitalia slide No. 21358 ( BMNH); 4 paratypes: 1♂ and 2♀ same data, one ♀ 13.v.1895, 1♀ Old Calabar | S.D. Crompton | 1901–165. One specimen labeled “ Type ” Warri | ix.99 | ( Dr Roth ).

SENEGAL: 1♀ Sedhiou ; SIERRA LEONE: 3♀ Bo inc. B.M. Pyralidae genitalia slide 21248 ; 1♂ Freetown ; NIGERIA: 5♂ 2♀ Warri (as “ type ”), B.M. Pyralidae genitalia slides 21243 ♀, 21246 ♂ ; CÔTE D’IVOIRE: 2♂ 2♀ Adiapo-Doune ; GHANA: 1♀ Bibianaha : NIGERIA: 1♀ Ilesha, Makurdi, 1♂ Lagos; 4♀ Port Harcourt ( BMNH) .