Protolychnis petiliella Park, 2020

Park, Kyu-Tek & Koo, Jun-Mo, 2021, A new genus Viperinus Park with descriptions of two new species, and two new species of the genus Protolychnis Meyrick, 1925 (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Lecithoceridae) in Kenya and Tanzania, with a checklist of the world species, Zootaxa 4985 (3), pp. 359-370 : 368

Protolychnis petiliella Park, 2020

Protolychnis petiliella Park, 2020: 270 .

Material examined. • 1♂, Tanzania, Tamga , Amani 5°6′2″S 38°39′10″E, 1,500 ft, 25.iv.2001, DJL Agassiz, gen. slide no. CIS-7476, in NHMUK .

Diagnosis. This species is superficially very similar to P. maculata , P. natalensis and P. oculiella , but it can be distinguished from the species mentioned above by the male genitalia: 1) uncus more clavate distally with rounded apex, but relatively less clavate distally in P. maculata , acute distally in P. natalensis and gradually narrowed toward rounded apex in P. oculiella ; 2) two caudal processes of juxta symmetrical, much longer than tegumen, sickle-shaped with pointed apex, but relatively squat, nearly same length as teguman in P. maculata , asymmetrical, left one much longer than right one, relatively squat in P. natalensis ; 3) saccus long, sharply narrowed toward basal 1/2, but much wider, gradually narrowed distally in P. maculata and P. natalensis and much shorter, about 0.5 times in P. oculiella ; 4) aedeagus narrow and sharply arched in basal 2/5, whereas in the latter, gently arched.

Remarks. The species was described from Uganda and is herein reported for the first time from Tanzania. The habitus and genitalia of both sexes were recently illustrated by Park & Koo (2020).

Distribution. Uganda, Tanzania (new record).