Phereoeca praecox GOZMÁNY & VÁRI, 1973

Bippus, Maik, 2016, Praeacedes atomosella (WALKER, 1863) and Phereoeca praecox GOZMÁNY & VÁRI, 1973 - two case-bearing moths new to the Fauna of La Réunion (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 66 (2), pp. 159-163 : 160-161

Phereoeca praecox GOZMÁNY & VÁRI, 1973

Wingspan: 12,0–13,0 mm (Fig. 3, 4, 6, 7).

In continental Africa this species had been recorded from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia ( GOZMÁNY & VÁRI, 1973). More recently this species had been recorded from Australia ( ROBINSON & NIELSEN, 1993) and California, USA ( ARAKELIAN, 2010).

The adults collected in La Réunion have a wingspan of 12–13 mm (Fig. 3–4). Forewings are beige-brownish with 3 darker brownish markings. This species seems to be rarer than P. atomosella and only three female were bred from larvae .

Female genitalia: this species can be distinguished from other Phereoeca species by the triangular projections on the aphosyses (Fig. 7).

Specimen: 3 female, all ex-larvae: 11.vi.2015, 18.vi.2015 (gen.prep. RE-1895), 22.i.2016 .