Praeacedes atomosella (WALKER, 1863)

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

Praeacedes atomosella (WALKER, 1863)

Wingspan: 11,5–12,5 mm ( Fig. 1, 2, 5; Fig. 8, 9).

This pantropical species was described from Sierra Leone. It is also known from the Canary islands and Mediterranean islands ( Cyprus, Malta), Neotropical region ( Bermuda, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, southern United States), Oriental region ( India, Malaysia) ( DE PRINS & DE PRINS, 2015; ZIMMERMANN, 1978), Australia ( ROBINSON & NIELSEN, 1993) and Oceania ( Solomon Islands, Rapa) (ZIMMERMANN, 1978). Records from Africa include The Gambia and the neighboring islands of Mauritius and Madagascar ( DE PRINS & DE PRINS, 2015). ZIMMERMANN (1978) described and illustrated adults, male and female genitalia as well as its larvae & larval cases from Hawaii (as Praeacedes thecophora WALSINGHAM ).

The adults ( Fig. 1 –2) have a wingspan of 11,5–12,5 mm and its forewings are brownish fuscous. Its male genitalia is rather recognizable by its forked aedeagus and black gnathos (Fig. 9). Bursae of the female shows 2 irregular, oval signa ( Fig. 8b).

Specimen: more than 40 specimen were bred from larvae.

2015 - months: II, IV, VII (male, gen.prep. RE-1946), IX (female, gen.prep.RE-2116; male, gen.prep. RE-2108), X (female, gen.prep. RE-2182), XII.

2016 - months: I, II.