Neaspasia brevisecta ( Meyrick, 1930 )

Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David J. L., 2014, Revision of African Neaspasia Diakonoff, 1989 and the related Conaspasia, n. gen. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), Zootaxa 3754 (2), pp. 117-132 : 123

Neaspasia brevisecta ( Meyrick, 1930) , comb. n.

( Figs. 9, 17, 18, 25)

Argyroploce brevisecta Meyrick, 1930: 601 .

Olethreutes brevisecta, Clarke 1958: 488 , pl. 243, figs. 2, 2a. Streblopotamia brevisecta, Razowski & Wojtusiak 2012: 77 , fig. 18.

Material examined. Holotype ♂ of Argyroploce brevisecta Meyrick ; BENIN: Agouë, 1884, Abbé Ménager, genitalia slide J.F. Gates Clarke 7061 ( BMNH).

IVORY COAST: 1 ♂ ca. 5 km S Nambonkaha, NNE Ferkéssedougou, 9 ° 41 ’N 5 ° 11 ’W, 30.vii. 1997, L[icht]F[ang] 25 W HQL, T. Karisch, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.030 ( MNVD); 1 ♂ 20 km E Bouaflé, Titekro loc. 6, 4.i. 1984, at light, R.T.A. Schouten & J.R.M. Buijsen, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.032 ( RMNH).

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 9). Head: Cream, neck tufts grey. Antenna dark grey, scape dirty white. Labial palpus ca. 1.7 times diameter of eye, cream; third segment drooping, nearly concealed by scaling of second segment. Thorax: Blackish brown. Legs light grey, tibiae and tarsi dark grey externally, light rings on tarsi, pencil of hind tibia pale ochreous. Wingspan 12–13 mm. Basal third of forewing blackish brown, external third cream, with light brown suffusion in middle of wing and in costal and terminal areas, grey suffusion present at apex, tornus and along termen, cilia grey; underside brownish grey, whitish along dorsal edge. Hindwing dark brownish grey. Cilia grey at apex, becoming whitish towards anal edge, from below apex cilia consist of rhopaloid scales. Hindwing underside with whitish patch along anal edge. Abdomen: Grey, anal tuft beige. Genitalia ( Fig. 25) with cucullus of valva with several strong teeth along ventral edge, ventral lobe without single conspicuous tooth¸ group of spines between caudal edge of sacculus and basal excavation smaller than in other species.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. The male of N. brevisecta differs from that of other Neaspasia by the dark hindwing with white rhopaloid scales along the dorsal edge. In the male genitalia the small group of spines on the sacculus is diagnostic.

Distribution. This species is known from Benin (holotype), Nigeria ( Razowski & Wojtusiak 2012), and Ivory Coast.