Alucita udovichenkoi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2019

Kovtunovich, Vasiliy, Ustjuzhanin, Petr & Streltzov, Alexander, 2019, New species of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera: Alucitidae) from the Republic of South Africa, Ecologica Montenegrina 26, pp. 1-3 : 2-3

Alucita udovichenkoi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–3)

Type material: Holotype, male, ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1917) Rep. S. Africa, Mpumalanga, Lows Creek Lodge, S 25°40’ E 31°16’, h 470 m, 12–14.ii.2019, leg. V. Kovtunovich, P. Udovichenko & S. Knyazev . Paratypes: 2 males, ( CUK), same data as holotype .

External characters

Head and thorax with clinging white scales. Labial palpus slightly bent up, 1,5 times longer than longitudinal eye diameter, interspersed with brown scales from the outer side, pure white from the inner side. Third segment thin, apically tapered and sharp. Antenna pale yellow, distinctive black spot in front of scape. Wingspan 11–12 mm. Wings white with portions of brown scales and hairs. Along costal edge, a series of elongated spots basally dark brown, almost black, medially and distally pale brown. In middle of sixth lobe of fore wing, closer to its base, a distinctive dark brown elongated spot. Well expressed wide pale brown band medially on fore wing. On hind wing, small spots of brown scales throughout all six lobes. Dark brown spots of scales apically on lobes of all wings. Fringe on wings with alternating portions of light and brown hairs. Hind leg white.

Male genitalia. Uncus long, narrow over the entire length. Gnathos short, poorly expressed. Anellus arms short, narrow and straight. Aedeagus robust, bigger than all genital structure, almost straight, basally noticeably widened, a large spiky cornutus medially, a smaller cornutus distally.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. In the male genitalia, by the absence of the valves and by the elongated saccus, the new species slightly resembles Alucita fokami Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2018 , described from Mount Cameroon ( Ustjuzhanin et al. 2018), but differs by the narrow uncus and by the structure of the aedeagus, gnathos and anellus. Additionally, the new species differs externally from A. fokami by a totally different color of the wings.

Distribution: Republic of South Africa: Mpumalanga province.

Etymology. The species is named after the Russian entomologist Pavel Udovichenko (Moscow), participant of numerous expeditions in South Africa.