Coleophora suavis Baldizzone & van der Wolf, 2020

Baldizzone, Giorgio & Van Der Wolf, Hugo W., 2020, On the taxonomy of Afrotropical Coleophoridae (IV). New or little known species from South Africa (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae), Zootaxa 4816 (2), pp. 151-170 : 160-161

Coleophora suavis Baldizzone & van der Wolf , sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Holotype ♂ ( Wf 10664) “Du Toits Kloof | Paarl Distr. | 22.X.1967 | Vári & Potgieter”, coll. TMSA.

Diagnosis. Small species, similar in habitus and male genitalia to the South African C. elegans Baldizzone & van der Wolf, 2015 and to C. blandula Baldizzone, 2019 , which are the closest species ( Fig. 33 ). From the latter species the most evident differences are the following: in C. suavis , the cucullus is narrower at the base and wider at the apex, the sacculus is more sclerotized, broad and with a more obtuse external side and shorter protuberance at the ventral angle, the phallotheca is less sclerotized and the cornuti are longer, less numerous, and gathered in a longer cluster.

Description. Wingspan 9 mm. Head white, creamy suffused dorsally. Antenna ringed white and brown; scape white whit short erected scales. Labial palpus white, slender; second article about 0.5 times the third. Haustellum well developed. Thorax and tegula white, slightly suffused with cream. Forewing falcate, creamy-coloured, with white streaks along costa, from cell to apex, anal fold, from base to middle of disc, and basal part of dorsum; costal cilia white except apex brown; dorsal cilia light ochre. Hindwing and cilia light ochre. Abdomen white.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 30, 32, 33 ): Gnathos knob globular. Tegumen slightly constricted in middle, pedunculus short. Transtilla short, linear. Valvula irregular in shape, weakly sclerotized. Cucullus short, much narrower at base than at apex, ear-shaped. Sacculus large, ventral edge curved, with short pointed tip. Phallotheca long, conical, with sides slightly more sclerotized. Numerous cornuti of different length gathered in curved cluster, about 2/3 length of vesica.

Female genitalia: Unknown.

Abdominal structures ( Fig. 31 ): No posterior lateral struts. Transverse strut thicker and curved in middle. Tergal disk (3 rd tergite) about three times longer than wide, covered with about 40 conical spines.

Bionomy. The early stages and the foodplant are unknown.

Distribution. South Africa, Western Cape Province.

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin suavis = “sweet”, and refers to habitus of the species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Adults of Coleophora spp. 1, C. halmodes Meyrick - ♂ “Umtali | Rhodesia | 7.I.[19]18” (photo: Alessandro Giusti, © NHMUK). 2, C. stenoptera Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., holotype ♂. 3, C. swaziella Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., holotype ♂. 4, C. armata Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., holotype ♂. 5, C. suavis Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., holotype ♂. 6, C. venusta Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., holotype ♂.

FIGURES 30–33. Male genitalia of Coleophora spp. 30, C. suavis Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov., GP Wf 10664, holotype. 31, idem, abdominal segments 1–6. 32, idem, enlarged detail of valva and phallotheca. 33, C. blandula Baldizzone, 2019, same detail, GP Bldz 16234, holotype.