Hystrichophora griseana, Agassiz, 2011

Agassiz, David J. L., 2011, The Lepidoptera of Acacia domatia in Kenya, with description of two new genera and six new species, Journal of Natural History 45 (29 - 30), pp. 1867-1893 : 1881-1884

Hystrichophora griseana sp. nov.

Description of adult ( Figure 3F )

Wingspan 23–25 mm. Head and appendages pale grey, labial palpus densely scaled, segment 3 short and pointing downwards; thorax and tegulae pale grey. Fore wing pale grey irrorate white and fuscous, an obscure white streak in disc, costa marked with many small, indistinct strigulae, termen sinuate edged with a broken, dark fuscous line, a small white spot in apex, terminal cilia pale grey, whiter basally. Hind wing uniform pale greyish fuscous, cilia as fore wing. Legs grey, hindleg with a tuft of long whitish scales.

Differs from H. bopprei in its larger size and largely plain fore wings.

Male genitalia ( Figure 9 ). Uncus paired, strongly sclerotized; valva reduced to a curved digitate process, sacculus large, asymmetrical, strongly sclerotized, right side extended into a narrower process than left side. Aedeagus evenly curved through 90 ◦, strongly sclerotized, without cornutus.

Female genitalia ( Figure 10). Ostium wide, antrum asymmetrical and short, corpus bursae with a signum comprising a pair of angled tapering plates.

Larva

Whitish, head and prothoracic plate pale brown, living within a domatium of Acacia drepanolobium , usually beneath a tough membrane to give protection from ants. Pupa within the domatium, protruding on emergence.

Distribution

Kenya.

Derivation

From the Latin griseus meaning grey.

Material examined

Holotype ♂ KENYA: Laikipia | Mpala Res. Centre| 0 ◦ 17 Ɩ 27 ƖƖ N 36 ◦ 53 Ɩ | 52 ƖƖ E 1700 m | l. in domatium of| A. drepanolobium | em. 16.iv.2010 | Agassiz, Kioko,| Mugambi & Ngugi to be deposited in NMK; paratypes: 1 ♂ same locality, em. x.2006 | M. Stanton et al.( NMK); 1 ♂ same data + DJLA slide No 1175.

Also 1 ♀ Kenya: Nairobi, C. I. E. A6574 BM Genitalia slides 16598 and ( BMNH), 1 ♀ KENYA: Central | Naro Moru 6500 ft | 28.xii.1999 | D. J. L. Agassiz, 1 KENYA: Rift Valley | Naivasha 1700 m | 0 ◦ 48 Ɩ S, 36 ◦ 25 Ɩ E | l. in domatium of A. drepanolobium | em. 19.v.2010 | Kioko, Mugambi| & Ngugi, 1 ♀ KENYA: Laikipia | Mpala Ranch 1700 m | 0 ◦ 17.806 Ɩ N, 36 ◦ 51.927 Ɩ E | l. in domatium of| A. drepanolobium | em. vi.2010 | Agassiz, Kioko,| Mugambi & Ngugi .

Figures

Figure 3. (A) Phthoropoea chalcomochla; (B) Endotera nodi; (C) Kenyatta iodes; (D) Hystrichophora vittana; (E) Hystrichophora bopprei; (F) Hystrichophora griseana;

Figure 9. Male genitalia of Hystrichophora griseana.