Afrikanetz kruegeri Yakovlev, 2021

Yakovlev, Roman V., 2021, Afrikanetz kruegeri - New species of Cossinae (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from Namibia, Ecologica Montenegrina 40, pp. 125-127 : 126-127

Afrikanetz kruegeri Yakovlev , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:815440BE-A239-4295-87B6-A1E5D4DF6799

Figs 1−2

Material. Holotype, male, Namibia [Kunene Region], Marple [Marble] Hill Camp , S 18º18.458′ / E 13º76.123′, 15.ix. 2010, 850 m, leg. J. Cave & T.A. Newton- Chance (Museum Witt, Munich, slide Genitalpräparat Heterocera Nr. 26.771).

Description. Length of fore wing 13 mm. Antenna bipectinate, crest processes 4 times longer than antenna rod diameter. Fore wing grey, dark-grey and black strokes and spots throughout all wing area, thin reticulated pattern postdiscally, blurred ocher round spot at top of discal cell, fringe mottled, brown at veins, light-grey between veins. Hind wing white with fine blurred grey reticulated pattern, fringe light-grey.

Male genitalia. Uncus long, thin, uncinately bent at apex; gnathos arms relatively short, thin; gnathos small, compact, its surface densely covered with small spikes; valve gradually narrowing from base to medium third, distal half with parallel edges, apex blunt, membranous, three well expressed sclerotized ribs on costal edge; transtilla processes very long, thin, uncinately curved; juxta small, with long robust lateral processes diverged at an angle of 90º; saccus small, semicircular; phallus slightly longer than valve, poorly curved, obliquely cut apically, two small spikes at distal end on abdominal surface, vesica aperture in dorsoapical position, equals to 1/6 of phallus in length, vesica without cornuti.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. In the small size and color, the new species is most close to the recently described A. dargei Yakovlev, 2019 (Type locality: Tanzania, Arusha Region, Mt. Meru), from which it clearly differs in the longer uncus (in A. dargei the uncus is shorter), more expressed ribs on the costal edge of the valve (in A. dargei the ribs on the costal edge of the valve are less expressed), the smaller saccus (in A. dargei he saccus is very big) and the thicker phallus (in A. dargei the phallus is thin).

Etymology. The new species is named after my colleague Dr. Martin Krüger (1964−2019) ( Fig. 3 ), a prominent south-African entomologist and the former director and curator of the entomological collection in Ditsong Museum (Pretoria), who made a great contribution into the study of Geometridae , Erebidae and several other groups of African moths ( Staude 2019). Martin kindly received me at the museum and provided constant assistance in my study of Cossidae in Africa.

Figures

Figure 3. Dr. Martin Krüger (2016) in Ditsong Museum (photo by Alexei Prozorov).

Figures 1−2. Afrikanetz kruegeri Yakovlev, sp. n., holotype: 1. Adult specimen; 2. Male genitalia (Genitalpräparat Heterocera Nr. 26.771).