Hystrichophora bopprei, 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 : 1884-1886

Hystrichophora bopprei sp. nov.

Description of adult ( Figure 3E )

Wingspan 11–22 mm. Head greyish white, frons darker, labial palpus clothed with dense grey scales; flagellum greyish fuscous, scape paler. Thorax and tegulae greyish white, tufts of oblique white scales on metathorax. Fore wing greyish white sometimes with a scattering of blackish scales, costa slightly arched, a series of short costal strigulae along its length, an elongate blackish discal spot and a narrow dark line above it, three dashes approximately creating an ocellus, termen brown, connected to one of the costal strigulae forming a Y-shape; terminal cilia greyish white, grey beneath apex. Hind wing pale grey, white basally. Abdomen white. Hind tibia clothed with white hairs, tibia of foreleg and midleg with pale grey scales.

This species differs from H. griseana in its smaller size and pronounced strigulae towards the apex, together with the dark ocellus-like markings.

Male genitalia ( Figure 11 ). Uncus paired, valva reduced to a curved digitate process, sacculus large, a strong point near base, two pointed projections in middle and a long, rounded process at apex; aedeagus long and curved, without cornutus.

Female genitalia ( Figure 12). Ostium moderate, antrum long and sclerotized for a greater distance on the right, ductus long, corpus bursae ovate, signum comprising a pair of sclerotized nodules.

Larva

Head pale brown, prothoracic plate pale brown with a white central division. Body and anal plate white. Lives within a domatium of Acacia zanzibarica or A. seyal var. fistula , feeding on its lining. Pupa within the domatium.

Distribution

Kenya, Tanzania.

Derivation

After Prof. Michael Boppré, who first reared the species.

Material examined

Holotype ♀ KENYA: Coast | Kwale Rd 4 ◦ 11 Ɩ 43 ƖƖ S 39 ◦ 32 Ɩ 41 ƖƖ E | l. in domatium of| A. zanzibarica | em. 22.i.2010 | D. J. L. Agassiz ( NMK); 3 paratypes: 1 ♂ same data, em. 4.i.2010 ( NMK), ♂ same data em. 21.i.2010, ♀ same data em. 5.i.2010; 1 ♀ Dar es Salaam 1961 B. Hocking ( BMNH).

Also ♀♀ same data as first listed em. 19.i.2010, 13.ii.2010, ♂♂ same data em. 15.i.2010, 7.i.2010, 10.xii.2004; ♀ KENYA: Rift Valley | Lake Bogoria 1000 m | l. in pseudogall of| A. seyal em. 22.i.2004, ♂♂ same data em. 20.xi.2005, 10.xii.2005, 16.xi.2005 ( DJLA slide No. 1178), ♂ Lake Bogoria 19.ii.1999, ♂ KENYA: Rift Valley | Lake Baringo 1000 m | i. vii.2000 ( DJLA). 4 ♀♀ Kenya: Coast Province , Kwale District, nr. Kibandasara , ex larva in gall of Acacia em. 5.iii.2004, M . Boppré BM Genitalia slide No. 32381 ( BMNH) .

Figures

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

Figure 11. Male genitalia of Hystrichophora bopprei.