New species of Urodeta Stainton, 1869 (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae, Elachistinae) from Ghana and Democratic Republic of the Congo, with identification keys to the Afrotropical species of the genus
Author
Sruoga, Virginijus
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5687-8299
Life Sciences Centre of Vilnius University, Saulėtekio str. 7, LT- 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
virginijus.sruoga@gmail.com
Author
Prins, Jurate De
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7637-5755
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
text
ZooKeys
2022
2022-03-11
1089
25
36
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1089.79716
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1089.79716
1313-2970-1089-25
247A782021274510A2BA5C8D0A03440E
C401974D34345C5F9FF6A65D2ECB091B
Urodeta bisigna
sp. nov.
Figs 3
, 4
, 15-18
Material examined.
Holotype
.
Congo
Dem. Rep. •
♀
;
Bas-Congo
, Nat. Res. Luki-Mayumbe,
05°27'S
,
13°05'E
;
320 m
alt.;
29 Mar. 2006
;
J. De Prins
leg., gen. prep. VS511.
Diagnosis.
Urodeta bisigna
is a small, lightly-coloured species, with indistinct wing markings. In female genitalia, the new species is comparable to Afrotropical species with vestigial apophyses and a comb-shaped signum consisting of few stout spines, i.e.,
U. maculata
(Mey, 2007) known from Namibia,
U. bucera
Sruoga & De Prins, 2011 and
U. talea
Sruoga & De Prins, 2011, known from Democratic Republic of the Congo. However,
U. bisigna
is distinguished most easily by its additional irregularly shaped signum.
Description.
Female
(Figs
15
,
16
). Forewing length 2.2 mm; wingspan 5.0 mm (
N
= 1).
Head
: frons, vertex and neck tuft creamy white, neck tuft weakly mottled with brown tipped scales; labial palpus vestigial, visible only as very short greyish extension; scape creamy white, mottled with brown tipped scales above, pecten creamy white; flagellum greyish brown, annulated with paler rings basally and slightly serrated apically.
Thorax
and tegula creamy white, mottled by brown tipped scales. Forewing: creamy white powdered with brownish creamy tipped scales. Denser grey brown scales forming two irregular patches: one in basal part of wing; other extending obliquely at 2/5 of costa towards tornus of wing. Blackish brown scales forming two small irregular spots: one at 2/5 of costa and other opposite at dorsum; fringe greyish white. Hindwing and its fringe pale brownish grey.
Figures 15-18.
Urodeta bisigna
sp. nov., female, holotype
15
habitus
16
head, fronto-lateral view
17
caudal part of female genitalia
18
ductus and corpus bursae.
Male.
Unknown.
Female genitalia
(Figs
17
,
18
). Papilla analis very short, ventral surface setose. Apophysis posterioris vestigial, visible only as tiny extension basolaterally, apophysis anterioris absent. Ostium bursae situated in membrane between sterna 7 and 8. Antrum and colliculum not distinct. Ductus bursae very long, spirally coiled in proximal 1/2. Corpus bursae with minute internal spines and two signa, one comb shaped, consisting of 5 stout teeth, slightly varying in size and few smaller spines; another signum irregularly shaped, with one short spine.
Biology.
Unknown.
Flight period.
Based on the specimen available, adults fly in March.
Distribution.
So far, this species is known only from western Democratic Republic of the Congo (Figs
3
,
4
).
Etymology.
The species name is derived from the Latin prefix
bi
(two), and signum in reference to presence of two signa in female genitalia.
Remarks.
The forewing in the holotype is somewhat abraded, therefore the description is approximate.