Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)
Author
Prins, Jurate De
Author
Kawahara, Akito Y.
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-12-20
3594
1
1
283
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3594.1.1
journal article
20704
10.11646/zootaxa.3594.1.1
79af20a5-77f9-4240-ac45-e27fab775ca1
11755334
6052126
B00799F3-F397-438C-B1E1-A8440E636921
57.
Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae
(
Vári, 1961
)
(
Figs 109, 110
,
273, 274
,
347, 348
,
408
)
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
—
Vári 1961: 216–217
; pl. 23, fig. 3; pl. 65, fig. 9; pl. 105, fig. 1; pl.112, fig. 6.
Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae
—
Vári & Kroon (1986: 76
, 136, 157),
Kroon (1999: 68
, 114),
Dall’Asta
et al
. (2001: 35)
,
Vári
et al
.(2002: 26)
,
De Prins & De Prins (2005: 341)
,
De Prins & Mozūraitis (2006
: figs 3, 7).
Diagnosis.
Phyllonorycter rhynchosiae
closely resembles
P. pavoniae
,
P. gozmanyi
,
P. farensis
,
P. fletcheri
,
and
P. mida
.
However, the species differs from the others belonging to the
rhynchosiae
species group in that the median fascia of
P. rhynchosiae
is strongly angulated both basally and apically. Male genitalia resemble those of
P. farensis
,
P. fletcheri
,
and
P. maererei
in having one sclerotized projection on the ventral surface of valva and long slender saccus and aedoeagus. A very broad transtilla in
P. farensis
separates this species from
P. rhynchosiae
. Three species have one ventral flap-like projection, originating at mid- or subapical sector of ventral margin of valva, narrow transtilla, long saccus and aedoeagus:
P. rhynchosiae
,
P. fletcheri
,
and
P. maererei
. Differences between
P. rhynchosiae
and the other two species are in the shape of valva, shape of valval projection and ratio of valval/saccus/aedoaegus length. Valva is 4.7× longer than broad in
P. rhynchosiae
and 4.0× in
P. maererei
. It is 2.7× longer than broad in
P. fletcheri
. Valval ventral projection in
P. rhynchosiae
harp-shaped, in
P. fletcheri
trapezoid shaped; it is hockey stick-shaped in
P. maererei
. Saccus in
P. rhynchosiae
is 1.4× longer than valva; it is 1.12–1.13× longer in
P. fletcheri
and
P. maererei
. Aedoeagus is more ca. 2× longer than valva in
P. rhynchosiae
and
P. fletcheri
and it is 1.7× longer in
P. maererei
. The ratio aedoeagus/saccus is 1.40 in
P. rhynchosiae
, 1.72 in
P. fletcheri
and 1.65 in
P. maererei
. The female genitalia of
P. rhynchosiae
are distinguished from
P. farensis
by the location of ostium bursae which is in the middle of VII segment in
P. farensis
and at the posterior margin of segment VII in
P. rhynchosiae
. The female genitalia of
P. fletcheri
and
P. maererei
are unknown.
Material examined.
Holotype
:
♂
, [1] [
South Africa
] ‘
Pretoria
/
14.iii.1949
/ [leg.]
L. Vári’
; [2] ‘Ac.[quisition] no.130’; [3] ‘3’; [4] ‘4’; [5] ‘HT’; [6] ‘G[enitalia] / 7122’; [7] ‘photo’; [8] ‘
Lithocolletis
/
rhynchosiae
Vári
/ ♂ HOLOTYPE No 6379’, in the
TMSA
.
Paratypes
: 3♂, 9♀ (including 2♂ and 2♀ genitalia preparations).
South Africa:
1♂, Pretoria, 15.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176; G[enitalia] 7124;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6385, in
TMSA
.
1 ♂, Hartebeestpoort Dam, P.[re]t[ori]a Dist.[rict], 11.ii.1955, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 1535; G[enitalia] 7498’;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6390, in
TMSA
.
1♀, Pretoria, 09.vi.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 165; G[enitalia] 7123; AT;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
ALLOTYPE No 6380, in
TMSA
.
1♀, Pretoria, 01.iii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 132; G[enitalia] 7125;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6386, in
TMSA
.
7 specimens, Pretoria, 16.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6381;
same locality data, 09.i.1951, [leg.] L. Vári;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6382;
same locality data, 30.vi.1952, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 529’;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6383;
same locality data 15.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 176,
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6384;
same locality data 23.vii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 176;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6387;
same locality data, 10.viii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] no. 176;
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6388;
same locality data, 12.iii.1949, [leg.] L. Vári, Ac.[quisition] No. 132,
Lithocolletis rhynchosiae
Vári
PARATYPE No 6389, in
TMSA
.
Additional material
:
South Africa
: 1♀ ‘Pretoria 15.viii.1949/ [leg.] L. Vári/ Ac[quisition]. no. 176’, in ZMHB. This specimen is not mentioned in the original description (
Vári 1961: 217
) but it bears exactly the same data as paratype no 6388 in the
TMSA
and it is labeled as a paratype in the
ZMHB
.
Redescription.
Adult
(
Figs 109, 110
). Forewing length: 3.0–3.3 mm.
Head:
Vertex tufted, with shorter golden ochreous scales directed anteriorly, appressed over anterior part of vertex, with longer, white, piliform scales posteriorly; frons shiny white. Labial palpi white with a few greyish scales on terminal palpomere. Antenna slightly shorter than forewing, pale ochreous greyish, not clearly ringed but with fuscous apical thirds of flagellomeres, ventrally whitish; scape white anteriorly and ochreous posteriorly; pedicel and first flagellomere white.
Thorax
: Ochreous with a curved white line anteriorly, tegulae ochreous with white apices. Forewing elongate, ground colour golden ochreous with some white scales at base, but not forming a line; white markings consisting one angulated fascia (in three paratypes fascia interrupted), two costal and two dorsal strigulae; fascia in middle of forewing angulated towards apex, edged with black scales basally and with a few black scales apically; first costal strigula at 3/4 triangular, not reaching middle of forewing, edged basally, second costal strigula at apex; first dorsal strigula at 1/4, oblique, running beyond midline of forewing, but not reaching costa, blackish-edged on both sides, second dorsal strigula opposite first costal strigula, triangular blackish-edged basally, dark brown scales dispersed in tornal sector. Hindwing pale greyish, slightly shiny; fringe very pale fuscous, with whitish apical halves. Fore femur suffused with dark fuscous, tibia dark fuscous with a median and subapical white patch on outer side, tarsomeres I and II white with dark fuscous apical halves, tarsomere III blackish fuscous, tarsomeres IV and V blackish fuscous in male, whitish or greyish in female. Mid-tibia dirty white with two oblique, narrow, ochreous fuscous lines at 1/3 and 2/3, tarsomere I dirty white with a basal and subapical dark fuscous patch, segment III with basal half, terminal tarsomere entirely dark fuscous. Hind coxa dirty white, hind tibia with a small subapical ochreous-fuscous patch on outer side, tarsomere I dirty white with a few dark fuscous scales near base, tarsomere II with a small apical fuscous patch, tarsomere III–IV dirty white, terminal tarsomere dark fuscous.
Abdomen
: Greyish fuscous dorsally, whitish, without conspicuous sex-scaling ventrally. Eighth sternum of male moderate, rounded caudally.
Male genitalia
(
Figs 273, 274
). Tegumen short membranous, truncate apically; tuba analis not protruding. Valvae symmetrical, valva moderate length, broadened at middle as a small bulge, slightly tapering towards cuculus, finely setose; ventral margin of valva starting from small bulge possesses well developed weakly sclerotized rounded caudally projection which is broader than subapical width of valva. Vinculum narrow, Ushaped, moderate sclerotized; saccus slender and very long, 1/3 longer than valva. Transtilla well developed, strongly sclerotized. Aedoeagus almost straight and very long, twice as long as valva and 1.5× as long as saccus.
Female genitalia
(
Figs 347, 348
). Papillae anales triangular gently rounded apically, sparsely covered with setae, basal bar broad, strongly sclerotized; a slender needle-like slerotized projection going from basal part of papillae anales and reaching anterior sector of segment VIII. Posterior apophyses strongly sclerotized, long, 3× as long as width of papillae anales, twice thicker at basal half, reach middle of anterior apothyses, with blunt apices. Segment VIII weakly sclerotized, well connected ventrally and dorsally. Anterior apophyses slender, almost straight, 1/3 shorter than posterior ones, reaching middle of segment VII. Antrum, simple, very short, weakly sclerotized, ostium bursae located at posterior margin of segment VII, circular, weakly sclerotized. A sterigmatic fold like cuticle sclerotization on segment VII. Ductus bursae very long, narrow, weaklysclerotized. Corpus bursae moderate, almost rounded with a large oval membranous area, set with short and fine spines and with a small circular, sclerotized stellate signum with 11 fine dentate margin and 11 small spines in middle.
Habitat.
Mines of
P. rhynchosiae
were collected on urban hills of Pretoria (above Pierneefstraat, in Meintjeskop, Adcockstraat, Hartbeespoortdam (Vári, unpublished notes No 0120 from 30/01/1949; No 0130 from 27/02/1949; 0165 from 31/05/1949; 0176 from 20/07/1949; 0529 from 07/06/1952; No 1300 from 30/05/1954; and No 1535 from 06/02/1955).
Host plant(s).
Fabaceae
:
Eriosema psoraloides
(Lam.) Baill.
,
Rhynchosia confusa
Burtt Davy
, and
Rhynchosia nitens
Benth. ex Harv.
—
Vári 1961: 217
,
Kroon 1999: 68
,
Dall’Asta
et al
. 2001: 35
,
De Prins & De Prins 2005: 341
.
Mine.
A rather small, oval, semi-transparent, infra tentiform mine, arbitrarily in disc, no distinct folds, fine black frass loosely throughout mine, but later used to cover the whitish cocoon; pupa protrudes through lower epidermis before adult emerges (
Vári 1961: 217
,
De Prins & De Prins 2005: 341
). Mining period is ca 7–15 days (Vári note No 0130 in manuscript notebook of 27/02/1949, No 0165 from 31/05/1949, No 0529 from 07/06/1952).
Flight period.
Specimens were collected during two periods of the year: from early January to mid-March and from early June to mid-August.
Distribution.
(
Fig. 408
). Presently known from South Africa (Pretoria city and the Hartebeespoort Dam in the suburb of Pretoria) (
Vári 1961: 217
).