Ptilothyris serangota Meyr., E. Meyrick 1932
Creators: name: Park, Kyu-Tek
name: Mey, Wolfram
name: Koo, Jun-Mo
name: Prins, Jurate De
name: Cho, Soowon
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lecithoceridae
Ptilothyris
Ptilothyris serangota

description: 4. Ptilothyris serangota Meyrick, 1932
(Figs. 7 A–I)
Ptilothyris serangota Meyrick, 1932: 205. TL: Uganda. [NHMUK]
Ptilothyris serangota ab. cyanea Ghesquière, 1940: 107. syn. nov.
Diagnosis. Adult (Figs. 7 A–C). Forewing length 9–10 mm. Ptilothyris serangota is superficially similar to the type species, P. purpurea, in pattern, but it can be distinguished from the latter by the white hyaline patch on the hind wing, which is extended longitudinally from near base to near apex. Male abdomen (Fig. 7I) has spinous zones on tergites; with a pair of long hair-pencils along the anterior margin of segment VIII, twice longer than length of segment VII. Female abdomen is not modified as above.
Male genitalia (Figs. 7 D–H). Uncus broadened distally, fan-shaped, slightly emarginated mesially along caudal margin. Basal plate of gnathos trifurcate; median lobe semi-ovate, slightly longer than the lateral lobes, and often exceeding caudal margin of uncus; lateral lobes heavily sclerotized, curved mesiad; median process strongly curved beyond middle, acute at apex. Valva elongate nearly parallel-sided basally; costa slightly expanded near base, concave medially; cucullus elongate, produced apically, subtriangular, with dense setae along lower margin. Dorso-caudal processes of juxta asymmetrical, left one short, triangular; right one long, sickle-shaped, slightly curved inwardly; with a minute triangular process on left lateral margin and a well-developed ventral process on right lateral margin near base. Vinculum band-like, well sclerotized. Phallus very slender, narrowed apically, about the same length of valva; cornutus absent (Figs. 7E, H).
Material examined. [NHMUK]: 1♂ (holotype), Uganda, M36, Masuba[?] Rd., 3 iv 1931, G.H.E. Hopkins, 3 iii 1949, gen. slide no. BM-9133/Clarke, Ptilothyris serangota, TYPE, E. Meyrick, det., M3305; 1♂, Kampala, 16 vi 1931, H. Hargreaves; Brit. Mus. 1939-70; Ptilothyris serangota Meyr., E. Meyrick det.; 1♂, Uganda, Kampala, HH, 22 xii [19]30, Ptilothyris serangota, 2/1, E. Meyrick, det. In Meyrick Coll,; 1♀, Kampala, 14. xii. 1934 G.H.E. Hopkins, Brit. Mus. 1937-286, Ptilothyris serangota Meyr., E. Meyrick det.; 1♀, Catelle Rd., 31 i 1932, G.H.E. Hopkins, Ptilothyris serangota, 2/2, E. Meyrick, det. In Meyrick Coll.; 1♂, Ghana, Bia N.P. 170–640 m, Bonga Camp. 6˚33ʹN, 3˚5ʹW, 23 i 2009, leg. U. Dall’Asta; De Prins Coll. BMNH (E), 2014-125. [RMCA]: 1♂, DR Congo, Rutshuru, vii 1937, det. J. Ghesquière, Ptilothyris serangota Meyr., ab. cyanea Ghesq., 1940, R. Det. K. 4409. [MfN]: 1♂, Uganda, Mpigi, Mpanga Forest, 25–30 xi 2014, leg. W. Mey, gen. slide no. CIS-7070.
Distribution. Uganda, Ghana, DR Congo.
Remarks. In the collection of RMCA, a male specimen labeled as “ TYPE ” determined as caerulea Ghesquière, 1940 is deposited. We are sure that the name of “ Ptilothyris serangota Meyr. ab. caerulea Ghes., 1940” was erroneously written by Ghesquière. The name caerulea Ghesquière on the label is probably a name erroneously written, instead of cyanea Ghes. in the publication. This is probably the same kind of mistakes by Ghesquière, 1940 as noted in P. porphyrea. The name, cyanea Ghes., is synonymized with P. serangota Meyrick herein.
The right caudal projection of an additional specimen (Figs. 7F, G) is shorter than that of the type, but it is considered as an infraspecific variation.
description: Published as part of Park, Kyu-Tek, Mey, Wolfram, Koo, Jun-Mo, Prins, Jurate De & Cho, Soowon, 2019, Revision of the genus Ptilothyris Walsingham, 1897 (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Lecithoceridae), with descriptions of eight new species from Africa, pp. 201-235 in Zootaxa 4567 (2) on page 212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4567.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2594859