Phyllocnistis magalismontani Triberti & Staude & Sharp & Lopez-Vaamonde 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Triberti, Paolo
name: Staude, Hermann
name: Sharp, Ian
name: Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gracillariidae
Phyllocnistis
Phyllocnistis magalismontani

description: 30. Phyllocnistis magalismontani Triberti & Lopez-Vaamonde sp. nov.
(Figs 31C, 32, 52–54, 58–59, 87)
Holotype: ♂, South Africa, Mpumalanga, Hoedspruit, Mariepskop farm, Blyde River Picnic Site, Englerophytum magalismontanum, mn 9/xi/14, pup 10/xi/14, em 15/xi/14, A. & I. Sharp leg., (rearing: M935), slide TRB4511♂.
Paratype: 1♀, South Africa, Limpopo, Hoedspruit, mn 9/xi/14, pup 10/xi/14, em 15/xi/14, Englerophytum magalismontanum, A. & I. Sharp leg., CLV7579, slide TRB4364♀.
Etymology. The name of this species derives from the specific name of the hostplant, magalismontanum, declined in the genitive.
Diagnosis. The forewing pattern of P. magalismontani allows for easy distinction of this species from other Afrotropical Phyllocnistis species. There are three large dark blotches present on the thorax, proximal, and median regions of the forewing.Additionally, there is an unmarginated strip of white scales, which is not very visible, instead of a true longitudinal fascia (lf). The male and female genitalia do not differ from those typical of the genus.
Description of adult. Forewing length ranging from 2.9 to 3.0 mm (n = 2). Head. Vertex and frons descaled with traces of pale-yellow scales; labial palpus pale yellow, ~0.3 mm; antenna yellowish grey, scape brownish above, flagellomeres slightly ringed with grey colour. Thorax. Pale yellow, a dark blotch on the dorsum of mesothorax sometimes forming, together with the dark brownish basal area of the forewing, a showy transversal band. Patagia dark brown, tegulae speckled with the same colour. Legs greyish white, midtarsus with tarsomeres 3-5 spotted with dark brown. Wings. Forewing (Fig. 32) ground colour pale yellow more intense or slightly orange in the apical area; longitudinal fascia (lf) absent or barely indicated by white unmarginated scales; basal dark blotch at the junction of the wing with the thorax, which continues very thin along the costal margin up to half of the wing; second dark blotch at 1/3 of wing, near costal margin, rounded along proximal margin and then fringed distally, sometimes crossed longitudinally by a white fascia; a fine oblique dark fuscous line (tf1) from middle of costa, curved outward, short, preceded by a white area, tf2 at 2/3, originating from cilia, straight and crossing the wing entirely, tf3 missing, tf4 joined to fringe line; three costal strigulae present, the first emerging from tf2, the second not associated with any transversal fascia, the third from tf4; apical point with four apical strigulae, preceded by a white area. Hindwing white grey, cilia white. Abdomen. In male, segment VII and VIII deeply retracted into the VI in ordinary condition; segment VII slightly smaller than previous one; segment VIII membranous, about 1/3 length of coremata, ventroproximal margin finely sclerotized, provided laterally with a pair of long and slender apodemes, about 0.5 length of valva, which extend caudally into segment VII; a pair of long and slender coremata are everted in the VIII-IX intersegmental membrane, about twice as long as segment VII (Fig. 54). In female (Figs 58, 59) sternum VII slightly reduced in length compared to tergum, with thickened anterior margin; tergum VIII reduced to a narrow transverse band. Male genitalia (Fig. 53). Tegumen membranous, slender, spinose ventro-basally, about the same length of valvae, fused along the cephalic margin with a narrow sclerotized transverse bar; vinculum well developed, U-shaped; valva about 1.6 length of vinculum, thin, slightly curved medially and rounded in the apical 1/6, basal apodeme straight; phallus (Fig. 52) 1.22 length of valva, with a weakly sclerotized phallobase about 0.4 long of phallus, almost totally striated longitudinally; aedeagus membranous with a slight longitudinal thickening, the basal third marked by thin transversal pleats; vesica without cornuti; anellus membranous, long and tubular. Female genitalia (Fig. 58). Anterior apophyses about the same length as the posterior, anal papillae covered with piliform setae and microtrichia; ostium bursae opening in posterior margin of sternum VII; antrum and ductus membranous, the latter not visible in its entire length; corpus bursae with two fusiform signa, closely similar in shape and size, about as long as the anterior apophyses, more distal signum slightly shorter than proximal one, each with a single, short, median projection (Fig. 59).
Biology. Euglerophytum magalismontanum (Sond.) T. P. Penn (Sapotaceae) (Fig. 87).
Distribution. South Africa (Limpopo).
DNA barcodes. A single barcode for the specimen CLV7579 BIN BOLD: AEC6204; the nearest neighbour is BIN BOLD: ACX5473, identified as Phyllocnistis populiella (Chambers, 1875).
description: Published as part of Triberti, Paolo, Staude, Hermann, Sharp, Ian & Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos, 2024, Exploring the diversity of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) in South Africa: host plants, distribution, and DNA barcoding analysis, with the description of nine new species, pp. 1-51 in Zootaxa 5529 (1) on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5529.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14021754