Athrips macrosignella Bidzilya & Aarvik & Agassiz 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bidzilya, Oleksiy V.
name: Aarvik, Leif
name: Agassiz, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Athrips
Athrips macrosignella

description: Athrips macrosignella sp. nov.
Type material. Holotype ♁, Kenya, Rift valley, Mpala Research Station, 26-28.xi.2008 (L. Aarvik, D. Agassiz, A. Kingston) (gen. slide NHMO 2336, O. Bidzilya) (NHMO). Paratypes: 1 ♁, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype (gen. slide NHMO 2337 ♀, O. Bidzilya) (NHMO).
Diagnosis. Athrips macrosignella sp. nov. is somewhat similar to A. spinosum sp. nov.. externally but differs in absence of brown spot on 1/3 of dorsum. The male genitalia are recognizable by having a triangular process on the cucullus. In A. spinosum sp. nov. the process on the cucullus is longer and narrower, sacculus and phallus are of quite different shape. A large uniformly sclerotized triangular signum is unique among species of Athrips.
Description. Adult (Fig. 4). Wingspan 11.5 mm. Head light brown, smooth, labial palpus recurved, palpomere 2 light brown with dark brown medial belt, inner surface uniformly light brown, palpomere 3 light brown with two dark brown rings, about half as wide and 2/3 length of palpomere 2, antennal scape light brown, flagellomeres light brown, ringed with dark brown; thorax same as head; tegulae light brown densely mixed with dark brown; ground colour of forewing yellowish brown to ochreous brown, costal margin, termen and cell irregularly mixed with brown, diffuse slender oblique line from base of costa to nearly 1/4 of dorsum, short oblique fascia from 2/3 of costa to mid width, diffuse elongate brown spot on 2/3 of costa, distinct brown spot on 2/3 near dorsum, cilia grey; hindwing and cilia light grey.
Male genitalia (Fig. 14). Uncus elongate, half as long as tegumen, weakly widened apically, densely covered with strong setae in distal half; gnathos strongly curved at base, distal 2/3 long, weakly sinuate, tegumen broad at base, then gradually narrowed, anteromedial emargination broadly rounded, extending to 1/3 length of tegumen; cucullus weakly convex, dorsal margin with triangular process on 1/3, distal 2/3 densely covered with long hairs, apex pointed, far exceeding top of uncus setae; sacculus about 1/8–1/7 length and 1/2 width of adjacent part of cucullus, of even width, with short pointed tip; vinculum broad, posterior margin covered with short spines, with deep triangular emargination; transtilla lobes slightly longer than sacculus, clavate; saccus short, broadly rounded, 3 times broader than long, posterior margin with very short medial emargination; phallus tube inflated in basal part, distal part 2/3 of width and about as long as basal half, strongly sclerotized along margins, apex elongate, rounded.
Female genitalia (Fig. 21). Papillae anales subovate, sparsely covered with short hairs; apophyses posteriores about 3 times as long as segment VIII; segment VIII subrhomboid, sternum VIII medially membranous, subostial lobes large, subtriangular, strongly projecting anteriorly, joined medially, densely covered with microspines, strongly edged laterally, lateral sclerotized patches rounded, densely covered with microspines; apophyses anteriores 1.5 times as long as segment VIII and 1/2 length of apophyses posteriores; ductus bursae short and broad, of even width, distal portion with irregular sclerite with short teeth inside, colliculum narrow, ring-shaped; corpus bursae ovate, as long as ductus bursae; signum plate large, triangular, evenly sclerotized, about 1/2 length and 1/2 width of corpus bursae.
Biology. Adults have been collected in late November.
Distribution. Kenya: Rift Valley.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greece word “ makros ”—large, big, and indicates the large signum that is characteristic for the species.
description: Published as part of Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David, 2023, New species and new country distribution records of Athrips (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Afrotropical region, pp. 489-500 in Zootaxa 5343 (5) on page 494, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.5.4, http://zenodo.org/record/8346160