Agrionympha capensis Whalley 1978
Creators: name: Gibbs, George W.
name: Kristensen, Niels P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Micropterigidae
Agrionympha
Agrionympha capensis

description: Agrionympha capensis Whalley, 1978
Ann. Transv. Mus. 31: 76, Pl 14, Fig. 3.
(Figs. 1 A, 2A, 3B, F, G), 4A, B, 5, 7, 11)
Material examined. Holotype Ƥ, South Africa, Western Cape, Knysna, Garden of Eden. 16–20 Jan 1955, L. Vári (TMP). Paratypes: 3Ƥ, Jonkershoek (WC), 19 Nov 1977, L. & G. Vári (BMNH); Hermanus (WC), 26 Feb 1977, L. & G. Vári (TMP). O ther material: South Africa, Western Cape: 13, 7Ƥ Kogel Bay, 34º16´S 18º51´E, 20 m, 19 Feb 1986, G.W. Gibbs; 133 3Ƥ, Knysna, Goudveld Forest, Jubilee Creek, 200 m, 27–31 Jan 2004; 13 4Ƥ, Knysna, Diepwalle Forest, Spitskop, 760–800 m, 31 Jan 2004; 1Ƥ, 3? (abdomen missing), Du Toits Kloof, 6 Feb 1989, H. Geertsema. Eastern Cape: 33 7Ƥ, Storms River NP, 33º58´S 23º56´E, 240 m, 14–15 Feb 1986, G.W. Gibbs; 7Ƥ same locality, 240 m, at UV light, 14–15 Feb 1986, D.M. Kroon; 13 1Ƥ, Bloukrans River, Bloukrans Pass road, 32 m, 15 Feb 1986, G.W. Gibbs; 2Ƥ, Nature’s Valley camp, 33º58´S 23º34´E, 4 m, at UV light, 15 Nov 1986, D.M. Kroon; 13 1Ƥ, Umtata, Langeni Forest, 1500 m, 2–16 Nov 1986, N. Duke. Male genital preps. G.W. Gibbs G1002 Storms R.), G1006 (Storms R.). Female genital preps. G.W. Gibbs G1009 (Bloukrans Pass), G1010 (Jubilee Ck), G1011 (Storms R.). Wing slide G1025 (Jubilee Ck). One of Gibbs (1999) specimens from Storms R., an entire female, extracted for DNA by Kobayashi (AG2; r63; see below).
Description. Head. Antennae gradually darkening from yellowish-brown to dark grey over 17 basalmost flagellomeres in male, 12 in female; total of 40–42 flagellomeres in male with basal 3 scale-covered, 26 in female with basal 3 scaled. Piliform scales on scape, pedicel and head yellow-brown, same colour as flagellomeres.
Thorax. Tegulae creamy-white scaled; mesonotum black-scaled. Legs with forecoxae black, mid- and hindcoxae ochreous; femora all with glistening white scales; tibiae black; tarsi black but with whitish bands at proximal end of all tarsomeres except hindtarsomere 1. FW length male 2.8 mm (2.6–3.0), female 3.1 mm (2.9–3.4). Wings markedly elongate (FW ratio length:width 3.6, HW 4.6–4.9) with apex attenuated, wing shape most extreme in male (Fig. 3 B). FW and HW with Rs3 and Rs4 stalked; in some specimens (all four males of which slide mounts were examined, and one of four females) M1 anastomosing with stem, and hence eventually issuing from Rs3+4 (Fig. 3 B). Forewing maculation (Fig. 2 A) distinctive, with very broad silvery-white bands; a prominent L-shaped figure resulting from confluence of claval mark with costal part of median band; median band broken in middle with posterior part distally displaced on dorsum; postmedian band very broad in anterior half, interrupted by line of dark scales across M2, not reaching to dorsum; apical band subterminal, also interrupted by lines of dark scales.
Male postabdomen (Figs. 7 A–E): Sternum VIII remnants irregularly triangular, bearing about 5 small setae. Anteroventral margin of IX sclerotisation broadly rounded, unthickened. Median plate narrow, keeled but unpigmented. Valvae of moderate length, curved upward (length:width ratio 4.0). Hair-sensilla absent. Phallus elongate and nearly straight, ratio length:height 5.6; aedeagus with very constricted ‘neck’ region in dorsal view; gonopore egg-shaped, widest distally, less than half (0.37) width of aedeagus between the lappets; ventral bulb very reduced. (male genital prep. G1006)
Female postabdomen (Fig. 7 F–G): Abdomen elongate; segment V gland 0.4 mm diam., with about 10 long fluted scales; segment VIII unmodified. Segment X elongate, the sclerites longer than high (about 1.6x) with darkening often emarginated along anterior edge. Papilla small (0.07 mm deep), approximately equidimensional with complex walls reflexed back from the anterior opening on either side. Thick-walled proximal section of spermatheca with its bulbous end about 0.8x diameter of ductus length and with a small lateral bulb adjacent to large bulb; thin-walled mid section of utriculus about half the length of the thick-walled ductus, anterior sac of utriculus 0.1 mm diameter (female genital prep. G1009).
Diagnosis. The ‘L’-shaped patch on the FW base is distinctive. Structurally unique by extremely slender/ pointed wings with stalked Rs3/Rs4 and absence of male hair-sensilla.
Bionomics.Occurs close to damp seepage areas in fynbos, with ferns, grasses or shrubs exposed to full sunlight, or around forest margins. This species has occurred over a wide range of altitudes from 4 m to 1,500 m and seasonally between early November and early March, and is thus probably double-brooded. Females are attracted to MV light traps, often in considerable numbers, but no males have been taken this way.
Distribution. South Africa, Western and Eastern Cape districts; the most widespread species of Agrionympha, extending from 18º51´E near Cape Town to 28º51´E near Umtata (Fig. 11).
description: Published as part of Gibbs, George W. & Kristensen, Niels P., 2011, Agrionympha, the long-known South African jaw moths: a revision with descriptions of new species (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae), pp. 1-21 in Zootaxa 2764 on pages 7-8, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.203553