Lecithocera cornutispina Park 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Park, Kyu-Tek
name: Koo, Jun-Mo
name: Jeong, Su-Yeon
name: Prins, Jurate De
name: Prins, Willy De
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lecithoceridae
Lecithocera
Lecithocera cornutispina

description: 3. Lecithocera cornutispina Park, sp. nov.
(Fig. 4)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 73F834F4-0FDD-444A-8685-6C51E9D898E4
Type specimens. Holotype: Male, “MUS. CONGO / [DR Congo] Elisabethville [now Lubumbashi, Prov. Haut-Katanga] / XII 1949 / Ch. Seydel // gen. slide no. CIS-7314”, deposited in RMCA. Paratype: 1♁, “MUSÉE DU CONGO / [DR Congo] Elisabethville [now Lubumbashi, Prov. Haut-Katanga] / 8-XI-1937 / Ch. Seydel // gen. slide no. CIS-7536”, deposited in RMCA.
Diagnosis. The male genitalia of this new species are somewhat similar to L. seydeliella Park, sp. nov. but the former differs in having bronze dark brown forewing and wings with a golden metallic luster depending on the angle of light (forewing evenly yellowish-brown and wings without a golden metallic luster in L. seydeliella Park, sp. nov.). It can also be distinguished from the latter by the gnathos which has a triangularly produced basal plate distally (relatively less produced in L. seydeliella Park, sp. nov.), and a unique, linear, crescent plate (semi-ovate lobes at middle) between base of gnathos and tegumen (see arrow no. 1 in Fig. 4D) (crescent plate absent in L. seydeliella Park, sp. nov.), and the stout, straight aedeagus with a large spiniform cornutus half the length of aedeagus (aedeagus bearing a cluster of numerous setae and a row of long needle-like spines in L. seydeliella Park, sp. nov.).
Description. Male (Figs 4 A−C). Wingspan 15.0− 15.5 mm. Head: shiny golden yellow dorsally. Antenna with scape elongated, dilated distally; flagellum golden yellow in about basal 1/3, then dark brown beyond (broken in distal part). Second segment of labial palpus thickened, golden yellow all around; 3 rd segment strongly upturned, golden yellow, shorter than 2 nd segment (Fig. 4B). Thorax: tegula and thorax yellowish-brown. Forewing ground color bronze dark brown with golden metallic luster; apex slightly angulate; termen oblique; fringe concolorous with ground color; venation with R 5 to termen; M 2 free from M 3 at base; base of M 3 remote from CuA 1+2; CuA 1 and CuA 2 stalked for about basal 1/3. Hind wing ground color paler than forewing; apex angulate; fringe concolorous with ground color; venation with M 2 remote from M 3 at base; M 3 and CuA 1 stalked for about basal 2/5. Abdomen (Fig. 4F): sternum VII more densely sclerotized along anterior and posterior margins; sternum VIII with broad anterior expansion medially.
Male genitalia (Figs 4D, E): basal lobes of uncus weakly developed. Basal plate of gnathos triangularly produced distally; median process tapering towards apex, strongly bent preapically. A unique, linear, crescent plate (see arrow no. 1 in Fig. 4D) with semi-ovate lobes presented medially between base of gnathos and tegumen. Valva broad basally; costal bar slightly angled at proximal 1/3; cucullus elongated, shorter than basal part of valva, slightly concave on dorsal margin; nearly parallel-sided with dilated apex; sacculus broadly developed. Juxta jar-shaped, with leaf-like latero-caudal processes; lateral margins concave above middle. Vinculum a broad band. Aedeagus stout, nearly parallel-sided, as long as valva, with a large (half length of aedeagus), spiniform cornutus.
Female unknown.
Distribution. DR Congo (South-East: Prov. Haut-Katanga).
Etymology. This species name is derived from the Latin, - cornut (= horned) and - spin (= a spine), referring to the spiniform cornutus in the male genitalia. A feminine noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition to the generic name.
description: Published as part of Park, Kyu-Tek, Koo, Jun-Mo, Jeong, Su-Yeon, Prins, Jurate De & Prins, Willy De, 2023, Review of the genus Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae) in DR Congo, with description of four new species, pp. 355-368 in Zootaxa 5339 (4) on pages 361-362, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5339.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/8309122