Coleophora dixella Baldizzone 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Baldizzone, Giorgio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Coleophoridae
Coleophora
Coleophora dixella

description: Coleophora dixella, sp. nov.
(Figs. 9, 51–54)
Holotype ♂ (GP Bldz 14099) “RSA, West Cape | Cederberg Mts. | Algeria | 18-22.X.2007 | leg. W. Mey ”; “Jamaka 3 | Automat. Falle”, [S 32°20.242’ E 19°01.473, 510 m], in coll. MfN.
Diagnosis. Medium-sized species, of which only the male is known. It belongs to the group of C. diffusa Meyrick, 1913 and the male genitalia resemble those of C. kamiesella Baldizzone & van der Wolf, 2015 and of C. kuruensis Baldizzone, 2019. Compared to C. kamiesella the valvula of C. dixella is less clearly delimited and the rounded protuberance on the outer edge is much larger and sclerotized, the phallotheca is larger and the cornuti are much longer united in an elongate formation, whereas those of C. kamiesella are short spines united in a tuft. In comparison with C. kuruensis, the sacculus of C. dixella is larger, more expanded in the ventral part, the phallotheca is larger and more stocky, the cornuti are fewer, whereas those of C. kuruensis are very numerous and occupy the whole length of the vesica.
Description. Wingspan 14 mm. Head white. Antenna: scape white on outer side, ochre on inner side without erect scales; flagellum white. Labial palpus almost completely brown on outer side, white suffused light brown on inner side; third article about as long as second. Proboscis linear, very short. Thorax and tegula white. Forewing brown with large white costal streak; another large white streak over anal fold from base to apex of wing; some brown scales longitudinally scattered in middle of stria for almost entire wing length; dorsal cilia white, brown in middle of apex; dorsal cilia light ochraceous grey. Hindwing grey; cilia light ochraceous grey. Abdomen white.
Abdominal structures (Fig. 54): Anterior lateral struts about twice as long as posteriors. Transverse strut thick, straight, well sclerotized on distal edge. Tergal disks (3rd tergite) length about 2.5 times their width, covered with about 45 spines.
Male genitalia (Figs. 51–53): Gnathos knob globular. Tegumen long, constricted in middle, pedunculus slightly dilated outwards. Transtilla large and triangular in basal part, slender, long and pointed in distal part. Valvula slightly delimited in ventral part, with well sclerotized rounded protuberance, bristling with setae on external edge at base of cucullus. Cucullus elongate, with narrow base, club-shaped. Sacculus large, ventral and lateral edges curved, dorsal angle with horn-shaped, curved protuberance distally narrowed to sharp point a little longer than apex of cucullus. Phallotheca large, short, stocky. Cornuti numerous, gathered in formation about 2/3 of the length of vesica, of which proximal group made up of 6 sturdy spines of scalar length, whereas distal part made up of many short spines fused together.
Female genitalia: Unknown.
Bionomy. The early stages and the foodplant are unknown.
Distribution. RSA (prov. Western Cape).
Etymology. From Greek δίξός [-ή, -όν] = different. To highlight the difference from other species of the group to which the new species belongs.
description: Published as part of Baldizzone, Giorgio, 2021, On the taxonomy of Afrotropical Coleophoridae (VI). New species of the genus Coleophora Hübner, 1822 from South Africa (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae), pp. 167-205 in Zootaxa 5071 (2) on pages 185-187, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5071.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5723470