Eridachtha phiarella Park 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Park, Kyu-Tek
name: Minet, Joël
name: Koo, Jun-Mo
name: Yu, Tae-Uk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lecithoceridae
Eridachtha
Eridachtha phiarella

description: 5. Eridachtha phiarella Park, sp. nov.
LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 386665AC-3809-44BC-B95C-12E80F50C705 (Figs 11, 12)
Type specimens. Holotype male: Kenya, Central, Castle Forest Lodge, 0˚22'51''S 37˚18'35''E, 2,050 m, 26 x 2016, leg. D. Agassiz & K. Larsen, gen. slide no. CIS-7168, in NHMUK. Paratypes: 2♂, same locality as holotype, 22 x 2013, leg. Agassiz, Beavan, Heckford & Larsen; 4♂, same locality as holotype, 24–27 x 2016, leg. D. Agassiz & K. Larsen, forewing slide no. CIS-7588; 1♀, same locality as holotype, 0˚22'43''S 37˚18'32''E, 2,100 m, 6 xi 2012, leg. Agassiz, Beavan, Heckford & Ngugi, gen. slide no. CIS-7540, all paratypes deposited in NHMUK.
Diagnosis. The new species can be easily distinguished from its allies by the large size (wingspan more than 18.0 mm), the forewing ground colour yellowish-white with brownish costal suffusion and distinct stigmata, and the labial palpus with rough scales dorsally and ventrally. The male genitalia are similar to those of E. cardialis Park, sp. nov., but can be distinguished by the basal lobes of uncus more semi-ovate and the basal plate of the gnathos shorter and wider (Fig. 12D); cucullus less elongated; cornuti consisting of larger, broom-shaped cluster with numerous setae, about 2/5 the length of the aedeagus (whereas, in A. cardialis, the cluster of cornuti is elongated, measuring about 2/3 the length of the aedeagus).
Description. Male and female (Figs 11A–C). Wingspan 18.0–20.0 mm.
Head: yellowish-white with concolourous erect scales laterally. Antenna longer than forewing; scape elongated, nearly parallel-sided, yellowish-white throughout. Second segment of labial palpus thickened, with rough scales; yellowish-white all around; 3 rd segment slender, as long as 2 nd segment.
Thorax: tegula and thorax yellowish-white. Forewing ground colour yellowish-white, irrorated with yellowish-brown scales beyond 2/3; discal spot small, rounded, disco-cellular spot comma-shaped, elongated; broad bronzy yellowish-brown costal suffusion well-developed, extended to apex; costa arched basal 2/3; apex sharply produced; termen oblique, slightly concave medially; fringe concolourous with ground colour; venation (Fig. 11C) with R 1 arising from about 1/3; distance between R 2 and R 3 about 3 times that separating R 3 and R 4+5 at base; R 3 free; R 4 and R 5 stalked for basal 3/5; R 5 to termen; M 1 remote from R 4+5; M 2 well developed; M 3 slightly closer to M 2 than CuA 1 at base; CuA 2 arising from near lower corner of discal cell; discal cell closed. Hindwing ground colour paler than forewing, broader than forewing; apex angulate; termen concaved medially; fringe concolourous with ground colour; discal cell weakly closed.
Abdomen: no spinous zones dorsally.
Male genitalia (Figs 12A–D): uncus basal lobes heart-shaped with ovate lateral processes. Gnathos basal plate trapezoidal, slightly narrowed distally; caudal margin triangularly produced. Costal bar narrow, nearly arched, and lacking median angle. Valva broad basally; costal margin deeply concave; saccular margin slightly concave; cucullus elongated, nearly parallel-sided, costal margin slightly convex beyond half, with minute spines along ventral margin; apex rounded; sacculus broadly developed, sclerotized. Juxta shield-shaped, with narrow, membranous latero-caudal processes; median process on anterior margin thumb-like. Vinculum U-shaped, sclerotized along lateral margin, broadened apically, with nearly flat saccal zone. Aedeagus as long as valva, bifurcated apically with a pair of small triangular processes on dorsal margin; cornutus broom-shaped with a bundle of numerous setae, about 2/5 the length of aedeagus.
Female genitalia (Fig. 11D): apophyses anteriores somewhat thick, dilated apically, about 2/3 the length of apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae wide, nearly flat. Antrum short, broadened distally, about 1.5 times wider than long. Ductus bursae narrow in distal 2/5 (about 1.5 times the length of antrum); anterior 3/5 broadened as wide as antrum, wrinkled. Corpus bursae large, ovate; signum with heavily sclerotized central ridge, with the upper plate broadened weakly sclerotized and the lower plate papilla-like.
Distribution. Kenya (Central).
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek, - phiaros (= bright, shining), referring to the bright ground colour of the forewing.
description: Published as part of Park, Kyu-Tek, Minet, Joël, Koo, Jun-Mo & Yu, Tae-Uk, 2024, Review of the Afrotropical members of the genus Eridachtha Meyrick, 1910 (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae: Lecithocerinae), with descriptions of 12 new species, pp. 275-307 in Zootaxa 5468 (2) on pages 291-293, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5468.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/11615739