Cryptonola László 2022, gen. n.
Creators: name: László, Gyula M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nolidae
Cryptonola

description: Cryptonola gen. n.
(Figs 19–21, 31, 37)
Type species: Cryptonola confundata sp. n.
Diagnosis. The facies of the type species of Cryptonola gen. n. could fit well in the mega-diverse genus Meganola based on the bipectinate antenna possessing long rami, the narrow, elongate, rather pointed forewing and the brownish-grey coloration with diffuse, oblique transverse lines. The configuration of the male genitalia, however, displays no close kinship between the two genera, but suggests closer affinities with the Evonima Walker lineage, in particular with Vansonima László, 2020 due to the presence of a seemingly homologous process arising rather distally from a medio-distal plate extending from the dorsal margin of the valva and projecting ventrad (referred to as harpe, probably incorrectly, in Hacker et al. (2012) and László (2020)). Nevertheless, the following diagnostic characters undoubtedly support the distinctness of Cryptonola: the uncus is remarkably stout and short, covered in long, dense setae, and quite uniquely for the whole subfamily, associated with a pair of large, triangular socii basally. Compared to Vansonima, the valva of Cryptonola is much narrower and more elongate, bearing a much shorter and narrower, more pointed ventro-distal process and an additional saccular process similar in shape, projecting nearly from the base of the ventro-distal process.
Description. Adult (Figs 19–21). Forewing length of type species 8 mm in male, 9.3 mm in female. Sexual dimorphism limited, expressed by the larger size and darker coloration in females. Head small, male antenna bipectinate with long, finely ciliate rami, distal third filiform, that of female filiform in entire length; labial palp relatively long and slim in male, somewhat broader in female, porrect, dark brown laterally, inner side off-white; frons and vertex bright white. Collar, tegula and mesothorax off white, abdomen brownish-grey. Forewing narrow, elongate-triangular, apically rounded, ground colour pale grey with sparse, very fine blackish-brown suffusion; costal margin dark brown, medially with a short, blackish dash; terminal area dark greyish-brown. Basal and subbasal lines deleted, antemedial line arched, diffuse. Medial- postmedial- and subterminal lines diffuse, shadowlike, barely traceable. Terminal line pale brown, chequered with black. Cilia moderately long, pale brown chequered with dark grey. Hindwing grey, somewhat darkened apically veins slightly darker; cilia long, colour as ground colour. Underside of wings uniformly dark grey.
Male genitalia (Fig. 31). Uncus short, very broad basally, conical, lateral margins gently arched, distal half covered in dense, long, spine-like setae, apex blunt, dorso-apically bearing a moderately long and broad, slightly curved, apically pointed, knife-shaped process. Socius well-developed, long and stout, elongate-triangular, distally slightly curved, apex pointed, distal margin densely spinulose. Tegumen short and narrow, arms relatively wide, sparsely scobinate; subscaphium relatively broad, elongate, moderately sclerotized. Valva narrow, rather long, dorsal margin slightly concave, ventral margin gently convex, distal third slightly dilated, broadly rounded. Sclerotization of dorsal margin largely broadened postmedially covering two-thirds of the surface of distal dilated part of valva, produced into a narrow triangular, apically rounded process projecting ventrad, slightly overreaching ventral margin. Sacculus long and narrow, with dorsal margin gently sinuous, distally produced into a short, but robust, apically hooked process, overlapping with costal projection, overraching ventral valval margin. Transtilla very narrow, lace like, arms fused medially. Juxta relatively large, basally rounded with well-sclerotized, sinuous lateral arms. Vinculum short and broad, V-shaped. Aedeagus relatively short and thin, tubular, coecum penis short, broadly rounded, carina absent; vesica without cornuti or scobination.
Female genitalia (Fig. 37). Ovipositor short, papilla analis narrow, apically pointed, moderately setose, posterior apophysis relatively long, thin. Eighth tergite short, ribbon-like with parallel margins, anterior apophysis very short, thin apically clubbed. Ostium bursae narrow, with gently arched, fine, sclerotized margin antero-laterally. Ductus bursae short, tubular, membranous, cervix bursae, slightly swollen, membranous. Posterior half of corpus bursae tubular, gradually dilating proximad, distal half of corpus bursae sack-like; signum bursae consisted of two large, thorn-like strongly sclerotized process of uniform shape, situated close to one another.
Etymology. The generic name refers to the puzzling taxonomy of the genus where a rather unusual genital morphology is combined with a typical Meganola habitus.
description: Published as part of László, Gyula M., 2022, Taxonomic studies on Afrotropical Nolinae: review of the Afrotropical taxa of the genus Hampsonola László, Ronkay & Ronkay, 2015, descriptions of five new genera and five new species and introduction of a new synonymy (Lepidoptera, Nolidae), pp. 147-164 in Zootaxa 5169 (2) on pages 159-160, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5169.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6920070