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

description: Coleophora comparata Baldizzone, sp. nov.
(Fig. 6, 37–40)
Holotype ♂ (GP Wf 10618) “Rep. of South Africa | Cape Province | Kogelberg [34°10’S, 18°50’E] | 3 April 1981 | DM Kroon”, in coll. Baldizzone research collection, Asti [gift of Hugo W. van der Wolf].
Diagnosis. Species with two-coloured forewing: hazelnut in the mid costal part with a white streak along the costal edge, and white in the dorsal part. The male genitalia resemble those of C. aarviki Baldizzone & van der Wolf, 2011, species with a uniform hazelnut coloured forewing and white costal streak. Compared to C. aarviki the main differences are: in C. comparata the transtilla is much longer and thinner, the lateral edge of the sacculus is more inclined, the cornuti are only three spines united in a short, claw-shaped formation, whereas in C. aarviki there are over 20 spines arranged irregularly in an elongate formation that extends the length of the vesica.
Description. Wingspan 14 mm. Head glossy white. Antenna: scape white, with erect scales white on outer side, ochre on inner side; flagellum white. Labial palpus glossy white; third article is about half the length of second. Proboscis normal shaped. Thorax white. Tegula white slightly ochre tinged. Forewing hazelnut colour between glossy white costal streak and anal fold, white from fold to dorsum; costal cilia white ending a little before brown apical cilia; dorsal cilia beige. Hindwing grey, cilia beige. Abdomen light brown.
Abdominal structures (Fig. 40): Anterior lateral struts about 1,5 times as long as posteriors. Transverse strut little sclerotized on proximal edge, well sclerotized on curved distal edge. Tergal disks (3rd tergite) length about 1.5 times their width, covered with about 35 spines.
Male genitalia (Figs. 37–39): Gnathos knob big and globular. Tegumen medially constricted, pedunculus short and slightly expanded. Transtilla larger in proximal half, thinner and curved in distal half. Valvula large, subtrapezoidal, ventral edge inclined. Cucullus rather short, club-shaped. Sacculus, slightly curved on the ventral edge, linear and inclined lateral edge, ventral angle rounded, dorsal angle with little rounded protuberance. Phallotheca conical, slightly curved, more sclerotized on ventral part. Cornuti, three spines of different lengths gathered at base in a claw-shaped structure.
Female genitalia: Unknown.
Bionomy. The early stages and the foodplant are unknown.
Distribution. RSA (prov. Western Cape).
Etymology. From Latin comparatus [-a, -um] = compared. In reference to the extensive comparison that was required to determine that this represented an undescribed species.
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 page 179, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5071.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5723470