Sergeya lobata Bidzilya, Mey & Rajaei, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bidzilya, Oleksiy V.
name: Mey, Wolfram
name: Rajaei, Hossein
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Sergeya
Sergeya lobata

description: Sergeya lobata sp. nov.
(Figs 13–15, 37, 38, 45)
Type material. Holotype ♀, South Africa, Cape Province, Wilderness, 18.xii.1995, leg. O. Karsholt (ZMUC). Paratypes: 1 ♀, 2 ♂, same data as for holotype, leg. O. Karsholt (gen. slide 253/24♀, 255/24♂, O. Bidzilya) (ZMUC); 3 ♂, 2 ♀, Uganda, Mpigi, Mpanga Forest, 25–30.xi.2014, LF, leg. W. Mey (gen. slide, 554/23♀, 132/24♀, 135/24♂, 197/24♂, O. Bidzilya) (MfN). 4 ♀, Äthiopien, Addis Abeba, 23.v.1980, 15,18. viii.1979, 28.x.1974, leg. P. Angenstein (gen. slide 583/14, 557/23, 130/24, O. Bidzilya) (MfN). 1 ♀, [DR Congo], Ht Katanga, Panda, 9.ii.1930, leg. J. Romieux (gen. slide 136/21, O. Bidzilya) (MHNG).
Diagnosis. Forewings with costal and dorsal medial spots connected forming oblique transverse line is characteristic for S. lobata sp. nov. (in S. davidi sp. nov. these spots are close to each other, but separated and do not form fasciae; additionally, S. davidi sp. nov. has pale rather than light brown ground colour of the forewing). The male genitalia of S. lobata sp. nov. resemble those of S. davidi sp. nov. and S. harambee sp. nov., as all of them have glandiductor with broad, rounded membranous basal part, but S. lobata sp. nov. has cucullus of even width and apically narrowed uncus (in S. davidi sp. nov. and S. harambee sp. nov. basal part of cucullus is 1/2–1/3 width of distal part and uncus is of even width). Female genitalia S. lobata sp. nov. are characterized by trapezoid, posteriorly undulated ostial sclerite (in S. harambee sp. nov. ostial sclerite is rounded). Also, in S. lobata sp. nov. corpus bursae is spinose both on its posterior part and along lateral side (in S. palescens sp. nov. corpus bursae is spinose only on its posterior part).
Description (Figs 13–15). Wingspan 6.5–7.0 mm. Head pale, frons with brown-tipped scales; labial palpus recurved, segment 2 brown mottled with yellowish-white and with white apex; segment 3 brown with white basal and apical rings; antennal scape brown with white apex, lower surface white, flagellum in basal half brown on upper surface and pale beneath, in distal half 4 white flagellomeres followed by 4 brown, and then 1–2 white alternating with 3–4 brown, terminal 1–2 flagellomeres white; thorax and tegulae yellowish-brown; forewing yellowish-brown, costal margin brown with brown spot mottled with silver just after middle that is connected with brown spot on 1/2 of dorsal margin, dorsal margin with sparse brown-tipped scales, apex brown mixed with silver-tipped scales and spotted with yellow, tornal spot on 3/4 rounded to irregular, mottled with silver, with distinct black dot inside; fringe yellow on apex of the forewing and grey on dorsal margin; hindwing and fringe light grey.
Male genitalia (Figs 37, 38). Uncus slender, elongate, parallel-sided to 3/4, then narrowed towards pointed apex, densely covered with modified feather-like scales and strong setae distally, twice as long and about 1/2 width of tegumen, extending to 2/3 length of cucullus; tegumen slightly elongated, anterior margin broadly rounded, produced anteriorly; cucullus digitate, of even width, ventral margin weakly convex, densely covered with hair-like scales, apex rounded; glandiductor with rounded membranous basal part, distal process weakly curved, apex divided in three slender projections, extending to about 2/3–3/4 length of cucullus or slightly extending top of cucullus; juxta subrectangular, posterior margin straight; vinculum slightly broader than long; saccus broadly rounded; phallic tube of equal width, straight, shortly constricted on 2/3, apex with very slender flagellate process.
Female genitalia (Fig. 45). Papillae anales ovate, sparsely covered with short hairs; apophyses posteriores straight, thin, 2 times longer than apophyses anteriores; sternum VIII subrectangular, broad, ostial sclerite narrow, trapezoid, undulated posteriorly; apophyses anteriores straight, about 1.5 times longer than sternum VIII; ostium Ushaped; ductus bursae slender in middle; corpus bursae moderately elongate, ovate, covered with minute spines in posterior part and to 3/4 along one side, signa represent by band of 15–18 needle-shaped signa between membranous and spinose parts of corpus bursae.
Biology. Host plant unknown. Adults have been collected from late November to February in South Africa, DR Congo and Uganda, and in May, August and October in Ethiopia.
Distribution. This species in known from South Africa, DR Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Etymology. The species name indicates a large rounded basal lobe of glandiductor that is characteristic for this new species.
description: Published as part of Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Mey, Wolfram & Rajaei, Hossein, 2024, First record of the genus Sergeya Ponomarenko, 2008 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions, with description of ten new species, pp. 486-506 in Zootaxa 5493 (5) on pages 502-503, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5493.5.2, http://zenodo.org/record/13330443