Phyllonorycter leucaspis Triberti 2004
Creators: name: Prins, Jurate De
name: Kawahara, Akito Y.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gracillariidae
Phyllonorycter
Phyllonorycter leucaspis

description: The leucaspis group
The leucaspis group includes six species: P. albertinus De Prins, n. sp., P. caudasimplex Bland, 1980, P. leucaspis Triberti, 2004, P. ololua De Prins, n. sp., P. ruizivorus De Prins, n. sp., and P. trochetellus De Prins, n. sp. Adults of this group possess a well defined first fascia, very oblique, directed towards apex; a median fascia, narrow at costal margin and broad at dorsal margin. Larvae of the leucaspis group feed on Malvaceae plants. The external features in the leucaspis group are mostly superficial, not well defined, usually subtle, and if specimens are worn the external characters fail to define this group. Hence, genitalia dissections provide the only means for the assignment of species to the leucaspis group and further accurate identification.
The male genitalia of the leucaspis group are reduced, with a truncate tegumen; long valvae, more than 1.6× the length of sternum VIII, with a widened subapical part; and a slender strongly folded saccus at the junction with vinculum. The transtilla is well developed, heavily sclerotized, thick, and half square-shaped; the aedoeagus of all species of this group is shorter than the valva, blunt, cylindrical.
The female genitalia of the leucaspis group are characterized by a sinuous, narrow ductus bursae anteriorly, gradually widening to the corpus bursae, lacking a distinct junction of the two, and the absence of a signum. The ostium bursae of all species within this group opens almost at the posterior margin of segment VII, close to the junction with sternum VIII.
Key to males of leucaspis group based on genitalia*
1. Cucullus with emargination.............................................................................. 2
– Cucullus without emargination, valva smoothly enlarged subapically and bluntly tapering caudally..................... 3
2. Emargination of cucullus from midline of valva towards valval costa straight, sacculus thick, short, slightly longer than 1/2 of valval width at the broadest part, in intact genitalia saccus reaches apical 2/3 of sternum VIII (Fig. 227, 228)... 35. leucaspis
– Emargination of cucullus from midline of valva towards costa deep arc-shaped, sacculus slender, almost as long as valval width at the broadest part, in intact genitalia saccus slightly longer than sternum VIII (Fig. 230)................36. ololua
3. Saccus 1/3 shorter than vinculum (Fig. 224).......................................................33. albertinus
– Saccus longer than vinculum............................................................................. 4
4. Cucullus with abrupt rounded apex with very short bluntly pointed appendicule on ventral margin (Fig. 231)... 37. ruizivorus
– Cucullus with gently tapering and elongate apex (Fig. 234)......................................... 38. trochetellus
* male genitalia of P. caudasimplex unknown.
Key to females of leucaspis group based on genitalia*
1. Anterior apophyses longer than posterior apophyses (Fig. 330)........................................37. ruizivorus
– Anterior apophyses shorter than or of equal length of posterior apophyses......................................... 2
2. Anterior apophyses slightly shorter than posterior apophyses, antrum small and rounded (Fig. 329)........... 35. leucaspis
– Anterior apophyses equal in length to posterior apophyses, antrum broad, slightly less than half as broad as posterior margin of segment VII, rectangular shaped (Fig. 328).................................................... 34. caudasimplex
* female genitalia of P. albertinus, P. ololua, and P. trochetellus unknown.
description: Published as part of Prins, Jurate De & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2012, Systematics, revisionary taxonomy, and biodiversity of Afrotropical Lithocolletinae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), pp. 1-283 in Zootaxa 3594 (1) on pages 104-105, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3594.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6052126