Athrips dorsochrella Bidzilya & Aarvik & Agassiz 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bidzilya, Oleksiy V.
name: Aarvik, Leif
name: Agassiz, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Athrips
Athrips dorsochrella

description: Athrips dorsochrella sp. nov.
Type material. Holotype ♁, Kenya, Rift Valley, Lake Bogoria, 0°20’N 36°51’E, 1000 m, 6.xi.2004 (D. Agassiz) (gen. slide 262/23, O. Bidzilya) (DA). Paratypes: 2 ♀, Kenya, Rift Valley, Lake Baringo, 3000 ft, 24-25.viii.1999 (D. Agassiz) (gen. slide 263/23, O. Bidzilya) (DA).
Diagnosis. Athrips dorsochrella sp. nov. is distinguished externally by the predominantly black forewing with ochreous brown termen and dorsum. It somewhat resembles A. lacunosa (Meyrick, 1918), but in the latter species the black pattern is less distinct and restricted to spots and fasciae separated by broad zones of ochreous scales. The male genitalia differ from those of A. lacunosa in the sacculus that is of even width (distinctly broadened distally in A. lacunosa). The female genitalia are similar to those of A. carinata (Meyrick, 1911) in the shape of sternum VIII and signum, but are distinguishable by the larger, subtriangular rather than rounded lateral honey-comb sclerotized patches and presence of a distinct sclerite on the posterior part of the ductus bursae (absent in A. carinata).
Description. Adult (Fig. 2). Wingspan 9.8–10.3 mm. Head white, vertex with tuft of light brown scales, labial palpus recurved, palpomere 2 white with black base and broad black belt in distal half, apex white, palpomere 3 white, with narrow black basal and broader subapical ring, about 2/3 length and 1/4–1/3 width of palpomere 2, antennal scape white, mixed with brown, flagellomeres white, brown-ringed; thorax light brown, tegulae blackish brown with scattered white-tipped scales; forewing predominantly black, subcostal vein and termen from tornus to apex ochreous brown, dorsal margin from base to 2/3 ochreous brown, mixed with white, large tuft of black raised scales on 2/3 of dorsum, smaller tufts on 1/2 of fold and at middle of cell, cilia grey, black-tipped; hindwing and cilia grey.
Male genitalia (Fig. 12). Uncus subrectangular, elongate, 4 times longer than wide, densely covered with strong setae in distal part; gnathos very long, slender, strongly curved at base, distal 3/4 straight; tegumen weakly narrowed posteriorly, 3 times as wide as uncus, anteromedial emargination extending to 1/3 length of tegumen; cucullus narrow, dorsal margin weakly concave, ventral margin weakly broadened on 1/3, distal 2/3 densely haired, apex rounded, slightly exceeding tips of uncus setae; sacculus gradually bent, of even width, 1/4 length and 1/2 width as adjacent part of cucullus, with short, pointed tip on dorsal margin; vinculum broad, covered posteriorly with short spines, posteromedial emargination subtriangular, deep and broad; transtilla lobes about as long as sacculus, moderately broadened posteriorly; saccus broadly rounded, twice as wide as long, posterior margin with V-shaped medial emargination; phallus tube strongly inflated in basal half, distal half twice as long and half the width of the basal half, apex elongate, rounded.
Female genitalia (Fig. 20). Papillae anales moderately broad, subovate, sparsely covered with short hairs; apophyses posteriores about 4 times as long as segment VIII; segment VIII subrectangular, evenly sclerotized, sternum VIII medially membranous, subostial lobes large, subtriangular, strongly projecting anteriorly, densely covered medially with honey-comb sculpture, wrinkled anteriorly, separated by narrow membranous zone, lateral honey-comb sclerotized patches large, subtriangular, strongly edged anteriorly; apophyses anteriores about 1.5 times as long as segment VIII; ductus bursae moderately long and broad, weakly broadened towards corpus bursae, distal portion with irregular sclerite ending anteriorly with distinct teeth, lateral sclerotized strip extending to 1/3 length of ductus bursae, colliculum narrow, ring-shaped; corpus bursae small, rounded; signum plate subrhomboid with serrate margin, posterior lobe long and broad, anterior lobe short, medial transverse ridge broad.
Biology. Adults have been collected from late August to early September at an altitude of about 1000 m a.s.l.
Distribution. Kenya: Rift Valley.
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the ochreous dorsal margin of the forewing.
description: Published as part of Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David, 2023, New species and new country distribution records of Athrips (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Afrotropical region, pp. 489-500 in Zootaxa 5343 (5) on pages 490-493, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.5.4, http://zenodo.org/record/8346160