Neaspasia orthacta Meyrick 1908, comb. n.
Creators: name: Aarvik, Leif
name: Agassiz, David J. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Tortricidae
Neaspasia
Neaspasia orthacta

description: Neaspasia orthacta (Meyrick, 1908), comb. n.
(Figs. 1–5, 15, 16, 21, 30–32)
Argyroploce orthacta Meyrick, 1908: 718.
Neaspasia rhodesiae Razowski & Brown, 2009: 375, syn. n.
Material examined. Holotype ♀ of Argyroploce orthacta Meyrick; [Rep. S. Africa] Pretoria, Transvaal, xii.[19]05, Janse (BMNH); Paratypes of Neaspasia rhodesiae Razowski & Brown; ♀ South Africa: Cape Prov. Groebal R, Schoemanspoort ca. 18 km N Oudtshoorn ca. 700 m, 17.iii.1978, D. & M. Davis & B. Akerbergs, genitalia slide USNM 121,432 (USNM); 2♂♂ South Africa: Transvaal 5 ml. W Warmbad, 24–25.ii.1968, Krombein & Spangler, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2012.014 (USNM).
CAMEROON: 1♂ North Province: Faro riverside, 08°22’N 012°51’E, 282 m, 1.xii.2003, J. De Prins, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.012 (RMCA). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1♀ Ht. Katanga, Tshinkolobwe, 26.ix.1931, J. Romieux, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.008 (MHNG); 1♀ Elisabethville, iv–v.1952, Ch. Seydel, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.015 (RMCA). KENYA: 1♀ Coast, Watamuu s.l., 3°20’S 40°01’E, 26.xi.2004, D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 1♀ Rift Valley, Soysambu, 0°24’S 36°01’E, 1800 m, 16.iv.2005, D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 2♂ Rift Valley, Gilgil, 0°32’S 36°22’E, 2100 m, 26.xi.2005, D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 2♂♂ Rift Valley, Rumuruti, 6000 ft., 31.ix.1999 & 1.i.2000, D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 3♂♂ Central, Aberdares Country Club, 0°20’S 36°53’E, 19.vi.1999 (1) & 26.iv.2003 (2), D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 2♂♂ Central, Naro Moru, 2000 m, 0°09’S 37°01’E, 28.xii.1999 & 1.xii.2006, D.J.L. Agassiz (DA); 7♂♂,1♀ Gilgil, 22–24.xi.2008, L. Aarvik, D.J.L. Agassiz & A. Kingston, genitalia slide L. Aarvik ♂ 2846, genitalia slide NHMO ♀ 2266 (NHMO). REP. SOUTH AFRICA: 2♂♂ West Cape, Rocherpan N.R., 20–21.xi.2008, L[icht]F[ang] Ebert, Mey & Kühne, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2012.010 (ZMHU); 1♂ Bakgatla, Sebele, 25.i.1970, W.R. Ingram, genitalia slide BMNH 32552 (BMNH); 1♂ Gauteng, Tswaing Crater Reserve, 25°24’S 28°05’E, 1100 m, 16.xi.2004, J. & W. De Prins, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.001 (RMCA); 2♂♂ Südküste, Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park, 2–3 km WNW Stormsrivermündung, 34°0’S 23°52’E, 12–13.xi.1993, T. Karisch, genitalia slide L. Aarvik 2013.031 (MNVD); 1♂ North West Pilanesberg NP, Bakgatha Complex, 1200 m, 20.x.2002, H.W. v.d. Wolf, genitalia slide NHMO 2247 (NHMO). TANZANIA: 1♂ Ngara District: 30 km N Rolenge, 1500 m, 27.ix.1990, A. Bjørnstad, genitalia slide NHMO 2241 (NHMO); 1♀ Kasulu Distr.: Kasulu Town, 1300 m, 11.viii.1989, A. Bjørnstad (NHMO); 1♂ Kigoma District: Tubira Forest, 1100 m, 26.viii.1989, A. Bjørnstad (NHMO); 1♀ Morogoro Distr. & Town, 550–600 m, 13.ix.1992, genitalia slide NHMO 2264 (NHMO); 1♀ same locality, 27.x.1992, genitalia slide NHMO 2262 (NHMO); 1♀ same locality, 1.ii.1993, genitalia slide NHMO 2263 (NHMO). ZIMBABWE: 1♀ Mashonaland, Salisbury, 1895, Marshall (BMNH).
Redescription. Male (Figs. 2, 3). Head: Beige, neck tufts dark brownish grey. Antenna dark grey, scape beige. Labial palpus ca. 1.7 times diameter of eye, beige; third segment drooping, nearly concealed by scaling of second segment. Thorax: Blackish brown. Legs pale beige, fore and mid-legs with greyish brown suffusion forming rings on tarsi, hind tibia pencil pale ochreous. Wingspan 13.0–18.0 mm. Forewing upperside with basal third blackish brown, distal two thirds light beige, along termen suffused with grey, one dark spot at tornus and a rounded, larger one below costa before termen; intensity of dark suffusion in distal part of forewing varying; light part of wing with or without reddish or ochreous tinge. Cilia grey. Hindwing light grey, darker along veins. Abdomen: Light brownish grey, anal tuft ochreous. Genitalia (Fig. 21) with uncus subtriangular, rounded, setose; socii broad, setose; valva with deep cavity, neck narrow, group of spines between caudal edge of sacculus and basal excavation not reaching middle of sacculus; cucullus with spines along ventral edge, one stronger spine at ventral lobe; phallus slender, slightly curved, becoming gradually more slender towards distal end.
Female (Figs. 4, 5, 15). Head and Thorax: Similar to male, but with darker hindwing and lacking anal roll. Abdomen: Genitalia (Figs. 30–32) with sterigma shaped as a broad subrectangular plate with angled posterior corners and rounded anterior corners, ostium close to posterior edge of sterigma, folds of sterigma variable; ductus bursae a slender tube, becoming membranous and widened towards corpus bursae, ductus seminalis arises at widened part, with sclerite at this point; signa larger than in other species in genus.
Diagnosis. Neaspasia orthacta is a variable species and can easily be confused with other species of the genus and with species of Conaspasia. From N. brevibasana it can be separated by the lack of reddish colour on the thorax and in the basal part of the forewing. Further, in N. brevibasana there is a strong contrast between the forewing and the blackish cilia. Females can be confused with those of Conaspasia albonigra, but differ conspicuously in the genitalia. The genitalia of both sexes are similar to those of N. coronana. n. sp., but the two are easily separated externally.
Distribution. This is the most widespread species of Neaspasia, known from the Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
Biology. The food plant is not known.
Remarks. The type was stated to be preserved in the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria (Brown 2005). However, it is deposited in The Natural History Museum, London.
description: Published as part of Aarvik, Leif & Agassiz, David J. L., 2014, Revision of African Neaspasia Diakonoff, 1989 and the related Conaspasia, n. gen. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), pp. 117-132 in Zootaxa 3754 (2) on pages 119-121, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3754.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/226765