Afrocharltona oblongissima Bassi 2021, sp. n.
Creators: name: Bassi, Graziano
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Crambidae
Afrocharltona
Afrocharltona oblongissima

description: Afrocharltona oblongissima sp. n.
Figs 7, 9-11, 17-19
Material examined
Holotype: Male; Botswana, Maun, 957 m, 1-2.xii.2010, 19°55’58S 23°30’61E, lux, G. Bassi legit, BC 92320 ZSM, GS 6245 GB, 41400 RCGB.
Paratypes: Male; same data as holotype, Collezione Bassi, GS 5365 GB, RCGB. – Female; Zambia, Livingstone, Maramba River Lodge camp, 17°53’S 25°51’E, 900 m, 28.xi.2010, lux, G. Bassi legit, BC 92321 ZSM, GS 6230 GB, RCGB. – Female; Namibia, Ghaub Vall [ey], 7.i. [19]72, D. M. Kroon [legit], GS 5444 GB, TMSA. – Female; Namibia, Otavi, 5.i. [19]72, D.M. Kroon [legit], TMSA.
Diagnosis: The yellow ground colour distinguishes A. oblongissima from A. katanga described below. The male genitalia are similar to A. katanga but the valva and apical thorn of the costal arm are longer and the phallus is without cornuti in the vesica. The female genitalia with lateral extension of medium length and thickness, with ductus seminalis originating nearby from ductus bursae are unlike every other species of the Ancylolomia complex.
COI barcode sequence of the holotype BIN: BOLD:ADF2943 (658 bp): AACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGAATTTGAGCAGGAATATT- AGGAACATCTTTAAGACTTTTAATTCGAGCTGAATTAG- GAAATCCTGGATCTTTAATTGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATAC- TATTGTAACAGCTCATGCATTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGT- TATACCAATTATAATTGGTGGATTTGGTAATTGATTAGTC- CCTTTAATATTAGGAGCACCTGATATAGCTTTCCCCCG- TATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTACTACCTCCCTCTCTA- ACTCTTTTAATTTCCAGAAGAATTGTTGAAAATGGAG- CAGGTACTGGATGAACAGTGTACCCCCCACTTTCATC- C A ATAT T G C T C AT G G T G G A A G T T C T G TA G A C C TA G C - TATTTTTTCTTTACACTTAGCTGGAATTTCTTCTATTTTAG- GTGCTATTAACTTTATTACAACAATTATTAATATACGAATTA- ATGGGTTATCTTTTGATCAAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGATCTG- TAGGAATTACTGCTTTATTACTTTTATTATCATTACCTGTATT- AGCAGGAGCTATTACTATACTACTTACTGACCGAAATTTA- AATACATCTTTCTTTGATCCAGCAGGAGGAGGAGATCCAAT- TCTTTATCAACACTTATT
Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin oblungus-a = very elongated, and refers to the shape of the valva in the male genitalia.
Description (Fig. 7): Wingspan of holotype 29 mm; male paratype 34 mm, female paratypes 33 to 36 mm. Labial palpus 3 x as long as greatest diameter of eye, ochre brown tipped with white on outer side, creamy white on inner side. Maxillary palpus ochre brown tipped with white. Frons rounded, slightly produced, white to pale yellow. Antennae thin, serrate in male, simple in female, pale brown with silvery white costa. Vertex white. Patagia white to pale yellow. Tegulae and thorax pale yellow sprinkled with brown. Forewing slender, with rounded apex and termen oblique; ground colour pale grey yellow sprinkled with brown and black; veins marked with yellow; seven terminal dots; fringes white and silvery grey; underside grey yellow strongly suffused with dark brown. Hindwing pale golden yellow suffused greyish brown; terminal line brown; fringes paler than ground colour; underside pale golden yellow suffused with brown. Legs golden yellow; tibial spurs small. Abdomen golden yellow suffused with grey, paler in males; sternites pale yellow.
Male genitalia. (Figs 10, 11). Uncus as long as gnathos, strongly bulged dorsally, with apex blunt and notched. Gnathos with pointed and slightly upcurved apex. Tegumen almost twice as long as uncus, narrow.Vinculum stout, subtriangular. Pseudosaccus subtrapezoidal, fused with juxta. Juxta broadly v-shaped. Valva extremely elongated, with rounded cucullus; costal arm slightly longer than valva, strongly sclerotized, with apical long and pointed thorn. Phallus with bent phallobase: vesica with minute scobinations.
Female genitalia (Figs 17-19). Papillae anales subtriangular. Apophyses posteriores with lightly sclerotized basis and arms weakly arched.Abdominal segment VIII ventrally membranous and lightly sclerotized dorsally. Apophyses anteriores sub-triangular, shorter than apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae large, semicircular, lightly sclerotized. Ductus bursae twice as long as corpus bursae, sub-conical, strongly sclerotized except at its beginning; extension at 0.5, just below origin of ductus seminalis, cylindrical, slightly shorter than corpus bursae, more or less sclerotized and wrinkled. Corpus bursae sub-oval, weakly wrinkled.
Biology: Unknown. The adults from Botswana and Zambia were attracted to actinic artificial light in the riparian vegetation (Fig. 9).
Distribution: Northern part of Southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, South Zambia.
description: Published as part of Bassi, Graziano, 2021, New genera and species of Afrotropical Ancylolomiini Ragonot, 1889 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae sensu lato: Crambinae), pp. 477-486 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 128 (2) on pages 479-481, DOI: 10.35929/RSZ.0058, http://zenodo.org/record/5640160