Sufetula elfridea Muller, Hayden & Leger 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Müller, Anne
name: Hayden, James
name: Lees, David C.
name: Léger, Théo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Crambidae
Sufetula
Sufetula elfridea

description: Sufetula elfridea Müller, Hayden & Léger, sp. nov.
LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8DCE7F7E-32A0-412 B-B 40C-E77F0 A806664
(Figures 9, 24, 36, 47)
Material examined. Holotype. ♀. PHILIPPINES: Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya, Bald Mountains, Santa Fe; 16.18 ǫN 120.86 ǫE; 1150m; 11-13 Nov.1997; K. Ebert, W. Mey, M. Nuss leg.; DNA voucher MFNLEP942; genitalia slide MfN gen. prep. 333F; coll.mfn-berlin.de_u_2a6f 6f (MfN). Paratypes. 3 Ƌ; specimen identifiers coll.mfn-berlin.- de_u_2a6f70, dc8da3, f0e838. Detailed information in Table S1.
Similar species. Sufetula fulgurata sp. nov., Sufetula serrata sp. nov.
Diagnosis. The wings of Sufetula elfridea sp. nov. (Figure 9) are very similar to Sufetula fulgurata sp. nov. In the forewing, the postmedian line is projected outwards into a tip between M 1 and M 2, and then runs inwards into a slightly wavy line to the dorsum, lacking the indentation observed in S. fulgurata sp. nov. near the dorsum. In the male genitalia (Figure 36), the valva apex is rounded, while it is pointed in Sufetula fulgurata sp. nov. In the female genitalia (Figure 47), the anterior apophyses are slightly longer than in Sufetula fulgurata sp. nov. and Sufetula serrata sp. nov., and the colliculum forms a sclerotised ring that reaches the posterior edge of the antrum, while it does not reach the posterior edge in S. fulgurata sp. nov.
Description
Wings (Figure 9).
Male forewing length: 9 mm; colour generally pale yellow to fuscous. Antemedian area dark brown. Antemedian line thick, white, thinly edged with dark brown distally, gently arched outwards on costal 1/3, then waving toward dorsum. Costa with three oblique triangular spots pointing towards margin, white, thinly edged with dark brown. Discoidal spot oval, dark brown. Postmedian line white, curved from costa to acute point between veins M 1 and M 2, then bent inwards, indentation on anal fold faintly marked. Subterminal area with subapical dark brown patch. Fringes pale yellow and brown. Hindwing pale yellow, thinly speckled with dark brown towards dorsum. Median line thick, white, fading toward costa, shifted inwardly at 2 A vein. Postmedian area with prominent dark brown area in dorsal half.
Tympanal organs (Figure 24). Ƌ. Bullae tympani slightly recessed lateral of venula prima, deeply recessed by 1/4 to 1/3 posterior of ramus tympani. Venulae secundae faintly marked, running down to anterior 1/3 of sternum II. ♀. Posterior depressions almost as wide as bullae tympani, shallow, not sexually dimorphic. Bullae tympani completely opened ventrally in female. Venulae secundae conspicuously marked, running down to tergite II anterior margin.
Male genitalia (Figure 36). Uncus ca half of tegumen arm length, narrow, with rounded apex. Valva subquandrangular, apex with a dorsal bump. Phallus long, slender, with minute denticles distally, without cornuti.
Female genitalia (Figure 47). Posterior apophyses ca 3 × tergite VIII length. Anterior apophyses 2.4 × tergite VIII length; slightly thickened at posterior 1/3 of both apophyses. Colliculum forming narrow sclerotised ring of ca 1/10 of tergite VIII length, reaching the posterior edge of the antrum. Ductus bursae ca 2.9 × corpus bursae length, narrow, straight. Corpus bursae globular with some short bristles posterior. Signum 1/4 of corpus length, rounded, with short, tooth-shaped thorns.
Etymology. This species is dedicated to Elfriede Anni Wollschläger, the grandmother of the first author.
Distribution. Known from Luzon (Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya) at an elevation between 1150 and 1700 m (Figure 55).
DNA barcoding. The three specimens investigated from Nueva Vizcaya display identical DNA barcodes. The nearest non-conspecific neighbour is Sufetula fulgurata sp. nov. with a p-distance of 3%.
description: Published as part of Müller, Anne, Hayden, James, Lees, David C. & Léger, Théo, 2025, Assessment of species diversity of the Lathrotelinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the Philippines using morphology and DNA barcoding reveals eight new species, pp. 1-24 in Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity CLXVI (CLXVI) on pages 18-19, DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2025.01.012, http://zenodo.org/record/15396126