Urodeta acinacella Sruoga et De Prins, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Prins, Jurate De
name: Sruoga, Virginijus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Momphidae
Urodeta
Urodeta acinacella

description: Urodeta acinacella Sruoga et De Prins, sp. nov.
(Figs 4–10)
Type material. Holotype: Ƥ, SOUTH AFRICA, Gauteng, 1100 m, Tswaing Crater Reserve, 25°24’S 28°05’E, 16.xi.2004, leg. J. & W. De Prins. Specimen ID: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 6119, gen. prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 661 (RMCA).
Paratypes: 2Ƥ, same data as holotype. Specimen IDs: RMCA ENT 0 0 0 0 0 6118, 0 0 0 0 0 6121, gen prep. MRAC / KMMA 0 0 662, 0 0 663 (RMCA).
Diagnosis. Urodeta acinacella is a small, lightly-coloured species, with indistinct wing markings. In female genitalia, this species is comparable to U. falciferella (Sruoga & De Prins), known from Kenya (for external characters and female genitalia refer to Sruoga & De Prins 2009). However, the forewing in the new species is narrower and more lightly-coloured, the dorsal wall of antrum is semicircular and distally directed, the ductus bursae with longitudinal folds and without internal spines.
Female (Figs 4, 5). Forewing length 2.5–3.0 mm; wingspan 5.6–6.5 mm (n=3). Head: Frons, vertex and neck tuft greyish white, mottled with brown tipped scales; labial palpus straight, very short, greyish white, tip blackish brown; scape greyish white, mottled with brown, pecten blackish brown; flagellum greyish brown annulated with paler rings, serrate distally. Thorax and tegulae greyish brown, slightly mottled due to darker tips of scales. Forewing strongly mottled with scales basally whitish and distally from pale brown to blackish brown; blackish brown scales forming spot of raised scales on fold before middle of wing, and other small spot at 2/3 from base of wing. Fringe scales brownish grey with irregularly scattered blackish brown tipped scales. Hindwing brownish grey, its fringe paler.
Male. Unknown.
Female genitalia (Figs 6–10). Papillae anales scerotized, longer than wide, sparsely covered with long setae. Apophyses posteriores apically dilated, length about 0.6 of papillae anales. Tergum 8 very short, apophyses anteriores markedly more slender than apophyses posteriores in apical part (Figs 6, 8), very weakly sclerotized, extending from central part of segment and spreading apart laterad. Dorsal wall of antrum is semicircular, strongly sclerotized and distally directed, covered by small spines (Fig. 8). Colliculum sclerotized, about 1/2 length of apophyses posteriores. Ductus bursae with longitudinal folds and small internal spines, gradually broadened cephalically, almost smoothly continued to corpus bursae. Corpus bursae oval, without internal spines; signum elongate, sickle-shaped, with transverse, weakly sclerotized plate covered by tiny spines (Figs 9, 10).
Biology. Unknown.
Flight period. Based upon the specimens available, adults fly in November.
Distribution. So far this species is known only from the Tswaing Nature Reserve in the Gauteng Province of South Africa (Figs 1–3).
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin acinaces (short sword, short saber, scimitar) in reference to the shape of the signum.
description: Published as part of Prins, Jurate De & Sruoga, Virginijus, 2012, A review of the taxonomic history and biodiversity of the genus Urodeta (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae: Elachistinae), with description of new species, pp. 41-62 in Zootaxa 3488 on page 48, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.210188