Coleophora kunenensis Baldizzone

Coleophora kunenensis Baldizzone & van der Wolf, sp. nov.

(Fig. 5)

Holotype ♂ (GP Bldz 15029 ) “ Namibia, Palmwag | Lodge, campsite, 26.2.2008, LF [Lichtfang] | leg. W. Mey ”, coll. NHMB.

Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, same locality and date as holotype; 1 ♂ ( GP Bldz 14980) 2 ♀♀ (GP Bldz 14979, 15366) “ Namibia, 40 km N. Palmwag, 1133 m., 27–29.II.2009 LF [Lichtfang] leg. W. Mey.”; 1 ♀ (GP Bldz 15016) “ Namibia, Rooisand, Gamsberg Pass, 12.4.2008 LF, leg. W. Mey”; 1 ♀ (GP Bldz 14986) ” Namibia, Hobatere, 21.II.2008, leg. J. Deckert”; 1 ♀ “ Namibia, Okatjikona, Waterberg Nat.Park, 14–18.II.2008, LF [Lichtfang], leg. W. Mey”; 1 ♀ “ Namibia, Kunene, Baynes Mts., 1252 m. 23–25.II.2008, LF [Lichtfang], leg. W. Mey”; 1 ♂ (GP Wolf 10608,) “ Satara K.N.P. Survey 26.IV–1.V.1969 Potgieter & Strydom”; 3 ♀♀ (GP Wolf 10609), idem; 2 ♀♀, ibidem, 25.XII.1972, leg. L. Vári; 1 ♀ (GP Wolf 10612) “Letaba K.N.P. Survey 8.XI. 1966. L. Vári”; 1 without abdomen, ibidem, 3–6. XII.1973 Potgieter & Scholz; 1 ♀ (GP Bldz 11648) “ South Africa, Transvaal, Krugerpark, Letaba, 9.II.1995, leg. H.W.vd Wolf”; 3 ♀♀ (GP Wolf 6139) “Skukuza K.N.P. Survey 26–28 IV.1968, Potgieter & Goode; 1 ♀ (GP Wolf 10625) “ South Africa, Natal Dukuduku Forest [28 32 AD] 0 2 Jan. 1963 ”; 2 ♀♀ (GP Vári 6616, 6425) “Abachaus SWA [South West Africa = Namibia] IV.1950, leg. G. Hobobohm, Transv. Mus.”; 1♂ (GP Wolf 11035) “ Kenya: Rift Valley, L. Bogoria 1000 m. 0° 21’ N, 36° 04’ E, 13.VII.2007, D.J.L. Agassiz”; 1 ♀ (GP Wolf 11038), ibidem, 8.VIII.2007. Paratypes in coll. ZMHU, BMNH, DNMN, Bldz and Wolf.

Diagnosis. A species with habitus light brown with lines and points comparable with those in many Palearctic species, and in Afrotropical C. scaleuta Meyrick, 1911 (see Baldizzone & van der Wolf, 2011). Because of the structure of the genitalia the species is related to the group of C. sternipennella (Zetterstedt, 1839) (30th group of Toll’s system). In the male genitalia the shape of the transtilla and the apical part of the phallotheca are characteristic, whereas the female genitalia are characterized by the sterigma with denticulate distal margin, the short spiculate section of the ductus bursae and the two signa in the shape of spiculate patches.

Description. Wingspan 10–12 mm. Head hazel-coloured. Labial palp hazel-coloured, length of second segment about 2.5 times that of third segment. Antenna with tuft of short white hairs at base of scape; flagellum ringed beige and white. Thorax concolorous with head. Forewing hazel-coloured with white streaks along veins, and sparsely speckled with tiny inconspicuous black dots; costal fringe white, dorsal fringe grey. Hindwing and fringe creamy-white. Abdomen hazel-coloured.

Male genitalia (Figs. 49–52): Gnathos knob globular. Distal part of tegumen narrow, broadening into square pedunculus. Transtilla large, club-shaped, bearing a long oblique arm apically ending in conical spines. Valvula indistinct. Cucullus large, ear-shaped. Sacculus small, with ventral margin oblique, thickened, ending in a rounded ventral process. Phallotheca long, consisting of two stout rods: one with sclerotized rounded apex, both with a stout triangular tooth before apex. Cornuti a bundle of about seven spines.

Female genitalia (Figs. 54–56): Papillae anales narrow, acute. Apophysis posterioris about three times longer than anterioris. Sterigma subtrapezoid, as long as wide, caudal margin dentate, medially squarely excavated towards ostium bursae. Ostium bursae square. Colliculum beaker-shaped, medially constricted. First section of ductus bursae with medial line, enveloped in a spiculate sleeve; second section transparent, with medial line, merging into a wide transparent convolution, followed by another, speckled, section. Corpus bursae large, sacklike, with two signa in the shape of spiculate patches; the two signa are of similar shape, but one is smaller than the other and hardly visible.

Abdominal apodemes (Fig. 53): No posterior lateral struts. Transverse strut with sharply convex slender margins. Tergal disk about three times longer than wide, covered with about 25 sharp spines.

Bionomy. The foodplant and the early stages of the species are unknown.

Distribution. Kenya, Namibia and South Africa.

Etymology. The species is named after the Kunene region in north-western Damaraland in Namibia, the type locality.