Coleophora antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n. a new species from Algeria. Contribution to the knowledge of the Coleophoridae CXLIV (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae)

Coleophora antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n. una nueva especie de Argelia. Contribución al conocimiento de los Coleophoridae CXLIV (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae)

Introduction

The Natural History Museums often have large number of specimens collected ages ago and not yet determined. During my visits to the NHMUK I found many specimens of Coleophoridae, that allowed me to describe some new species in the past. In addition to specimens collected in recent times, for example in tropical Africa, there are still numerous unidentified Lord Walsingham material collected over a century ago, all in good condition and well prepared. In March 2019 I examined many boxes full of indeterminate specimens and borrowed some interesting Coleophoridae. Among these I found a specimen collected by Walsingham in Algeria in 1906, a new species which is described here. The description of a species based on specimens collected over a century ago can bring about more research in locality of interest, or, unfortunately, represent a testimony of a biodiversity that perhaps has now disappeared.

Abbreviations

Bldz = Giorgio Baldizzone

GP = genitalia preparation.

NHMUK = Natural History Museum, London, U. K. (formerly British Museum of Natural History).

Coleophora antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n. (Fig. 1)

Holotype 1 (GP Bldz 16936) “Krenchela | ALGERIA | 30-IV-1906 | Wlsm.”; “NHMUK 010897641 [with QR code]”, coll. NHMUK.

Fig. 1.
Coleophora antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n., holotype.

Diagnosis: Species of medium-small size and brown overall appearance, related to C. scabrida Toll, 1959. In habitus C. scabrida, is fairly variable, but normally lighter and with evident white streaks. The male genitalia resemble those of C. scabrida Toll (see Toll’s original description and BALDIZZONE, 2019), but with obvious differences: in C. antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n. the tegumen is narrower and longer, the transtilla is wider, the valvula is larger, the cucullus is not ear-shaped, but equal in width at the base and apex, slightly narrowed medially on the ventral edge, but the most evident difference is the shape of the external border of the sacculus that is much wider, not curved as in C. scabrida, but ending in a projection forming a right angle and jutting above the dorsal edge of the cucullus whereas this projection barely reaches the dorsal edge of the cucullus in C. scabrida.

Description: Wingspan 10.5 mm. Head light brown, whit thin white line above eye. Antenna ringed whitish and brown, scape light brown without erect scales. Labial palpus brown, whitish dorsally; second segment about 0.5 times longer than third. Proboscis of average length and scaling. Forewing brown, scattered with a few darker brown scales along a line under cell and along anal fold, with a narrow white costal line widening towards apex, where it terminates before fringes; costal fringes hazelnut, dorsal fringes brown. Hindwing and fringes brown. Abdomen brown.

Male genitalia (Figs 2, 4-5): Gnathos knob oval. Tegumen long, medially narrow, with pedunculus slightly dilated. Transtilla slender, ribbon-shaped. Valvula oblong, well sclerotized. Cucullus robust, of medium length, equal in width at base and at rounded apex. Sacculus well sclerotized, with straight and very wide lateral edge prolonged into long and robust projection jutting out at right above dorsal edge of cucullus, apically rounded and facing inward. Phallotheca long, slender, with two juxta rods slightly curved, sclerotized only dorsally, with one adorned with small triangular tooth right before the apex.

Figs. 2-6.
Coleophora spp., male genitalia. 2. C. antiqua Baldizzone, sp. n., GP Bldz 16936, holotype. 3. Abdomen. 4. Enlargement of cornuti. 5. Enlargement of transtilla, cucullus, sacculus and apical part of phallotheca. 6.C. scabrida Toll, same enlargement, GP Bldz 16618, Croatia, Island Krk, Punat, loc. Hrusta, 230 m, 29-V-2018, leg., coll. Bldz.

Two cornuti small, thorn-like, of different lengths, joined at base.

Female genitalia: Unknown.

Abdominal structures (Fig. 3): No posterior lateral struts. Transverse strut thick, slightly curved with well sclerified edges. Tergal disks (3^rdtergite) about two times their width, covered by 25-30 conical spines.

Bionomy: Unknown.

Distribution: Algeria, Khenchela.

Remarks: The name “Krenchela” is written on the label of the specimen could not be found in Algeria, so I believe that the correct locality name is Khenchela.

Etymology: The name derives from Latin antiquus .-a, -um] = old, because of the collecting date of the specimen on which the description is based.

Agradecimientos

I thank Alessandro Giusti, curator of Lepidoptera at the NHMUK (London, UK) for the loan of the material and for the help during my stay at the NHMUK in March 2019. I thank also my friend Pier Giuseppe Varalda (Morano sul Po, Italy) for the photograph of the adult. Thanks to friend Bernard Landry (Geneva, Switzerland) for correcting the text. Finally, I thank Antonio Vives (Madrid, Spain) for the Spanish translation of the abstract.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BALDIZZONE, G., 2019.– Lepidoptera Coleophoridae.-Fauna d’Italia, 53: XVII + 907 pp. . Calderini, Bologna.

TOLL, S., 1959.– Studien über die Genitalien einiger Coleophoridae XV (Lepidoptera).- Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 4: 121-145.

Author notes