Plume moths of Malawi (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae)

Abstract

A review of Pterophoridae of Malawi is presented; 96 species from 35 genera and five subfamilies are recorded. Fourteen species are described as new: Agdistis nyasa Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Platyptilia mugesse Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Stenoptilia juniper Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Sphenarches mulanje Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp.nov., Marasmarcha lamborni Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Arcoptilia malawica Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Apoxyptilus uzumarus Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Gypsochares murphy Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Crassuncus livingstoni Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Hellinsia namizimu Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Hellinsia сhewa Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia leza Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia raymondi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov., Picardia tumbuka Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov. New synonymies are established for 10 species: Deuterocopus deltoptilus Meyrick, 1930 = Deuterocopus socotranus Rebel, 1907 syn. nov.; Deuterocopus henrioti Bigot & Boireau, 2006 = Deuterocopus socotranus Rebel, 1907 syn. nov.; Platyptilia periacta Meyrick, 1910 = Platyptilia farfarella Zeller, 1867 syn. nov.; Platyptilia claripicta Fletcher, 1910 = Platyptilia farfarella Zeller, 1867 syn. nov.; Platyptilia pygmaeana Strand, 1913 = Sphenarches anisodactylus (Walker, 1864) syn. nov.; Exelastis bergeri Bigot, 1969 = Exelastis crudipennis (Meyrick, 1932) syn. nov.; Prichotilus tanzanicus Gielis, 2011 = Prichotilus tara Ustjuzhanin and Kovtunovich, 2011 syn. nov.; Crassuncus chappuisi Gibeaux, 1994 = Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) syn. nov.; Paulianilus lolibai Arenberger, 2011 = Hellinsia madecasseus (Bigot, 1964) syn. nov.; Pterophorus purus Meyrick, 1913 = Crassuncus pacifica (Meyrick, 1911) syn. nov. New combinations are established for six species: Marasmarcha bengtssoni (Gielis, 2009) comb. nov.; Marasmarcha locharcha (Meyrick, 1924) comb. nov.; Marasmarcha rubriacuta (Gielis, 2009) comb. nov.; Procapperia insomnis (Townsend, 1956) comb. nov.; Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) comb. nov.; Crassuncus colubratus (Meyrick, 1909) comb. nov. For Stenoptilia viettei Gibeaux, 1994, Sphenarches bifurcatus Gielis, 2009, Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932) images of the male genitalia are presented for the first time, for Marasmarcha bengtssoni (Gielis, 2009), and Stenodacma cognata Gielis, 2009 female genitalia are illustrated for the first time. Species of wide pantropical or cosmopolitan distribution are not reported as new for the fauna of Malawi. However, 65 species of Pterophoridae are reported for the fauna of Malawi for the first time. One of them, Stenoptilia viettei Gibeaux, 1994, described from Madagascar, is reported for continental Africa for the first time.

Overview of the species of the genus Picardia Gibeaux, 1994 (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) in the world fauna, with description of new species

“…In the same publication, Picardia betsileo Gibeaux, 1994 was described. The Catalog of plume moths of the world fauna (Gielis 2003) already included four species, two of which: Pterophorus eparches Meyrick, 1931 andOidaematophorus ruwenzoricus Gielis, 1991 were recombined to the genus Picardia. LaterKovtunovich et al (2014), described three more new species of this genus from Malawi: Picardia leza Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2014, Picardia raymondi Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2014 and Picardia tumbuka Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2014. The species Crassuncus ecstaticus (Meyrick, 1932), in our opinion, was erroneously transferred to the genus Picardia (Gielis 2011), and we return it to the genus Crassuncus.…”

Plume Moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) of Ethiopia. Part 3

“…The plume moths of eastern Africa are studied very fragmentarily, due to various objective reasons. For example, only 5 pterophoridae species are known for Somali, while in the neighbouring country, Kenia, there are 88 known species (De Prins & De Prins 2022) in Uganda -47 (Ustjuzhanin et al 2016), in Malawi -96 (Kovtunovich et al 2014). This irregularity is mostly connected with real possibilities to visit and study these countries.…”

DESCRIPTION OF THE LIFE STAGES OF <i>SPHENARCHES ANYSODACTYLUS</i> (WALKER) (PTEROPHORIDAE: LEPIDOPTERA)

“…21). However, there is no mention of the cornuti in the study by Yano (1963) and Kovtunovich et al (2014), Gielis and Wangdi (2018) Corpus bursae balloon shaped with no distint signum. However, minute spicules are dispersed throughout the corpus bursae and appeared more dense in a patch at lower part of corpus bursae (Fig.…”