Rooiklipia gen nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: ECE0722C-12A7-464A-B819-E26774B178C3

Type species: Rhodobates mirabib Mey, 2011.

Gender of genus is feminine.

Adult facies (Figs 1–3): Forewing length 8–12 mm, wing span 19–26 mm. Head and scape snow-white, densely covered with hair-like scales; antennae bronze-grey, flagellomeres with one complete annulus of scales, labial palpi porrect, second segment with ventral tuft of lamellate scales and whiskers, some brown scales on lateral sides, third segment short, upright, acute; maxillary palpi, pilifers and proboscis absent; forelegs brown, middle and hind legs white, hind tibia with long hairs on dorsal margin, epiphysis present, spurs 0.2.4.; forewing show-white, costal margin at base thinly lined with black, hindwings pale grey, fringes white, wing venation with median cell in hindwings (Fig. 4).

Male genitalia (Figs 5–8): Segment VIII without coremata; vinculum and tegumen a complete ring, tegumen very large, plate-like and with fused uncus appearing as laterally protruding edges on apex, elongate subscaphium present, vinculum much smaller than tegumen, saccus present, vinculum produced distad ventrally, rounded and fused membranously with median sides of valvae and anellus region ventral of phallus; gnathos arms sickle-shaped, fused at tips by membranous band; valva broad, as long as tegumen, sacculus with a short, terminal process, valva apically rounded and with a triangular prolongation directed ventrad or a simple incision; phallic apparatus long, dorso-ventrally compressed, slightly sinus-shaped in ventral view, cornuti absent.

Female genitalia (Fig. 9): Segment VII with long, white scales covering tip of abdomen, segment VIII with sclerotized, plate-like tergum and sternum, forming a dorso-ventrally flattened pouch separated by pleural membranes, apical margins with short bristles; oviscape of telescoping type, apophyses posteriores two times longer than apophyses anteriores, additional pair of apophyses present on ventral side subapically; ostium as flat opening in the middle near basal margin of sternum VIII, antrum of different form and size in species, corresponding in shape with apices of male phallus, ductus bursae short, bursa copulatrix small, signum absent.

Diagnostic characters

The compact segment IX, the large valvae, the broad gnathos arms and the simple phallus are plesiomorphic attributes of the male genitalia, which occur in similar expression in the other families of Tineoidea (Eriocottidae, Psychidae, Meessiidae) assigning the genus to one of the more ancestral groups in Tineidae. Also, the wing venation is in a primitive state with all radial and median veins in the forewings originating from the cell, presence of an accessory cell and complete Cu2, and in the hindwings with a median cell (branched M present in cell) and short Rs like a cross-vein to base of M1. The loss of pilifers, maxillary palpi and proboscis is taxonomically of low value since these reductions are commonplace in Tineidae (Robinson & Nielsen 1993). The presumed apomorphy of the new genus is the form of the male phallus, which is dorso-ventrally flattened and slightly curved in horizontal plane. The apical shape of the phallus corresponds with the form of the female antrum. The genus cannot be placed easily in any of the existing subfamilies because the array of characters does not fit completely to any of these. However, the medially fused valvae of the male genitalia observed in Rooiklipia gen. nov. is reminiscent of a similar character state in Hapsiferinae. Though mediated by membranous connections alone in Rooiklipia gen. nov. and not by lateral, sclerotized processes via a small anellus as in Hapsiferinae sensu stricto (Gaedike 2015), this structure can be interpreted as an ancestral state in the formation of the medially connected valvae of Hapsiferinae. Based on this feature, the new genus is tentatively included in this subfamily. The sister genus is currently unknown. Rhodobates seems to be a more distantly related genus. It was transferred by Petersen (1987) to Hapsiferinae, a systematic position upheld by Gaedike (2015) in contrast to Robinson (2009), who placed the genus in Myrmecozelidae, a polyphyletic assemblage of various groups. The molecular results support the morphologybased conclusion of a position of Rooiklipia gen. nov. within Hapsiferinae (Fig.13).

The genus includes four externally not separable species. The main diagnostic trait of the males, the morphology of the tip of valvae, can be seen by brushing off the valval scales.

Biology: The larvae and biology are unknown. Adults were collected at various seasons from September to November and from January to April. Larvae of Tineidae are usually not associated with special host-plants. In Hapsiferinae, the larvae and biology of most species are largely unknown. They few available data points to a detritophagous life-style with a diverse food spectrum of dead, organic material or vegetable debris, including development of larvae in subterranean nests of rodents (Gozmány & Vári 1973).

Habitats: Species of Rooiklipia gen. nov. were collected in the Namib Desert (Fig. 10) and its transition zone with the eastern Pro-Namib for the first time. Initially, R. mirabib was suspected to represent an endemic taxon of the Namib Desert. Later, further populations of this species and two additional species were discovered occurring in the Escarpment (Fig. 11). These localities are situated partly in the Nama Karoo Biome. With records of R. michaelmeyi sp. nov. from near Kamanjab and Okahandja, the spectrum of habitats of the genus was widened to include localities in the Thornbush Savanna Biome in the interior of Namibia. A detailed account on these biomes and BIOTA observatories including ecological conditions and vegetation cover is provided by Jürgens et al. (2010).

Distribution (Fig. 12): Namibia, Central Namib, Escarpment mountains, Kunene and Otjozondjupa Regions.

Etymology: The name is derived from Rooiklip, name of the guest farm and base camp of the author in Namibia. Two species of the genus occur sympatrically at this locality.