Gnathifera luridicapitella Gaedike 2018, sp. nov.

Gnathifera luridicapitella sp. nov.

(Figs 8, 24)

Type material. Holotype: ♂, South Australia: “ 29 miles SW of Whyalla, S. A., 8 May 1970, [leg.] I. F. B. Common;” “Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] Gaedike Nr. 9240;” “ Holotypus ♂, Gnathifera luridicapitella sp. n., det. R. Gaedike 2018;” ANIC.

Description. (Fig. 8). Wingspan 11mm.

Head pale yellowish coloured, laterally somewhat more yellow than the other parts of head; labial palpus light grey, nearly white, second segment apically and nearly the entire third segment dark grey; antenna 3/4 of the length of forewing, dark grey, with pecten.

Thorax basal half pale yellowish coloured, apical half dark grey with whitish coloured tip, tegulae dark grey, apically whitish coloured; forewing narrow, ground colour light grey; three black dots along the cell, (1/3, 1/2, 3/4), dorsum at 1/2, with a dark patch basally, the third black dot oblique, prolonged as light brown strip and directed to cell, apical fourth of forewing covered with dark brown-grey scales, apex with black patch, fringe with dark scales and with a lighter coloured line at 3/4; the remaining parts of forewing covered with numerous grey and dark grey smaller patches and dots; hindwing light grey.

Male genitalia (Fig. 24). Uncus basally broad, narrower to truncated tip, gnathos broad, oval, with numerous minute bristles; valva narrow, lancet-shaped, costal edge apically with pointed bristled process, subapically with strongly sclerotized narrow digital process, apodemes prolonged into a thin long process, connected with vinculum; phallus much longer than valva, narrow, slightly curved.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species is superficially distinguishable from the other members of the genus by having a pale yellowish coloured head and forewing with a pattern of three small black dots along cell, the light grey ground colour is covered with numerous minute darker dots and patches. The genitalia structure is similar to that of G. queenslandi, G. bipunctata, G. acacivorella and G. fuscostriata. The differences are as follows: phallus parallelsided, not broadened, slightly curved, while phallus in G. acacivorella is narrower from base to tip., phallus with more or less bulbose apical half in G. queenslandi, G. bipunctata and G. fuscostriata. The sclerotized digital process is present on subapical part of valva, tip of the process is rounded, similar to that of G. acacivorella. Valva of G. luridicapitella sp. nov. lancet-shape, while valval costal and dorsal margins in G. acacivorella are more or less parallel; the valval process in G. fuscostriata and G. queenslandi with pointed tip.

Distribution. South Australia.

Bionomics. The early stages and host plants are unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the colouration of the head (Latin: luridus = pale; caput = head).