Liocrobyla kuranda De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick, 2025

Liocrobyla kuranda De Prins, Sruoga & Zwick , sp. nov.

( Figs 387, 388, 393, 394, 397, 398, 404, 405, 409, 412, 415, 422, 423, 638)

Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Kuranda.

Type specimens: Holotype ♂: [labels verbatim] [1] Australia QLD [Queensland]/ 16.49S 145.38E /Kuranda em[erged]/ 27 Feb 1997 /T. & M. Kumata. [2] Host 5713/ Pongamia / pinnata, DNA sample NULT024638, genitalia slide ANIC 6162, ANIC Acc. no 31 085535, in ANIC (Canberra).

Paratypes: 10 specimens: Paratype 1(♂): Australia, Queensland, Kuranda, 16.49S 145.38E, 27 February 1997, T. & M. Kumata. Host 5713, Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre ( Fabaceae ), DNA sample NULT024753, genitalia slide ANIC 6163, ANIC Acc. no 31 085546. Paratype 2: same data, except the date 16 February 1997. Paratype 3: same data, except the date 18 February 1997. Paratype 4(♂): same data except the date 11 February 1997, DNA sample NULT024878, genitalia slide ANIC 6164, 31 085548. Paratype 5(♂): Queensland, 16.49S 145.38E, Kuranda, 19 March 1998, T. & M. Kumata, Host 5960, Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre ( Fabaceae ), DNA sample NULT025354, genitalia slide ANIC 6168, ANIC Acc. no 31 085550. Paratype 6(♀): West Mulgrave River, 17.19S 145.47E, 21 January 1997, T. & M. Kumata. Host 5638, Pongamia sp. ( Fabaceae ), DNA sample NULT025114, genitalia slide ANIC 6166, ANIC Acc. no 31 085547. Paratype 7: same data except the date 30 January 1997. Paratype 8: without abdomen, Kuranda, 16.49S 145.38E, 29 January 1997, T. & M. Kumata. Host 5713, Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre ( Fabaceae ). Paratype 9: without abdomen, same data, date 02 February 1997. Paratype 10: same data, except the date 10 February 1997, in ANIC (Canberra).

Type depository: Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Diagnosis: Following the general external characters and especially the forewing pattern, this new species belongs to the same species group as Liocrobyla desmodiella . Both species share the same major forewing ornaments: the oblique costal narrowing stripe directed toward the termen and posterior half of the forewing with a small whitish repeated pattern running from base to tornus. The L. kuranda sp. nov. can be easily diagnosed from L. desmodiella by a bright yellowish vertex (in L. desmodiella it is dark greyish fuscous) and a more diffuse forewing pattern in which white small stripes disorderly interchange with greyish and dark fuscous, while in L. desmodiella the wing pattern is more geometrically defined into the black edged stripes and small dashes that form a sub-dorsal row. In male genitalia L. kuranda sp. nov. ventral margin of valvae with biforked appendix, that makes this species easily recognisable, ventral margin of cucullus is equipped with a tuft of strong needle-like scales, a specific diagnostic character for this species. Differently from L. desmodiella the transtilla in L. kuranda sp. nov. is complete and strongly developed, and it is incomplete in L. desmodiella . Aedeagus is diagnostic: it is S-shaped with a short appendix at sub-coecal part in L. kuranda sp. nov., it is simple, cylindrical shaped, without any appendages in L. desmodiella . Following the male genitalia characters the new species L. kuranda is the most similar to another Australian new species L. pinnatae . The diagnostic differences between both new species in male genitalia are as follows: in L. kuranda sp. nov. the apical part of sacculus has a deep concave indentation and the apex bears a forked, blunt, sclerotised appendage; in L. pinnatae sp. nov. the apical part of sacculus without a deep concave appendage and the apex bears one digitiform appendage. Female genitalia with strongly sclerotised segments VII and VI and lamella ante-vaginalis as a deep trench crossing segments VI and VII is a strongly diagnostic character. Mitogenomic characters also diagnose this species as a lineage with strong support within the genus Liocrobyla clade.

Description: Wingspan 4.5–5.6 mm; length of the forewing 1.9–2.5 mm ( Figs 387, 388).

Head ( Figs 393, 394): Vertex light yellowish beige consisting of two brushes of piliform scales projecting anteriad, with slight diffusion of intermixed dark-tipped piliform scales gently transitioning to frons area. Frons dark brown shining with some white scales. Maxillary palpus short pointed whitish. Labial palpus dark fuscous, drooping, ca. 2× longer than the eye, directed downward, basal palpomere fuscous with light irroration of almost black dotted scales, mid palpomere fuscous with white apex, terminal palpomere light beige with darker basis, sharply pointed, proboscis bright yellowish. Antenna more or less uniformly beige fuscous, flagellomeres dorsally fuscous with slightly darker apices consisting of piliform narrow scales forming longitudinal thin lines, ventrally lighter, uniformly light ochreous, pedicel short, dark fuscous; scape dorsally white with fuscous base and apex, ventrally light ochreous, with ca. 7–8 dark fuscous short pecten.

Thorax ( Figs 387, 388, 398): Patagium lightly ochreous with two bunches of piliform radially directed scales, mesothorax uniformly light ochreous; tegula fuscous greyish. Forewing narrowly elongated, with a gently rounded apex, ground colour is fuscous with white, black and light beige markings, that are different in costal and sub-dorsal areas of the forewing; the costal area: a sharply oblique white costal stripe with a broad base and narrow apex, sharply directed towards tornus initiates at 1/2 of the forewing, margined basally with a broad irregular area of black scales; a narrow costal oblique stripe, sharply directed toward tornus at apical 1/3, basally margined with an irregular area of black scales, sub-apical area is separated by a narrow white arched line repeating the apical margin of the forewing; apex with distinct two white prolonged apical dots. A narrow, yellowish ochreous stripe borders the dorsal margin of forewing. The sub-dorsal area of the forewing pattern consists of irroration of white, fuscous, blackish spots and stripes. The fringe line is dark fuscous, followed by a semi-round area of prolonged white scales at the apex, white with dark infusion scales at the tornus forming an irregular and broad fringe line; fringe short, silvery shining at the apex, termen, and tornus, silvery shining light grey along the dorsal margin of fore wing with very long shining piliform scales at about 1/2 of the dorsum of the forewing. Hindwing narrow, elongate, sharply pointed, ground colour dark greyish fuscous, fringe shorter at costa and long, ca. 6× longer than the width of hindwing at the base. The fore femur is light fuscous with a dark fuscous central patch, the fore tibia is uniformly dark fuscous, the tarsomeres are dark fuscous with light ochreous patches, the second tarsomere with light basal half, tarsomeres III–IV with light narrow apices; mid-femur fuscous, mid-tibia dark fuscous with two light patches on apical half, tibial spurs light beige, tarsomere I fuscous with white basal and median spot, tarsomere II with light basal and apical parts, terminal tarsomeres fuscous, tip white with silver shine; hind femur light beige, hind tibia light beige with the fuscous sub-apical diagonal band, medial spurs light beige almost as long as the tibia, basal half fuscous, apical spurs dark fuscous dorsally and light internally, tarsomere I fuscous with the whitish oblique medial and sub-apical band, tarsomeres II–V, dark fuscous with light apices, tip dirty white.

Abdomen ( Figs 397, 412, 415): dorsally dark fuscous with an intermixture of irroration of white scales on terga II–IV; ventrally shining white with four short dark brown stripes on lateral sides of sternites. As usual in Liocrobyla species, males possess strongly expressed androconial micromorphological characters on sterna VI–VIII and tergum VIII. Two sets of paired long piliform androconial coremata are present: one set on posterior margin of sternum VI and the other on posterior margin on sternum VIII. Intersegmental joint between segments VI and VII is weakly sclerotised and carries two narrow strongly sclerotised semi-rings initiating at anterior margin of sternum VII. Segment VII is strongly sclerotised and it bears a melanised fold connecting two sub-lateral very long, as long as ca. three abdominal segments, tufts consisting of thin piliform scales. Posterior segment VIII is reduced and remains a small but broad triangular plate which bears a peculiar bunch of nicely and tightly arranged prolonged and flat scales forming a brushed triangular anterior decorative plate. The sides of abdominal opening on sternum I are very strongly sclerotised, especially the anterior part, however the horizontal joint is very thin and weakly sclerotised; apodemes on sternum II are rudimental almost invisible, while the apodemes on tergum II are thin, long, reaching the posterior 1/3 of segment II, slightly bent at apical half; a sclerotised line joins the anterior parts of tergal apodemes; a sclerotised plate proceeds the opening of abdomen on sternum II. Anterior segment VI in females is strongly sclerotised.

Individual variation: There is slight variation in the intensity of the ornamental pattern of the forewing, especially in the sub-dorsal area. Light patches on mid-legs can differ or be absent.

Male genitalia ( Figs 404, 405): Tegumen narrow, weakly sclerotised, slightly shorter than valva, with gently sharpening apex, tuba analis slightly protruded, truncate at apex, teguminal arms narrow, weakly sclerotised, gently approaching each other towards apex; valvae with folded ventral margin; costal margin sclerotised and gently bent at basal half, apex straightly cut with rounded margins, strongly setose, ventral margin of cucullus bears a bunch of long, strong, spiculose setae, ventral margin of valvae slightly folded with semi-round indentation at sub-apical part, sacculus area strongly sclerotised, with triangular additional fold at the midden of ventral margin of valva; ventral margin is strongly sclerotised, bent with protruding appendix that proceeds the ventral valval fold; transtilla strongly developed, complete, with dilated lateral sides, juxta thin sclerotised band digitiform; vinculum strongly developed with complex two-layered sides and well noticeable joint of left and right mirror-sides at the central part of anterior margin, vincular posterior appendages short, strongly sclerotised, directed laterally; saccus short, more or less triangular; aedeagus S-shaped with short, sclerotised triangular process at sub-coecal area, tip of vesica forked and bears a sclerotised, short, digitiform appendix, vesica with a broad band of sprinkled spicules.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 409): Papillae anales flat, fused, densely covered with thin, long setae, apophyses posteriores thick short, with blunt apices, reaching the anterior 1/3 of segment VIII; apophyses anteriores with broad sclerotised bases forming a semi-ring on tergum VIII, basal parts of apophyses rectangular-shaped and apical part thin needle-like with sharp apices terminating at posterior 1/3 of segment VII. Segment VII with a very complex sterigmatic sclerotisation: lamella ante-vaginalis as a deep trench with high raised sloughs ending as three-lobed posterior margin of sternum VII; this three-lobed part represents a lamella post-vaginalis. This complex sterigmatic sclerotised trench continues on segment VI, which is strongly sclerotised also (not a usual character in female Gracillariidae ); ostium bursae opens on the anterior margin of sternum VII (a characteristics typical for the subfamily Ornixolinae ), as a round opening with circular sclerotised margins. Segment VI is strongly sclerotised and forms a part of sterigmatic structures with complex paired and slightly protruded sub-lateral processes; ductus bursae relatively short, melanised, ca. as long as segment VI, colliculum covered by prolonged irregular oval shaped sterigmatic sclerotisation; corpus bursae slightly longer than segment VI, sac-shaped with slightly folded wall, without signum.

Bionomics ( Figs 422, 423): The larva is a leaf miner found on two closely related plant species Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre and Pongamia sp. ( Fabaceae ). The mining period is short, about mid or late January. The flight period of adults is from late January till mid-February.

Mitogenomic data: The monophyly of this species is maximally supported in all analyses (populations from both known localities sampled), while its sister relationship to L. pinnatae sp. nov. is well supported ( Fig. 638).

The larva is a leaf miner that feeds on Pongamia spp. plants, with a preference for Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre ( Fabaceae ).

Distribution: Known from three localities in Australia: Queensland.

Etymology: The specific name refers to the type locality Kuranda in Queensland ( Australia). It is a noun in apposition.