Wittoecia – a new genus of Zeuzerinae (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

The present paper contains the description of a new Cossidae genus, Wittoecia gen. n. (type species, by monotypy Azygophleps brehmi Yakovlev & Witt, 2016) from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The new combination Wittoecia brehmi (Yakovlev & Witt, 2016) comb. n. is established. With 8 color and 7 black-and-white figures.


Introduction
The genus Azygophleps Hampson, 1892 (type species (by monotypy) − Hepialis scalaris Fabricius, 1775) now includes 34 species, locally common in the southern Palearctic and in Paleotropic khoron (Daniel 1963(Daniel , 1964Arora 1976;Hua et al. 1990;Yakovlev & Dubatolov 2013;Yakovlev et al. 2015;Yakovlev & Witt 2017). The type species of the genus is A. scalaris (Fabricius, 1775) recorded as a pest of Sesbania grandiflora, S. roxburghii, S. bispinosa, S. javanica, S. sesban (Fabaceae), the flowers of which are used as vegetables in tropical regions, and on Crotalaria (Fabaceae) grown as siderat and shade on coffee trees plantations. Widely distributed in tropical Africa, A. inclusa (Walker, 1856) damage Indigofera (Fabaceae) (Vari et al. 2002) which is widely used in production of natural dyes (indigo and basma). Examining most of the nomenclature types of the genus Azygophleps representatives (during a complete revision of the genus) we established its characteristic apomorphic features, in particular, a very thick aedeagus with a large cornutus in the lateral surface of the vesica. Due to the conducted research, the status and taxonomic position of a number of taxa will be revised. In particular, it concerns Azygophleps brehmi Yakovlev & Witt, 2016, described on a series of eight males collected in the province of Oromia (Central Ethiopia) . The male genitalia characteristics in this little studied species differ sharply from the known species of the genus Azygophleps, thus, A. brehmi represents a Cossidae genus new to science. Its description is given below.

Material and methods
Adults of Cossidae were collected using light traps. Male genitalia were mounted in euparal on slides following Lafontaine and Mikkola (Lafontaine & Mikkola 1987;Lafontaine 2004). The adults were photographed using iPhone7. The genitalia preparations were photographed using a Olympus DP74 camera attached to an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope.
https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C6EC2069-700E-44AF-8DE1-0CD9583CE1E1 Type species (by monotypy) Azygophleps brehmi Yakovlev & Witt, 2016 (Figs 1−2, 8) Description. Size medium (fore wing length 22−24 mm). Antenna goblet-like, bipectinate, very long crest processes in two proximal thirds of antenna (processes 4 times longer than rod diameter), very short crest processes in distal third (processes equal to antenna rod diameter). Thorax and abdomen covered with lightyellow hairs. Fore wing elongated, creamy, with reticulated pattern of black strokes: more dense and wide along costa, anal edge and in distal cell, significantly thinner submarginally. No pattern of strokes in cubital area. Hind wing creamy, with poorly expressed reticulated pattern of thin grey undulated strokes in submarginal and marginal areas (except for anal area). Fringe on all wings light-creamy, almost white.
Female unknown.
Diagnosis. Externally, the new genus is most close to the genus Azygophleps (Figs 3−4, 9−10), from which it clearly differs in the male genitalia (in Azygophleps, the aedeagus is thick with a large cornutus in the lateral surface of the vesica, the gnathos arms are long and thin, not fused). From the genus Phragmacossia Schawerda, 1924 (type species, by original designation − Phragmatoecia (sic) reticulata Püngeler, 1900) (Figs 5, 11) distributed in the south of Palaearctic and south-east Asia the new genus differs in a more variable pattern on the fore wing, the massive uncus and the short gnathos arms. In the male genital structure, it is most close to the genus Phragmataecia Newman, 1850 (type species, by monotypy − Noctua arundinis Hübner, 1808) (Figs 6, 12), widely spread in the Palaearctic and Paleotropics, from which it differs in the more variable fore wing pattern, larger size and very thick base of the uncus. Externally, the new genus resembles to the genus Zeuzeropecten Gaede, 1930 (type species, by original designation − Zeuzeropecten lactescens Gaede, 1930) (Figs 7, 13), distributed in east Africa and Madagascar, but differs in its very short saccus (in Zeuzeropecten sp., the saccus is very long) and longer uncus (in Zeuzeropecten sp., the uncus is very short).

Composition.
The new genus is monotypic, it includes only one species -Wittoecia brehmi  comb. n.