Geraldocossus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cossidae
Genus:	Geraldocossus Yakovlev & Sáfián, 2016[1]
Species:	G. durrelli
Binomial name
Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Sáfián, 2016[1]

Geraldocossus is a monotypic genus of moths in the Politzariellinae subfamily of the carpenter miller moths.^[1] Its sole species, Geraldocossus durrelli, is found in Cameroon.^[2] It is solely known from two male specimens.^[2]

Description

Geraldocossus durrelli is of medium size, with a forewing length of 15 mm. Its short and wide forewings are darkly coloured with a faint pattern and have rounded apices and mottled black and brown fringes. The hindwings are an unpatterned dark grey with a uniformly grey fringe. The underside of the forewings is black, that of the hindwings is grey; both hold no patterns. The thorax and abdomen are covered with dark scales, brown in case of the thorax and black on the abdomen. Antennae are simple.^[2]

G. durrelli can be distinguished from other species in the Politzariellinae subfamily based on male genitalia, from which it differs by the presence of needle-like spines at the apices of the gnathos branches and by the complicated juxta-structure which includes three pairs of lateral processes.^[2]

Distribution

G. durrelli is known solely from Mount Cameroon, where both known specimens were collected on the south-western slope at an altitude of 1100 m above sea level, in the submontane zone.^[2]

Etymology

Both the generic and specific name are in honour of Gerald Durrell.^[2]

References