Amerila femina ( Berio, 1935 )

Przybyłowicz, Łukasz, Maicher, Vincent, László, Gyula M., Sáfián, Szabolcs & Tropek, Robert, 2019, Amerila (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) of Cameroon with morphological remarks on male and female genitalia, Zootaxa 4674 (2), pp. 283-295 : 286-288

Amerila femina ( Berio, 1935) (Figs 2–6, 16–17, 25)

Material (98 specimens). 1♂ Mount Cameroon (SW slope), 18.xi.2014 , Elephant camp (1850 m a.s.l.), N 4.1453°, E 9.0870°, lgt. V. Maicher, Sz. Sáfián, Š. Janeček, R. Tropek ; 1♂ as above but 19.xi.2014; 2♂♂ as above but 24.xi.2014; 1♂ as above but 25.xi.2014; 1♂ as above but 20.iv.2017, lgt. V. Maicher, P. Potocký, S. Delabye; 8♂ 2♀♀ as above but 25.iv.2017; 1♀ as above but Ekonjo sector, 21.x.2017 , Ekonjo camp (1150 m a.s.l.), N 4° 0921, E 9° 1156, lgt. V. Maicher, S. Delabye ; 1♂ as above but 6.xi.2016, Mann’s Spring (2200 m a.s.l.), N 4.1428°, E 9.1226°, lgt. V. Maicher, Š. Janeček, R. Tropek ; 2♂♂ as above but 7.xi.2016; 1♂ as above but 9.xi.2016; 1♂ as above but 28.i.2017, lgt. P. Potocký, R. Tropek, J. Mertens, Š. Janeček; 2♂♂ 1♀ as above but 17.iv.2017, lgt. V. Maicher, P. Potocký, S. Delabye; 6♂♂ 6♀♀ as above but 18.iv.2017; 1♂ 10♀♀ as above but 19.iv.2017; 3♂♂ 1♀ as above but 20.iv.2017; 5♂♂ as above but 21.iv.2017; 4♂♂ as above but 19.iv.2017, lgt. V. Maicher, P. Potocký, S. Delabye; 2♀♀ as above but Mapanja sector, 11.v.2017 , Mapanja camp (1800 m a.s.l.), N 4.1191°, E 9.1284°, lgt. V. Maicher, S. Delabye ; 1♂ as above but 12.v.2017; 3♀♀ as above but 13.v.2017; 7♂♂ 6♀♀ as above but 14.v.2017; 1♂ as above but 15.v.2017; 2♀♀ as above but 22.x.2017; 1♂ 3♀♀ as above but 23.x.2017; 1♂ 3♀♀ as above but 25.x.2017; 2♂♂ 2♀♀ as above but 28.x.2017; 2♂♂ as above but 29.x.2017 (all above attracted by light); 1♀ as above but 9.iv.2015, PlanteCam camp (1100 m a.s.l.), N 4.1175°, E 9.0709° (bait-trapped) .

Distribution

Until now, the species was known only from two males collected on Mount Cameroon: the first one in Buea, 800– 1200 m, 21.iv.1902 ( Berio 1935), and the second one labelled as Mount Cameroon, 4.iv.1958 ( Häuser & Boppré 1997). According to the elevation indicated on the labels of both previously and newly collected specimens, the spe- cies occurs between 800 and 2200 m a.s.l., and seems to be restricted to submontane and montane forest ( Fig. 1 ).

Male genitalia (Figs 16–17)

Illustrated in Häuser and Boppré (1997). According to their drawing (p. 13) the elongate sclerotized process of valva seems to be straight. However, judging from our two dissected males this process is evenly and delicately curved inwardly what is, however, difficult to illustrate (Figs 16-17). That is why the drawing in Hauser & Boppré shows it clearly straight, in our opinion.

Description of female

Head. Frons and vertex pinkish rusty, each with a single central black spot; frons additionally with a pair of lateral, minute black spots near the eye margin; labial palps upcurved, rounded terminally, segment III half the length of the segment II, basal portion of each segment pink, terminal black with the segment III half black; scapus pink with black scales at its inner surface; flagellum filiform, uniformly ochraceous.

Thorax. Pale pinkish rusty above, slightly more intensively pink below, with minute blackish blotches at the base of fore and mid coxa; patagium with two distinct blackish blotches; tegula with two well defined black dots: one basoventral and one anterior; mesothorax with a blackish pattern: three pairs of parallel, subdorsal blotches, an additional pair of basolateral blotches partly covered by tegulae; foreleg: coxa pale rusty, with a blackish blotch on its ventroproximal surface, femur dorsally intensive pinkish, ventrally pale rusty with a blackish dot terminally, tibia and tarsus dorsally pale rusty, ventrally pinkish; epiphysis more than 1/3 the length of tibia; middle and hindleg similar in the pattern and coloration, but hind tibia provided with two pairs of spines.

Abdomen. Dorsal segments with the gradually changing coloration from pale rusty to pinkish towards the ter- mination, ventral segments monochromatically pale rusty; the blackish pattern consists of a series of six distinctive blotches at the lateral margin of each tergite and a series of small dots located between sternite and tergite just below each spiracle.

Forewing. Length 24–29 mm; upperside pale ochreous-brown; central area from the base to the postdiscal region semitransparent except for the densely scaled discal vein; the base of the radial veins with two black dots. Underside similar in the pattern and coloration but without the basal black dots.

Hindwing. Extensively semitransparent; upperside pinkish to pale ochreous depending on particular specimen; the coloration towards the margin gradually more intensive. Underside similar in pattern and coloration.

Female genitalia (Fig. 25). Papillae anales large, subsquare, terminally covered with dense setae; a pair of elon- gate membranous lobes ventrally, anteriorly from an oviduct; anterior apophyses short, thick, “thorn” like; posterior apophyses slender, one and half times as long as anterior apophyses; dorsal and ventral pheromone glands reduced; sternum VIII weakly sclerotized, posteriorly evenly emarginated, medially deeply divided by a wide longitudinal slit; ostium bursae wide, membranous; antrum short, membranous; ductus bursae straight, moderately elongate with the ventral wall membranous and dorsal wall sclerotized; corpus bursae oval, membranous, densely plicate with a prominent funnel shaped sclerotization; ductus seminalis slender, originating in the anterolateral portion of corpus bursae.

Remarks

The intensity of the pinkish suffusion of the head, thorax, hindwing and abdomen may vary substantially among specimens both in males (Figs 2–4) and females (Figs 5–6). In both sexes, the pink and pale ochraceous specimens are frequently encountered with all intermediate color forms. There are no detected differences between the color morphs in respect to male and female genitalia. The description of female is based on the examination of twenty specimens. The forewing length of forty studied males varies between 25–30 mm. The females were captured by both light catching and bait trapping.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Elevational distribution of Amerila species on Mount Cameroon. The three elevational zones, with their transitions, are visualized by different colors. The weighted mean elevation of individual species (black dot), together with their lowest and highest records, are visualized. After species names, numbers of collected specimens are stated.