Siccia processa processa, Volynkin, 2023

Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Siccia Walker (= Aemene Walker, syn. n.) in the Afrotropics with descriptions of seventy-three new species, three new subspecies, and a check-list of Asiatic taxa of the genus (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 64, pp. 1-184 : 49-50

Siccia processa processa sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:746076EF-2ED7-44D5-A4B2-13CE6B7B167D

( Figs 107–109 , 357, 358 , 486 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 107 , 357 ): male, “ Ivory Coast, 39–48m, | Abidjan, Banco Forest | ( Parc-National du Banco ) | 05°23'03.8''N 04°03'11.2''W | 21–30.iv.2017, MV light, | Aristophanous, A., | Aristophanous, M., Geiser, M., | Moretto, P., leg., | ANHRT:2017.25” / “ANHRTUK | 00052774” (DNA barcode iD) / “Slide | AV5666 ♂ | A. Volynkin ” ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. IVORY COAST: 2 males, 1 female, the same data as holotype, gen. prep. No.: AV6759 (female) ( ANHRT) ; 5 males, 174m, Taï NP, Taï Research Station ( SRET) , 05˚50'00''N, 07˚20'32.0''W, 25.iii.–17.iv.2017, MV light, Aristophanous, A., Aristophanous, M., Geiser, M., Moretto, P. leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV3351, AV3352, AV3355 ( ANHRT) ; LIBERIA: 1 male, 530m, Lofa County, Foya Proposed Protected Area , 7˚56'36''N, 10˚16'36''W, 10–19.xi.2017, MV Light Trap (125w), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., & Smith, L., leg., gen. prep. No.: AV4618 ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 230m, Lofa County, Zuwulor Village School, 7˚54'52''N, 9˚31'08''W, 8.xi.2017, Light Trap (blended bulb 250W), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., & Smith, L., leg., gen. prep. No.: AV4622 ( ANHRT) ; 3 males, 140m, Sinoe County, Krahn-Bassa Reserve, Juboe River , 7.5km SW Pellokon Town, 5˚39'4''N, 8˚39'4''W, 14–20.i.2018, Blended bulb 250w and MV Light Traps, Geiser, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5668, AV5670, AV5672 ( ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 6.5–7.5 mm in males and 8.0 mm in the female. The nominate subspecies of S. processa is externally reminiscent of S. foya and S. kpelle but distinguished by the darker, pale ochreous forewing and darker, greyish-brown hindwing. The male genital capsule of the new species differs clearly from the other species in the species-group in the strongly elongate, slender and upcurved medial process of the ventral lobe of the costa (it is very short and triangular or absent in the similar congeners), and the cucullus bearing two short, broad and apically rounded apical processes whereas they are claw-shaped in the similar congeners. The phallus of S. processa is less distally dilated than in the other species in the species-group. The vesica of the new species is most similar to S. ziela but lacks the medial-distal and the subbasal diverticula. In the female genitalia, S. processa differs from S. foya and S. chilambwe in the shorter, narrower and more weakly sclerotised antrum, the longer anterior section of the ductus bursae with longer sclerotised plates, and the markedly shorter, semiglobular appendix bursae, which is strongly elongate, tubular and medially curved in the aforementioned congeners. Additionally, the lateral subostial lobes of S. processa are markedly shorter and narrower than in the congeners.

Molecular data. The intrasubpecific divergence of COI-5P sequences calculated from five specimens is in the range of 0.00–0.46%. Besides S. processa chloma , the nearest neighbour of S. processa processa is S. kpelle differing by 5.26–6.45%.

Distribution. The new species is known from Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the strongly elongate medial process of the ventral lobe of the costa in the male genitalia of the new species. The name is a noun in the nominative singular in apposition.

Figures

Figures 95–111. Siccia spp., adults. Depositories of the specimens: 95–105 and 107–111 in ANHRT; 106 in GMF-B.

Figures 357–360. Siccia processa spp., male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in ANHRT.

Figures 484–487. Siccia spp., female genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in ANHRT.