Siccia rarita Kühne, 2007

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 : 54-55

Siccia rarita Kühne, 2007

( Figs 120–124 , 366–368 )

Siccia rarita Kühne, 2007 , Esperiana Memoir , 3: 376, figs 90, 173 (Type locality: “ Kenya, Western Prov. , Kakamega Forest N.R.... near Udo's Campsite, ca. 0°21.3'N 34°51'E ”).

Type material examined. Paratype ( Figs 120 , 366 ): male, Kenya, Western Prov. , Kakamega Forest N.R., 14.xii.2003, near Udo’s campsite, ca. 0°21.3'N 34°51'E, local collector leg., gen. prep. No.: AV2895 ( MfN) .

Additional material examined. GABON: 5 males, 430m, Mikongo (Rougier) , Monts de Cristal (Secondary Forest), 0˚29'47''N, 11˚10'42''E, 28.vii.–12.viii.2019, Actinic & LepiLED Light Traps, Albert, J.- L., Aristophanous, M., Bie Mba, J., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P. leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5921, AV6563, AV6564, AV6610 ( ANHRT) ; REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1 male, Odzala-Kokoua N.P., 400–500m, 1°00'N 15°00'E, 29.i.–3.iii.1997, S. Murzin & V. Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 2020-024 (prepared by Volynkin) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 3 males, 372m, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , Mbeli camp, 02°14'23.8''N, 16°23'52.1''E, 14–20.ii.2023, MV & actinic light trap, Bakala, N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 365m, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , Mondika camp, 02°21'50.63''N 16°16'25.82''E, 07–14.ii.2023, actinic light trap, Bakala, N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 375m, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , Mbeli baï, 02°15'30.4''N 16°24'39.5''E, 15– 19.ii.2023, actinic light trap, Bakala, N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 372m, Sangha Prov. , Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Mbeli camp ( Gilbertiodendron forest), 02°14'23.8''N, 16°23'52.1''E, 1–10.x.2022, Actinic Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Fouka, B., Kirk-Spriggs, A., Takano, H. leg. ( ANHRT) ; CAMEROON: 1 male, Lolodorf, L. Conradt , 1994–1895 / Ex Oberthür Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3, unique number: NHMUK0010292068, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010317785 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) ; DRC: 1 male, Kassai district , Congo F. [ree] St. [ate], Taymans [leg.], unique number: NHMUK010292070, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010317787 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) ; UGANDA: 1 male, 1700m, Bwindi Impenetrable N.P., Cuckooland Lodge , 01°00'17''S, 29°43'06''E, 28–29.vi.2022, Naumann, S., Ott, E., Schintlmeister, A., Sulak, H. leg., gen. prep. No.: AV6983 ( ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.0– 12.5 mm in males. Siccia rarita is externally very similar to a number of other species in the species-group such as S. megista , S. cretata , S. mbeli , and identification requires the examination of the genitalia structures. The male genital capsule of S. rarita is vaguely reminiscent of S. meyi but differs in the distally broader valva with a longer and bilobate cucullus having a longer and narrower distal lobe and a short, triangular and apically rounded ventral lobe positioned proximally and directed ventrally. Compared to S. meyi , S. rarita has a larger ventral lobe of the costa with a dentate ventral margin. Additionally, in S. rarita , the uncus is longer than in S. meyi , the vinculum is somewhat shorter, and the anellus lacks the clusters of spines. The phallus and vesica of S. rarita are both shorter and narrower than in S. meyi and the vesica has a shorter distal-dorsal diverticula. The detailed comparison with S. megista is provided below in the diagnosis of the latter species.

The female is unknown.

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence of COI-5P sequences calculated from three sampled specimens is in the range of 0.15–0.62%. The pairwise distance between S. rarita and the Gabonese and West African populations of the morphologically most similar S. megista is in the range of 5.11–5.79 and 6.78–7.99%, respectively.

Distribution. The species is currently known from western Kenya ( Kühne 2007), Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Gabon.

Figures

Figures 112–124. Siccia spp., adults. Depositories of the specimens: 112, 113 and 123 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 114–116, 121, 122 and 124 in ANHRT; 117 in AKW; 118 and 120 in MfN; 119 in GMF-B.

Figures 364–368. Siccia spp., male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 365 and 366 in MfN; 367 in MWM/ZSM; 368 in ANHRT.