Siccia acornuta, 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 : 45

Siccia acornuta sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7D22BAC4-2E60-46B9-B4FC-6AD5A7CCF8A8

( Figs 95–97 , 347, 348 , 481 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 95 , 347 ): male, “ Liberia 585m | Lofa County, Wologizi Mts., | Rosewood Camp | 8°06'14.9''N, 9°58'27.3''W | 18.xi–1.xii.2018 | LepiLED Light Trap | Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. Leg. | ANHRT:2018.43” / “ANHRTUK | 00070071” (DNA barcode iD) / “Slide | AV5279 ♂ | A. Volynkin ” ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. LIBERIA: 1 male, the same locality and collectors as holotype but MV light trap, gen. prep. No.: AV5280 ( ANHRT); 2 males, 611m, Lofa County, Wologizi Mts, base camp forest, 8˚07'17''N, 9˚57'42''W, 20.xi.–01.xii.2017, MV Light Trap (125w), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. & Smith, L. leg., gen. prep. No.: AV4633 ( ANHRT); 1 female, 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, Light Trap (Blended bulb 250w), Geiser, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5654 ( ANHRT); 5 males, 530m, Lofa County, Foya Proposed Protected Area, 7˚56'36''N, 10˚16'36''W, 10–19.xi.2017, MV Light Trap (125w) and Cold Cathode Light Bucket, Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., & Smith, L., leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV4540, AV4614, AV5156 ( ANHRT); GUINEA: 2 males, 1 female, 690m, Guinée Forestiére, Bossou Forest and Institut de Recherche Environmentale de Bossou (Lowland Forest-Farmland), 07˚38'32''N, 08˚30'30''W, 24–31.vi.2019, 8W UV Cold Cathode Light and MV Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Suah Dore, J., Koivagui, S., Miles, W., Sáfián, Sz., Warner, R. leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5929 (male), AV6669 (female) ( ANHRT); 1 male, 700m, Guinée Forestiére, Monts Nimba UNESCO World Heritage Site, Serengbara Village to Yie River Valley (Lowland Forest-Farmland), 07°36'56''N, 08°26'54''W, 1–8.vii.2019, UV Cold Cathode Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Koivagui, S., Miles, W., Sáfián, Sz., Warner, R. leg. ( ANHRT); IVORY COAST: 1 male, 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 Trap, Aristophanous, A., Aristophanous, M., Geiser, M., Moretto, P. leg. ( ANHRT); 2 males, 40m, Banco National Park, 05°23’3.8''N, 04°03'11.2''W, 29.xi.–5.xii.2019, LepiLED and MV Light Traps, Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P., Ouattara, S. leg., gen. prep. No.: AV6627 ( ANHRT); 1 male, 174m, Taï NP, Taï Research Station ( SRET), 05˚49'59.8''N, 07˚20'32.0''W, 5– 10.vii.2015, Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E. leg. ( ANHRT).

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 7.0–8.0 mm in males and 8.5–9.5 mm in females. Siccia acornuta is externally indistinguishable from S. duodecimpunctata mikrotera , and reliable identification requires the examination of the genitalia structures. The male genital capsule of the new species is very similar to S. duodecimpunctata but distinguished by the structure of the ventral process of the cucullus, which is somewhat longer and densely setose whereas it bears two or three robust spines in the congener. The phalli of the two species are alike. The vesica of S. acornuta is somewhat broader than in S. duodecimpunctata , has a semiglobular subbasal diverticulum, and lacks the cornutus. The female genitalia of the new species are largely reminiscent of S. duodecimpunctata mikrotera but differ in the shorter and narrower corpus bursae posteriorly covered with smaller spinules, and the larger appendix bursae.

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence of COI-5P sequences calculated from ten sampled specimens is in the range of 0.00–0.62%. The pairwise distance between the new species and S. duodecimpunctata mikrotera is in the range of 1.56–3.32%.

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

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the lack of the cornutus in the phallus vesica, which is characteristic of the similar S. duodecimpunctata . 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 345–348. Siccia spp., male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in ANHRT.

Figures 479–483. Siccia spp., female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 479 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 480 in GMF-B; 481–483 in ANHRT.