Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Sáfián, 2016

Yakovlev, Roman V. & Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2016, Geraldocossus gen. nov. (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from Mount Cameroon (West Africa), Zootaxa 4114 (5), pp. 595-599 : 596

Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Sáfián sp. nov.

Holotype: ♂, Cameroon (SW), PC7, Mount Cameroon (SW slope), PlantiCam (1100 m asl), 09.IV.2015. Coordinates: N 4.1175000°, E 9.0709440°. Leg.: Maicher, V., Sáfián, Sz., Janeček, S., Tropek, R., slide-number Yakovlev-Coss-2016-1 (deposited in MZUJ collection). Paratype: 1 ♂, same data (deposited in MWM).

Description. Adult ( Figs. 1–3 ) Forewing length of holotype and paratype 15 mm. Antennae simple, band-like. Eyes hairless. Frons width equal to eye diameter. Labial palpi 1,5 times shorter that eye diameter. Thorax and abdomen densely covered with dark scales (thorax with brown ones, abdomen with carbon black ones). Tegulae and patagium brown. Fore wing relatively short and wide, with rounded apex. Fore wing dark grey, almost black with poorly expressed pattern of dark strokes and undulated bands, more developed in postdiscal and submarginal areas; with brown margin in discal area; thin, almost straight band from Cu1a string base to border of distal and middle thirds of bottom edge; boundary edge very thin. Fringe of fore wing mottled: black at strings and brown between them. Hind wing dark grey, without pattern, with very thin boundary edge and monochrome grey fringe. Fore wing carbon black on ventral side, with light margin in cubital area. Hindwing grey ventrally.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ): see genus description.

Female: unknown.

Habitat description ( Fig. 9–10 ). The male holotype and the paratype were captured at 1100 m asl., where the forest exhibits a transition between lowland evergreen rainforest to sub-montane forest, although the vegetation type in this altitudinal zone has not been formally classified ( Cable & Cheek 1998; Bussmann 2006; Proctor et al. 2007). The forest distribution is often interrupted by large open or semi open areas, lacking larger trees. These open areas are often covered by bracken thickets or grasses, in other areas they are overgrown with thick shrub and younger trees, covered by various species of stranglers. It is possible that these clearings were established through or re-growth of closed canopy forest was prevented by activities of forest elephants, as permanent disturbance was very obvious through broad elephant trails with many broken tree-trunks or entire trees toppled.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Politzariellinae (Cossidae) (adults and male genitalia): 1. Geraldocossus durrelli Yakovlev & Safian sp. nov., holotype, upperside; 2. G. durrelli, holotype, underside; 3. G. durrelli, paratype, male, upperside; 4. Politzariella pantherina Yakovlev, 2011, ♂, holotype (ZSSM); 5. Holcoceroides ferrugineotincta Strand, [1913], ♂, Nigeria (ZSSM); 6. Male genitalia of G. dur re lli (holotype); 7. Male genitalia of P. pantherina (holotype from Yakovlev 2011); 8. Male genitalia of H. ferrugineotincta (topotype, Nigeria, from Yakovlev 2011).

FIGURES 9 – 10. Type locality of Geraldocossus durrelli (biotope and map): 9. Typical sub-montane forest with clearings on the western slopes of Mt. Cameroon (photo by Vincent Maicher) 10. G. durrelli, map of distribution.