Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917

Hausmann, Axel, Sciarretta, Andrea & Parisi, Francesco, 2016, The Geometrinae of Ethiopia II: Tribus Hemistolini, genus Prasinocyma (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 4065 (1), pp. 1-63 : 14-15

Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917

( Figs 6 , 47 , 84 )

Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout (1917) : 428. Locus typicus: Ethiopia, Diredaua, NW of Harar (Syntypes ♂♀ NHM, examined)

Material. Oromia: 5♂, Sidama (locality no. 52; BC ZSM Lep 78502 (failure), 78503, 85805; gen.prp. ZSM G 19642, 19662); 1♀, Ethiopia, Gamu Gofa, nr Arba Minch, 1400m, 6°15’N 37°30’E, 4.V.2008, S. Naumann, H. Schnitzler ( BC ZSM Lep 81476).

Redescription. Adult ( Fig. 6 ). Wingspan. Male 18 – 22 mm, female 23 mm. Ground colour pale aquamarine green, hindwings slightly paler, strigulae missing. Costa of forewing red, without spot at the inner termen. Discal and terminal dots absent from fore- and hindwings. Hindwing termen round. Palpi short, in male 0.8 times diameter of eye, in female 1.2 times, pale brown, tip slightly paler. Frons pale brown. Antennae bipectinate in male, antennal branches pale ochre, black at the basis. Antennae of female filiform male frenulum present but weak. Male hindtibia with four spurs, without pencil.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 47 ). Uncus narrow, comparatively short, saccus large, broad and rounded. Valva elongate, with ventral margin basally sclerotized and slightly curved subterminally. Aedeagus large (length 2.3 mm), stoutly sclerotized, strongly curved, stalk very short, terminally tapering. Sternum A8 with sclerotized bilobous projection, sometimes crown-shaped, with a small notch between, reminiscent of equivalent in P. pumilata .

Female genitalia ( Fig. 84 ). Lamella antevaginalis rhomboid. Ductus bursae short, broad, strongly sclerotized, posteriorly dilated to a reniform antrum. Corpus bursae elongate oval. Signum absent.

Genetic data. BIN: BOLD: ACK 5720. Nearest neighbours in Ethiopia: P. pumilata (3.1%), P. oblita (4.6%).

Remarks. P. tranquilla was collected at the Yabello Motel (Sidama) together with its sister species P. pumilata in the same night. According to Prout (1930) a "small species, reminiscent of Syndromodes , fringe green". Male genitalia (shape of aedeagus and valva) suggesting relations to the immaculata species-group as also suggested by its position in the order of species as listed by Prout (1930). In habitus reminiscent of P. pumilata , but larger, coloration more uniform, almost without irroration of white scales, discal dots absent. Male genitalia much larger, aedeagus longer, sternum A8 with posterior lobes broad, smooth, rectangularly bordered.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Adults of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar— 1 cm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides, and / or DNA barcoding, and / or nomenclatural status of the illustrated specimen are given. 1. Prasinocyma immaculata thiaucourti Herbulot, 1993 (BC ZSM Lep 13171); 2. Prasinocyma pedicata aethiopica subsp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 45465; Holotype); 3. Prasinocyma angolica pseudopedicata subp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 84181; Holotype); 4. Prasinocyma bongaensis sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 84753; Holotype); 5. Prasinocyma pumilata Fletcher, 1956 (BC ZSM Lep 78500); 6. Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917 (BC ZSM Lep 85805 - 84638).

FIGURES 47 – 50. Male genitalia of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar (s) — 1 mm. In parantheses the ID – numbers of genitalia slides are given. 47. Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19642); 48. Prasinocyma getachewi sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19398); 49. Prasinocyma baumgaertneri sp. n. (gen. prp. DAEF GP); 50. Prasinocyma oblita Prout, 1930 (gen. prp. ZSM G 16001).

FIGURES 80 – 85. Female genitalia of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar (s) — 1 mm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides are given. Fig. 80. Prasinocyma immaculata thiaucourti Herbulot, 1993 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19439); 81. Prasinocyma pedicata aethiopica subsp. n. (gen. prp. DAEF GL); 82. Prasinocyma bongaensis sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 15909); 83. Prasinocyma pumilata Fletcher, 1956 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19453); 84. Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917 (gen. prp. ZSM G 15923); 85. Prasinocyma baumgaertneri sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 15962).