Phaegorista bisignibasis Prout, 1918

Spitsyn, Vitaly M., Spitsyna, Elizaveta A. & Bolotov, Ivan N., 2022, First records of Aganainae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) from Zanzibar Island with a description of the male of Phaegorista bisignibasis Prout, 1918, Ecologica Montenegrina 56, pp. 44-48 : 45-46

Phaegorista bisignibasis Prout, 1918

Figs 1-2 .

Material examined: 3♂, 1♀, TANZANIA: Zanzibar Island, Kiwengwa Forest , dry monsoon forest, 5°59'S, 39°21'E, 24.iii-12.iv.2021, E. Spitsyna & V. Spitsyn leg.

Description. Male. Wingspan 52-58 mm (N = 3), forewing length 27-29 mm (N = 3). Eye yellowish green with dark spots. Antenna black with two rows of white setae. Frons black with white band on the ventral margin. Vertex black, with a band of long white scales along the dorsal margin. Labial palpus of approximately two eye’s diameters, black, with dorsal and ventral longitudinal orange bands at the base. Thorax dorsally black with three pairs of white spots and ventrally orange. Patagium black with a central aggregation of white scales. Tegula black with a white spot at the base and a white apical section. Legs orange on the inner side, black or dark grey on the outer side. Forewing black with a large orange spot, occupying almost half of the wing basally; white small spot at the base of the wing; a row of six white spots along outer margin; a large white spot in the postdiscal area. Hindwings orange, marginal area black. The fringe of both wings black and white. Pattern of the ventral side partly repeats that of the dorsal side. Abdomen orange with black bands, which thicker at the ventral side. Male genitalia. Uncus long, expanded apically, with two short apical spikes. Tegumen large. Saccus V-shaped. Juxta broad with two large, pointed processes. Valva with pointed apex and massive distal costal process. Distal costal process large, straight, strongly tapering apically, with a thorn-shaped apex. Aedeagus small, incurved. Vesica with one field of small cornuti.

Ecology. On Zanzibar, it was found to be a common moth in less disturbed patches of dry monsoon forest (V. Spitsyn, pers. observ., 2021). Usually, it was attracted to light a few hours before dawn. The habitat of this species is severely destroyed, and it may be on the brink of extinction due to the ongoing forest cutting in this area.

Distribution. Mainland Tanzania ( Prins & Prins 2022) and Zanzibar Island.

Comments. It should be noted that Phaegorista enarges Tams 1930 , which was described on the basis of the female holotype from Rabai, Kenya, is probably a junior synonym of P. bisignibasis . The only noticeable difference in the type specimens of these two species is a larger white spot on the forewing of P. enarges . However, this feature seems to vary to a great extent, as is in P. bisignibasis specimens from Zanzibar.

Figures

Figure 1. Phaegorista bisignibasis Prout, 1918 from Kiwengwa Forest, Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. (A-B) Upperside and underside of a male specimen. (C-D) Upperside and underside of a female specimen. Scale bar = 10 mm. (Photos: Elizaveta A. Spitsyna).

Figure 2. Genitalia of Phaegorista bisignibasis Prout, 1918 from Kiwengwa Forest, Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. (A-B) Male genitalia and aedeagus. (C) Female genitalia. (Photos: Elizaveta A. Spitsyna).