Belbina falleni Stål, 1863

Figs 4A–E, 19–20, 37–38, 47

Belbina falleni Stål, 1863a: 233 (type in NMW).

Belbina vicina Lallemand, 1959: 90, fig. 38 (key, description and dorsal view of head and thorax) (type in FSAG). syn. nov.

Belbina falleni – Stål 1866: 144 (key, description). — Jacobi 1917: 527 (listed). — Metcalf 1947: 123 (catalogued). — Lallemand 1959: 93, fig. 41 (key, description and lateral view of head). — Constant 2004b: 31 (listed).

Belbina vicina – Constant 2004b: 31 (listed).

Diagnostic characters

(1) disc of hind wings red with black markings (Fig. 4A); (2) ground colour of tegmina pale brown (Fig. 4A); (3) sides of vertex laminate above eye but not foliaceous (Fig. 4C–D); (4) large-sized (more than 26 mm long); (5) cephalic process broad, strongly curved dorsad (Fig. 4D); (6) clavus with colour pattern similar to the rest of the tegmen (Fig. 4A).

LT: ♂ (n = 5) 26.6 mm (26.0–27.0); ♀ (n = 7) 29.1 mm (28.5–30.2).

Material examined

Type material

MADAGASCAR: Holotype of Belbina falleni, ♀, [Madagascar, Coll. Signoret] [Falléni det. Signoret] [Type] (NMW).

MADAGASCAR: Holotype of Belbina vicina Lallemand, 1959, ♂, [Manjakandriana, Madagascar] [Type.] [ Belbina vicina Lall., V. Lallemand det., 1957], 18°55’ S, 47°48’ E (FSAG).

Additional material

MADAGASCAR: 1 ♀, Manjakandriana (FSAG); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, near Tananarive, Lamberton, Tananarive (Antananarivo), 18°55’ S, 47°31’ E (RBINS); 2 ♂♂, Vohemar (Iharaoa), 13°21’ S, 50°00’ E (RBINS, NCSU); 1 ♀, N Madagascar (BMNH); 1 ♀, Montagne d’Ambre, Feb. 1930, Sicard, Montagne d’Ambre (Ambohitra), 12°30’ S, 49°10’ E (MNHN); 1 ♀, idem, Dec. 1930 (MNHN); 1 ♀, no locality, Apr. 1930, Sicard (MNHN); 1 ♀, Madagascar, coll. De Bergevin (MNHN); 4 ♀♀, Madagascar (2: MNHN, 2: NMW); 1 ♂, N Madagascar, 37 km S of de Vohémar, Analalava forest, 25 m, 10–18 Dec. 1968, P. Viette & P. Griveaud, 13°36’ S, 49°59’ E (MNHN); 1 ♂, Diego-Suarez, coll. De Bergevin, Diègo Suarez (Ampanolahamirafy), 12°16’ S, 49°17’ E (MNHN); 1 ♀, Plateau de l’Ankarafantsika, W Madagascar, coll. De Bergevin 16°16’ S, 46°35’ E (MNHN); 1 ♀, N Madagascar (BMNH); 1 ♀, no data (NCSU).

Examined on photographs

MADAGASCAR: 1 specimen, Montagne d’Ambre, 27 Oct. 2009, 15:05, Nicolas Cliquennois (Fig. 38); 1 specimen, Montagne d’Ambre, Joffreville (Ambohitra), 2009, Rhett A. Butler (Fig. 37).

Male genitalia

Dark red (Figs 19–20); pygofer higher than long and with posterior margin sinuate in lateral view (Fig. 19); anal tube slightly elongate, 1.27 times longer than broad at apex and with lateral margins bisinuate in dorsal view on apical half (Fig. 20); posterior margin notched in lateral view (Fig. 19), with hind margin of anal opening projecting posteriorly (Fig. 19) and hiding lateral margin apically in dorsal view (Fig. 20); gonostyli elongate, 1.36 times longer than high (dorsal process included), strongly surpassing anal tube and acutely rounded at apex in lateral view (Fig. 19); ventral margin straight on basal 1/5, then slightly sinuate (Fig. 19); dorsal margin with basal strong digitiform process projecting laterodorsally, strong hook laterally at middle of process projecting posteroventrally and posterior margin of process excavate between apex and hook (Fig. 19); apex of digitiform process rounded and broad in lateral view (Fig. 19), slightly compressed laterally in dorsal view (Fig. 20).

Remarks

Lallemand (1959) erroneously mentioned that the type of B. vicina is a female. However it is obvious that the type is a male because he stated that “genitalia have similar shape as those of B. pionneaui and B. lambertoni ”.

Lallemand (1959) described B. vicina based on a specimen of B. falleni presenting the cephalic process more strongly curved posteriorad than in another specimen he had identified in his collection as B. falleni; both specimens were from the same locality (Manjakandriana). Male genitalia are similar and intraspecific variability in the direction of the cephalic processs has been observed from series in several species of Belbina . For those reasons, B. vicina is here synonymized with B. falleni .

Belbina falleni is a member of the falleni + group, showing a strong basodorsal digitiform process on the gonostyli. It can be separated (1) from B. bloetei by the less concave ventral margin of the gonostyli in lateral view; (2) from B. laetitiae sp. nov. and B. lambertoni by the laterally more strongly compressed digitiform process and the more acutely rounded apex of the gonostyli in lateral view; (3) from B. pioneaui by the more rounded apex of the basodorsal digitiform process of the gonostyli and the more strongly notched ventroapical margin of the anal tube under the anal opening in lateral view.

Distribution

See Fig. 47.