Typhonoya kravchenkoi Prozorov, Müller & Zolotuhin, 2021

Prozorov, Alexey M., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Mapilanga, Jean Joseph, Hausmann, Axel, Müller, Günter C., Yakovlev, Roman V., Volkova, Julia S. & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2021, A new species of Typhonoya Prozorov (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini) from the moist broadleaf forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zootaxa 5067 (3), pp. 417-428 : 420-423

Typhonoya kravchenkoi Prozorov, Müller & Zolotuhin sp. n.

( Figs 14–19 )

Type materal: HOLOTYPE ♂, DRC, Kasaï-Occidental Prov., NE Ilebo and Kasai River, XI.1997 ( ZSM, genitalia slide 0610).

Paratypes (14 ♂, 2 ♀ total): 13 ♂, 2 ♀, data as for holotype but collected during I–III, XI–XII.1997 ( CGM / BUM, genitalia slides 0611–0614) . DRC: 1♂, Mai-Ndombe , Ekongo camp, 02°45’23.09”S, 20°18’55.37”E, XI.2017, leg. A. & T. Prozorov, V. Kravchenko et al. ( CGM / BUM) .

Diagnosis. Imago of T. kravchenkoi generally smaller and darker than T. longipennis . Male forewing narrower with dark brown field from M 2 to hind margin, medial lines not prominent. Female resembles T. longipennis but without speckled coloration and with darker stroke along R-Cu cell on forewing. Male and female genitalia of T. kravchenkoi about twice smaller but of the same shape as in T. longipennis ( Figs 26–33 ).

Description. Male ( Figs 14–15, 17–18 ). Head, thorax and abdomen dark reddish to greenish brown. Thorax dorsally bears triangular speckled reddish spot. Forewing: Forewing length: ca. 15 mm; wingspan: ca. 27 mm. Oval-shaped, apex rounded, outer margin slightly curved, tornal angle well pronounced, covered with longer cilia. Coloration divided into three zones: 1. light to dark brown field from costal margin to M 1; 2. light brown interspace between M 1 and M 2; 3. dark brown field from M 2 to hind margin. Black discal dot on R-Cu cell outer margin. Medial lines faint, crenulated. Interspace between R 4 and M 2 darker nearby external margin, small white spot between R 4 and R 5. Hindwing: Oval-shaped tornal angle distally protruded. Brown coloration gradually darkens from costal to hind margin, submarginal field dark brown. Medial lines vague dark brown. Genitalia ( Fig. 26–28 ): Tegumen hoodshaped with two short pointed projections. Vinculum a band ventrally widened into a bowl-like form. Valvae short finger-shaped with long base covered with chaetae, base turns ventrally into juxta projection. Juxta bilobed, each projection long finger-shaped. Aedeagus cylindrical, fused basally with juxta. Vesica bag-shaped about one-third of aedeagus length, bears one finger-shaped cornutus. 8 th sternum somewhat trapezoid with two distal lateral apexes. Female ( Figs 16, 19 ). Bigger and paler than male. Head, thorax and abdomen yellowish or pinkish brown. Thorax dorsally bears triangular speckled reddish-yellowish spot. Forewing: Forewing length: ca. 20 mm; wingspan: ca. 40 mm. Wing similar in shape with male but larger. Background color reddish-brown. Blurred dark brown stroke almost from the wing base along M 2 limited by postmedial line; faint dark brown sector between R 5 and M 1 limited by postmedial line. Antemedial line faint, crenulated, dark brown. Black discal dot on R-Cu cell outer margin. Postmedial line crenulated, dark brown. Submarginal line fragmented, crenulated, dark brown. Small white spot between R 4 and R 5 similar to male’s one. Marginal lunulae dark brown with whitish center placed between R 4, R 5, M 1, M 2, M 3, CuA 1. Hindwing: Oval-shaped, tornal angle distally protruded. Brown coloration gradually darkens from costal to hind margin, submarginal field dark brown. Medial line smooth, dark brown, accompanied by lighter band. Genitalia ( Figs 31–32 ). Papillae anales spherical, densely covered with chaetae. Anterior and posterior apophyses of the same length. Lamella antevaginalis membranous, lamella postvaginalis sclerotized, mesally thinned. Ductus bursae very short, wrinkled. Corpus bursae membranous, wrinkled basally.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of our dear colleague and friend, lepidopterologist Prof. Dr. Vasiliy D. Kravchenko, who passed away recently. He is an example of a devoted specialist and never-give-up man who fought his illness until the very end.

Distribution. This species is found in two locations in DRC ( Fig. 34 ), Kasaï-Occidental and Mai-Ndombe.

Biology. Adults were collected from November to March which is a part of the rainy season in DRC and 1140 mm of rainfall measured for this period in the Ekongo camp. The mean maximum temperature was 34°C in the camp and 29°C in the forest nearby; the mean minimum was 20°C and 19°C accordingly. The only known habitat is tropical moist broadleaf forests with rare mosaic grassland patches ( Fig. 36 ), the elevation is around 100 m above sea-level. One paratype male of T. kravchenkoi was collected on the border between forest and grassland in an area of ca. 1 hectare using an auto-trap ( Fig. 37 ). The larval foodplant remains unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 14–25. Typhonoya adults. 14–19. T. kravchenkoi, all DRC, Kasaï-Occidental, NE Ilebo: 14. Male holotype, genitalia slide 0610 (ZSM). 15. Male paratype, genitalia slide 0614 (CGM/BUM). 16. Female paratype, genitalia slide 0613 (CGM/ BUM). 17. Male paratype (CGM/BUM). 18. Male paratype, genitalia slide 0612 (CGM/BUM). 19. Female paratype, genitalia slide 0611 (CGM/BUM). 20–25. T. longipennis. 20. Male holotype, DRC, Lubumbashi (RMCA). 21. Female, Zimbabwe, Harare (NHMUK). 22. Male, Kenya, South Coast, Buda Forest (MWM). 23. Female, Zimbabwe, Solwezi, genitalia slide 1517 (NHMUK). 24. Male, Ivory Coast, San Pedro, genitalia slide 0375 (CGM/BUM). 25. Male, DRC, Mai-Ndombe, Ekongo camp, genitalia slide 0595 (CGM/BUM).

FIGURES 26–30. Typhonoya male genitalia. 26–30. T. kravchenkoi, all DRC, Kasaï-Occidental, NE Ilebo: 26. Holotype, genitalia slide 0610 (ZSM). 27. Paratype, genitalia slide 0106 (CGM/BUM). 28. Paratype, genitalia slide 0612 (CGM/BUM). 29–30. T. longipennis. 29. Ivory Coast, San Pedro, genitalia slide 0375 (CGM/BUM). 30. DRC, Mai-Ndombe, Ekongo camp, genitalia slide 0595 (CGM/BUM).

FIGURES 31–33. Typhonoya female genitalia. 31–32. T. kravchenkoi, all DRC, Kasaï-Occidental, NE Ilebo: 31. Paratype, genitalia slide 0611 (CGM/BUM). 32. Paratype, genitalia slide 0613 (CGM/BUM). 33. T. longipennis, Zimbabwe, Solwezi, genitalia slide 1517 (NHMUK).

FIGURES 34–35. Map of collecting localities of Typhonoya. 34. T. kravchenkoi. 35. T. longipennis. Based on Dinerstein et al., 2017, star indicates the type locality, circle shows another collecting site.

FIGURES 36–38. Typhonoya habitat. 36. View on the 1-hectare grassland patch surrounded by forest (9.VII.2017). 37. One of the auto-traps on grassland-to-forest border (4.VI.2018). 38. White screen under roof with couple of banana-traps (4.VI.2018).