Lophilema mbulu Volynkin, 2019

Volynkin, Anton V., 2019, Four new species of Lophilema Aurivillius, 1910 from East Africa (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 4543 (1), pp. 115-126 : 117-118

Lophilema mbulu Volynkin , sp. nov.

( Figs 1, 2 , 15 , 23 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 15 ): ♂, Tanzania, 2306 m, Nou Forest , Mbulu Mts., S03°56’53’’, E35°27’40’’, 20–22.IV. [20]12, light trap, leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., slide AV3189 ♂ (Coll. ANHRT).

Paratypes: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as in the holotype, slides AV3310 ♂, AV3312 ♂, AV4585 ♀ (Coll. ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. Male of L. mbulu sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 ) is externally similar to L. bilobata sp. nov., L. claudei and L. nguru sp. nov., but differs from L. bilobata sp. nov. ( Fig. 3 ) by its smaller size, narrower forewings and darker forewing ground color; from L. claudei ( Fig. 4 ) it differs by its more elongated and darker forewings, smaller discal spot of the forewing, and darker hindwings; from L. nguru ( Figs 5, 6 ) it differs by its somewhat narrower and darker forewings, significantly smaller discal spot of the forewing, and slightly darker hindwings. Female of L. mbulu sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 ) is externally similar to that of L. curva ( Fig. 9 ), but differs by its larger size and broader and paler forewing. The male genitalia of L. mbulu sp. nov. ( Fig. 15 ) can be easily distinguished from those of other congeners by its straight uncus (that is conspicuously curved in other congeners), narrow valva with the dorsal crest of the costa arcuate and erected basally (while in other congeners a valva is broader and its dorsal crest is erected rather medially), and the shape of its sacculus, which is well separated from the dorsal section of the valve, extremely broad, almost rectangular, bearing a long, narrow and strongly curved distal process (that is significantly narrower and bearing a significantly shorter and less curved distal process in other species of the genus). The female genitalia of L. mbulu sp. nov. ( Fig. 23 ) differs clearly from that of other species by the sclerotized medial section of its ductus bursae, and the broader anterior sclerotized section of the ductus bursae, while in other congneners a medial section of ductus bursae is membranous and an anterior sclerotized section of ductus bursae is conspicuously narrower.

Description. Adults. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 15–15.5 mm. Antennae ciliate with short rami. Head and thorax dark brown; abdomen pale ochreous brown, with bunches of orange-brown hair-like scales distally. Forewing narrow, elongated, with almost parallel margins, its costa curved subapically; medial area with broad and long cluster of hair-like androconial scales; forewing ground color monotonous dark red-brown; discal spot blackish-brown, short, comma-shaped; cilia monotonous dark brown. Hindwing pale ochreous, its medial area with intense yellowish-brown suffusion subbasally; discal spot diffuse, brown, semilunar; cilia pale ochreous. Female ( Fig. 2 ). Forewing length 17 mm. Antennae filiform. Head and thorax creamy white; abdomen pale ochreous brown. Forewing narrow, elongated, with almost parallel margins, its costa curved subapically; forewing monotonous creamy white, with thin brown line on costa; hindwing ochreous yellow. Male genitalia ( Fig. 15 ). Uncus long, straight, slender, evenly tapering distally, pointed apically; tuba analis broad, membranous, scaphium thin, heavily sclerotized; tegumen short and broad; vinculum narrow and weakly sclerotized, very long, its inner area with extremely long androconial gland covered with long hairs, which assembled into stick-shaped beam at rest; juxta trapezoidal, weakly sclerotized, basally setose. Valva narrow, slightly tapering distally, rounded apically; costa short, its dorsal crest situated basally with S-curved dorsal surface and small thorn basally; sacculus well developed, heavily sclerotized, rectangular, well separated from the dorsal section of valva; distal saccular process very long, narrow, strongly curved basally, club-like broadened apically, its ventral surface and apex densely covered with short setae. Aedeagus medium long and narrow, with well-developed coecum, rugose distally; vesica tubular and membranous basally, broadly globular and granulated medially, with ventral diverticulum broadly conical and rounded apically. Female genitalia ( Fig. 23 ). Ovipositor short and broad, papillae anales rectangular with rounded corners. Apophyses anteriores and posteriores long and thin, of equal length. Ostium bursae mediumbroad, with membranous margins; ductus bursae narrow, elongated, dorso-ventrally flattened, its medial section sclerotized; anterior section of the ductus bursae broadened, heavily sclerotized. Corpus bursae rounded, membranous, with narrow dash-like signum anteriorly; appendix bursae small, conical, membranous, situated posterio-ventrally.

Distribution. The new species is currently known only from its type locality, the Mbulu Mountains in northeastern Tanzania.

Etymology. The species name refers to its type locality, the Mbulu Mountains.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Lophilema spp.: adults. 1, L. mbulu, holotype male, Tanzania, Mbulu Mts. (ANHRT); 2, L. mbulu, paratype female, Tanzania, Mbulu Mts. (ANHRT); 3, L. bilobata, holotype male, Kenya, Aberdare Range (ZMB); 4, L. claudei, holotype male, Cameroon (ZSM); 5, L. nguru, holotype male, Tanzania, Nguru Mts. (ANHRT); 6, L. nguru, paratype male, Tanzania, Nguru Mts. (ANHRT); 7, L. curva, holotype male, Tanzania, Nguru Mts. (ANHRT); 8, L. curva, holotype male, Tanzania, Nguru Mts. (ANHRT).

FIGURES 15–18. Lophilema spp.: male genitalia. 15, L. mbulu, holotype, Tanzania, Mbulu Mts., slide AV3189; 16, L. bilobata, holotype, Kenya, Aberdare Range, slide AV4258; 17, L. claudei, holotype, Cameroon, slide ZSM Arct. 197/2017 Volynkin; 18, L. nguru, holotype, Tanzania, Nguru Mts., slide AV3311.

FIGURES 23–27. Lophilema spp.: female genitalia. 23, L. mbulu, paratype, Tanzania, Mbulu Mts., slide AV4585; 24, L. curva, paratype, Tanzania, Nguru Mts., slide AV4587; 25, L. phaeocraspis, holotype, Kenya, slide BMNH(E) Arct-782; 26, L. fletcheri, paratype male, Uganda, Ruwenzori Range, slide NHMUK010314633 (©NHMUK); 27, L. chrysargyrea, Democratic Republic of Congo (after Kiriakoff, 1963).

FIGURES 9–14. Lophilema spp.: adults. 9, L. curva, paratype female, Tanzania, Nguru Mts. (ANHRT); 10, L. phaeocraspis, holotype female, Uganda (©NHMUK); 11, L. fletcheri, holotype male, Uganda, Ruwenzori Range (©NHMUK); 12, L. fletcheri, paratype female, Uganda, Ruwenzori Range (©NHMUK); 13, L. creatoplaga, holotype male, Uganda (©NHMUK); 14, L. angustipennis, syntype male of Ilema pilosa, Ghana (©NHMUK).