Chorocotis ugandaria ( Swinhoe, 1904 ) László & Hausmann & Karisch, 2023

László, Gyula M., Hausmann, Axel & Karisch, Timm, 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the African taxa of the Racotis Moore, 1887 generic complex (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae, Boarmiini), Zootaxa 5308 (1), pp. 1-109 : 76-78

Chorocotis ugandaria ( Swinhoe, 1904) comb. n.

( Figs 121–125 , 207–208 , 285–287 , 339 )

Boarmia ugandaria Swinhoe, 1904 , Transactions of the entomological Society of London 1904(3): 533. Holotype, male (NHMUK). Type locality: Uganda, Entebbe.

Type material examined

Holotype, male, red ring label “Type” / “Entebbe, Uganda. [with handwritten] July, 1898. [printed] (Capt. H.B. Rattray). [with handwritten] 1904-80” / [with handwritten] “ Boarmia ugandaria Swinh ♁ type” / QR code label with unique number NHMUK 014173229 ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined

Cameroon. 1 male, Mt Cameroon ( SW slope), Drinking Gari camp, 4.101447°N, 9.061000°E 650m, 17.xii.2014, leg. V. Maicher, Sz. Sáfián, S. Janecek, R. Tropek, gen. slide No.: LG 4790 ( ZSM) ; 1 female, Bitje, S. Cameroon , 2000’, (G. L. Bates), gen. slide No.: NHMUK 010317818 (prepared by Volynkin) ; 1 female, Bitye , Ja R., Cameroons, 2000 ft., Jan.–March 1907, dry (G.L. Bates) ; 1 male, same site and collector, October Wet Season ( NHMUK) . DRC. 1 male, Sandoa , Katanga district, October 1934 ; 1 male, Luambo , 15.viii.1949, Dr. M. Fontaine ( NHMUK) . Equatorial Guinea, Bioko . 1 female, Fernando Po, W. Cooper ( NHMUK) . Gabon. 1 male, Mikongo ( Rougier ), Monts de Cristal (Secondary Forest), 430m, 0°29’47”N, 11°10’42”E, 28.vii.–12.viii.2019, Actinic Light Trap, Albert, J-L., Aristophanous, M., Bie Mba, J., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P. leg., ANHRT:2019.17, gen. slide No.: LG 5214, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: ANHRTUK00137948/ANLMN3686-21 ( ANHRT) . Rwanda. 1 male, South Western , Nyungwe Forest Reserve, Karamanzobo trail, 02°29’20.0, 29°09’38.0, 22.vi.2009, 2100m, H.S. Staude, gen. slide No.: LG 4791 ( ZSM) . Uganda. 1 male, Entebbe , 05., E.A. Minchin, 1906–19 ; 1 male, Budongo Forest , Bunyoro, x.1935, van Someren ( NHMUK) . Zambia. 2 males, Hillwood , Ikelenge (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1400m, S11°16’02”, E24°18’59’, 23–30.xi.2019, Fish Bait, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R. leg., ANHRT:2019.25, gen. slide No.: LG 5450 ; 1 male, Hillwood , Ikelenge, (Grassland), 1400m, 11°15’26”S, 24°19’42’E, 17–24.iii.2013, MV Light Trap, Smith, R., & Takano, H. leg., ANHRT:2017.8, gen. slide No.: LG 4802 ( ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. The distinctive characters of C. ugandaria are discussed under the diagnosis of the genus Chorocotis .

Description

The description of C. ugandaria is given under the description of the new monotypic genus Chorocotis .

Genetic information. The type species of the genus has been assigned two different BIN URIs: BOLD: AEA7312 including specimens from Zambia and Gabon, and BOLD:AAR9594 with a specimen from Rwanda. The pairwise distance between the two BINs is 2.55%. As there are no observable morphological differences in the series of examined specimens across the entire distribution area of C. ugandaria , the species is treated here as a single taxon rendering the genus monotypic. Compared to Afroracotis , the pairwise distances of DNA barcodes fall in the range of 4.70–8.20%, where the smallest distance was detected in relation to A. chaineyi (4.70–6.03%) and the largest to A. aliena (8.20%). The subgenus Zebracotis displays the smallest genetic distance to C. ugandaria with pairwise distances between 4.70–6.51%, although A. helicalis diverges by 7.69%. The pairwise distances between the new genus and the subgenera Afroracotis and Herbuloracotis revealed ranges of 5.41–8.20% and 5.53–8.06%, respectively, while the divergence between Chorocotis and Rwandaracotis is 6.64%. Finally, compared to the type species of Racotis , Chorocotis diverges by 6.51%. These pairwise distance values do not allow any conclusions to be drawn regarding the affinities between the taxa suggesting the limited relevancy of DNA barcodes in suprageneric classification in the Racotis generic complex.

Distribution. Chorocotis ugandaria is widely distributed throughout central Africa with its westernmost record from Mount Cameroon and the easternmost record from its type locality, Entebbe in Uganda. The species has hitherto been reported from Uganda only, thus all specimens examined from Bioko, Cameroon, DRC, Gabon, Rwanda and Zambia represent new country records.

Species transferred from Racotis to Colocleora

Figures

FIGURES 121–130. Adults, dorsal view. 121. Chorocotis ugandaria, HT of Boarmia ugandaria, ♁, Uganda (NHMUK); 122. Ibidem, ♁, Gabon (ANHRT); 123. Ibidem, ♁, Zambia (ANHRT); 124. Ibidem, ♀, Cameroon (NHMUK); 125. Colocleora breijeri, PT of Boarmia breijeri ♁, RSA (NHMUK); 126. Ibidem, ♁, RSA (RCDS); 127. Ibidem, ♁, Mozambique (ANHRT); 128. Ibidem, ♁, RSA (ANHRT); 129. Colocleora incauta, ♁, RSA (NHMUK); 130. Ibidem, ♁, Zimbabwe (RCHS).

FIGURES 191–210. Adults, ventral view (all in coll. ANHRT, unless otherwise stated). 191. Afroracotis milesi sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 192. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Cameroon; 193. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Zambia; 194. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 195. A. ochsei sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 196. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 197. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 198. A. helicalis sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 199. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 200. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 201. A. takanoi sp. n., HT, ♁, Sierra Leone; 202. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Guinea; 203. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Ivory Coast; 204. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Liberia; 205. A. staudei sp. n., HT, ♁, Kenya (RCHS); 206. Racotis boarmiaria, LT, ♁, India (NHMUK); 207. Chorocotis ugandaria, HT of Boarmia ugandaria, ♁, Uganda (NHMUK); 208. Ibidem, ♀, Cameroon (NHMUK); 209. Colocleora breijeri, ♁, RSA (RCDS); 210. C. incauta, ♁, RSA (NHMUK).

FIGURES 285–289. Male genitalia, a: clasping apparatus, b: aedeagus. 285. Chorocotis ugandaria, Rwanda, slide No. LG 4791 (ZSM); 286. Ibidem, Gabon, slide No. LG 5214 (ANHRT); 287. Ibidem, Zambia, slide No. LG 5450 (ANHRT); 288. Colocleora breijeri, Mozambique, slide No. LG 4319 (ANHRT); 289. C. incauta, RSA, slide No. NHMUK Geom. 4998 (NHMUK).

FIGURES 336–339. Female genitalia. 336. Afroracotis helicalis sp. n., PT, Gabon, slide No.: LG 5624 (ANHRT); 337. A. takanoi sp. n., PT, Liberia, slide No.: LG 5438 (ANHRT); 338. Ibidem, PT, Ivory Coast, slide No.: LG 4809 (ANHRT); 339. Chorocotis ugandaria, Cameroon, slide No.: NHMUK 010317818 (NHMUK).