Parasiomera alfa Sáfián, 2015

Sáfián, Szabolcs & Collins, Steve C., 2015, Establishment of a new genus for Eresiomera paradoxa (Schultze, 1917) and related taxa (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4018 (1), pp. 124-136 : 131-132

Parasiomera alfa Sáfián sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 B,F; 5A,D; 7A)

Holotype. ♀ Liberia, Camp Alpha, Gola National Forest, 6-10. II. 2011. Leg. Sáfián, Sz. Gen. prep.: SAFI 00025. Coordinates: 7°32'4.94"N, 10°41'20.61"W.

Description of the holotype. Forewing length: 14,5 mm. Wingspan: 28 mm. The upperside colour is an unmistakable fiery orange with a quite narrow black apical patch on the forewing, which stretches downward as a black outer margin to vein 3, and continues as a fine marginal line between vein 3 and the tornus. The forewing costa also has some scattered black scaling, forming just 3 spots. Most of the hindwing is fiery orange, with a black marginal band, the width of which does not exceed 1 mm at its broadest point at the tip of vein 5, and tapers into a fine marginal line towards the tornus. There is also sparse black dusting also along the inner edge in space 1a. The underside is deep ochreous yellow, rather than orange, with no black, apart from some scattered black scaling along the forewing costa and along inner edge of the hindwing. The body is covered with orange scales and hairs, the legs and the antennae are black and white chequered, the tip of antennae and the eyes are black.

Genitalia. Bursa copulatrix larger, slightly oval, ductus bursae wide and of even diameter between the mouth of the bursa and the lamellae antevaginalis. The apophyses posteriores are rather short, only half as long as papillae analis. Papillae analis are rounded, rather well scelortised.

Diagnosis. The orange ground colour, the size and the wing shape are very similar to P. paradoxa , and the orange is slightly deeper than P. orientalis and P. kivuensis , which is sufficient to separate the latter two from P. alfa . P. paradoxa has a broad black border along the forewing margin from the base to the tornus and on the hindwing between the apex and the tornus in both sexes. The underside also has considerably more blackish scaling, especially along the margins. P. kivuensis has even a finer black marginal line on the hindwing, and a tiny but very distinctive black spot in the discoidal cell of the forewing underside. A tiny black, very distinctive spot in the discoidal cell of the forewing of P. orientalis is present even on the upperside. It has also a broader black apical area on its forewing. Bursa copulatrix is prominently larger than in P. paradoxa and P. kivuensis , its shape is also more oval than those of its relatives. Ductus bursae of P. a l f a is also wider and is of even width, while the ductus broadens towards lamellae antevaginalis in both P. paradoxa and P. kivuensis . P. al f a was not compared with P. orientalis , as the latter one is morphologically more distant than the other two.

Discussion. Finding of the western geographical vicariant of the Central African P. paradoxa is of great surprise. The new species was found on a forested hilltop in Western Liberia, where previous farming activities and logging opened up the forest, allowing various hill-topping species to descend to near ground level, where sun could penetrate the forest interior. The unique holotype was circling down in the afternoon hours with another (probably male) specimen (typical behaviour for many liptenids), which has, unfortunately, escaped. Even in flight, the fiery colour was recognised as being unique; other specimens were also seen displaying among many other liptenids at about 20 metres high, just below the canopy of an unidentified emergent tree, which hosted Crematogaster ants.

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality, the former illegal settlement Camp Alpha, which was established in the Gola National Forest during the civil war as an artisanal diamond mining camp. The settlement was legitimised recently by the Government of Liberia; Camp Alpha is one of the major communities around the proposed cross-boundary national park with Gola Rainforest National Park in Sierra Leone. Hopefully it will become a future hub for research and ecotourism activities.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Magnified images of Parasiomera (regardless to their sex) allow comparison of specific features of wing morphology (see Key above). P. p ar a do x a (male) A—upperside, E—underside; P. alfa (female) B—upperside, F—underside; P. kivuensis (male) C—upperside, G—underside; P. orientalis (male) D—upperside, H—underside.