Melittia ambo O. Gorbunov

Gorbunov, Oleg G., 2015, Contributions to the study of the Ethiopian Lepidoptera. I. The genus Melittia Hübner, 1819 [“ 1816 ”] (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4033 (4), pp. 543-554 : 548-552

Melittia ambo O. Gorbunov , sp. nov.

Figs. 11–18 , 20, 21–26

Holotype ♂ ( Figs. 11, 12 ): “ Ethiopia, West Shewa, / 3 km S Ambo , PPRC, / 08˚57.67΄N, 037˚51.68΄E, / 2200 m, 21.X.2013, ex l., O. Gorbunov leg.”, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 21.IV.2014 ”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0105-0106–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “ HOLOTYPUS ♂ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM).

Paratypes: 1 ♂, same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 28.IV.2014 ”, “HETEROCERA varia / Pictures №№ / 0287-0288–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “ PARATYPUS ♂ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015”, “Genitalia examined / by O. Gorbunov / Preparation № / OG– 006-2014” ( COGM); 1 ♂, same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 08.VI.2014 ”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0117-0118–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “ PARATYPUS ♂ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM); 1 ♂, same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 09.VI.2014 ”, “ PARATYPUS ♂ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM); 1 ♂ ( Figs. 13, 14 ), same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 15.VI.2014 ”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0113-0114–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “ PARATYPUS ♂ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM); 1 ♀ ( Figs. 17, 18 ), same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 24.VI.2014 ”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0109-0110–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “Genitalia examined / by O. Gorbunov / Preparation № / OG–009-2014”“ PARATYPUS ♀ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM); 1 ♀ ( Figs. 15, 16 ), same locality and date, “Host plant: / Citrullus colocynthis / ( Cucurbitaceae ) / Moth emerged 25.VI.2014 ”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0107-0108–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”, “ PARATYPUS ♀ / O. Gorbunov, 2015 / O. Gorbunov des., 2015” ( COGM).

Description. Male (holotype) ( Figs 11, 12 ) ( Sesiidae pictures №№ 0105-0106–2014). Alar expanse 32.5 mm; body length 15.4 mm; forewing 13.4 mm; antenna 7.0 mm. Head: antenna black with dark purple sheen, with individual snow-white scales anterior-dorsally and with pale yellow tip exterior-ventrally; scapus pale yellow with admixture of an individual black scales ventrally; frons dark gray with bronze sheen, with a narrow pale yellow stripe laterally; vertex mixed with pale yellow and black hair-like scales; labial palpus pale yellow with three narrow black stripes ventrally, externally and dorsally on two distal joints; occipital fringe mixed with olive and black hairs dorsally and pale yellow laterally. Thorax: patagia olive with bronze sheen, with a few dark brown scales with bronze sheen; tegula olive with bronze sheen with a few pale yellow scales with bronze sheen at base of forewing; meso- and metathorax both black densely covered with olive hair-like scales masking background coloration; thorax laterally dark brown with bronze sheen, with a few pale yellow scales with bronze sheen; posteriorly both metepimeron and metameron black densely covered with white hairs. Legs: neck plate pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen; fore coxa pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen, densely covered with pale yellow and a few black hair-like scales; fore femur internally black, externally pale yellow with golden sheen, mixed with black scales, posterior-ventral margin covered with long yellow and black hairs forming a tuft; fore tibia pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen, mixed with black scales dorsally; fore tarsus pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen, narrowly black dorsally; mid coxa pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen, with a few black scales; mid femur black with dark purple sheen, densely mixed with pale yellow scales externally; mid tibia black with dark purple sheen with a few elongated with pointed tip light brown scales, externally with three sparse, transverse, yellow stripes subbasally, medially and subdistally, medial stripe with a few white with electric-blue luster scales; spurs black with dark purple sheen; basal tarsomere of mid tarsus black with dark purple sheen, with a narrow yellow to pale yellow ring subbasally, remains tarsomeres white interior-ventrally and posterior-dorsally, and black with dark purple sheen anterior-dorsally; hind coxa yellow to pale yellow with golden sheen anteriorly and black with dark purple sheen posteriorly; hind femur black with dark purple sheen, densely mixed with pale yellow scales externally; hind tibia black with dark purple sheen, yellow anterior-dorsally and with a few light brown scales externally, with a small yellow spot at base of mid spurs exterior-ventrally and with a few white scales with electric-blue luster at base of mid spurs externally; spurs black with dark purple sheen; basal hind tarsomere black with dark purple sheen, with a small yellow to pale yellow spot with golden sheen exteriorly and with white scales with bluish sheen posterior-ventrally, remains tarsomeres black with dark purple sheen, mixed with white scales ventrally. Abdomen: dorsally black with dark purple sheen, mixed with olive scales on basal two tergites and with a few yellow scales on tergite 4; all tergites with a narrow yellow with golden sheen; ventrally pale yellow with golden sheen, mixed with black scales basally on basal three sternites; anal tuft dorsally black with dark purple sheen, with a few orange scales; ventrally pale yellow. Forewing: dorsally at base black but densely covered with brown-olive and a few yellow scales; costal margin and apical area black with dark purple sheen, with an admixture of individual olive-brown and pale yellow scales; CuA-stem, anal margin and discal spot black with dark purple sheen, with an admixture of individual olive-brown scales; discal spot narrow with a short, narrow, cuneiform projection proximally; transparent areas well-developed; external transparent area large, divided into six cells, on level of vein M2 about 4.5 times as broad as both discal spot and apical area; ventrally costal and anal margins, CuA-stem, discal spot and apical area dark brown with an admixture of pale yellow scales and with a few dark orange scales at discal spot anteriorly; cilia dark brown with bronze sheen. Hindwing: transparent; anal area black with dark bronze sheen, densely covered with yellow-olive scales and hairs; veins, discal spot and outer margin black with dark purple sheen; discal spot extremely narrow and nearly undeveloped; outer margin about thrice narrower than cilia; cilia dark brown with bronze sheen.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 20 ) (Genital preparation № OG–007-2014). Tegumen-uncus complex relatively broad; uncus bilobed distally, with a relatively large semi-oval plate of strong, short, pointed setae internally on each side; gnathos small, membranous, with a small, narrow, slightly sclerotized plate medio-basally; valva narrowly triangular-oval; distal field of setae slightly separated from medial one; setae of medial field short, not reaching a pocket-shaped crista; ventral lobe relatively narrow, rounded distally, apparent exceeding distal margin of valva; pocket-shaped crista small and narrow; saccus narrow, slightly club-shaped, rounded basally; aedeagus narrow and short, about as long as valva; vesica with numerous minute cornuti.

Female (paratype) ( Figs. 15, 16 ) ( Sesiidae pictures №№ 0107-0108–2014). Alar expanse 34.0 mm; body length 17.0 mm; forewing 14.4 mm; antenna 7.2 mm. Virtually having no differences from the holotype in the coloration, but the external transparent area of the forewing is somewhat smaller and divided into five cells only, and the discal spot of the forewing is slightly broader.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 21 ) (Genital preparation № OG–009-2014). Papillae anales membranous, shortly sclerotized basally, covered with short and a few long setae; 8th tergite relatively broad with relatively short setae at distal margin and with a long seta at inner margin ventrally; posterior apophyses about 1.2 times shorter than anterior apophyses; latter with a long narrow appendix ventrally at basa; ostium bursae opening near posterior margin of 7th sternite, narrowly funnel-shaped, slightly sclerotized, with a few setae on ventral margin; antrum narrow, membranous; ductus bursae membranous, narrow, long, about as long as anterior apophyses; corpus bursae small, elongate-ovoid, membranous with narrow serrate signum, more sclerotized basally.

Individual variability. The specimens of the type series are slightly variable in the number of colour scales on the abdomen and forewing, and in size of the external transparent area of the forewing ( Figs. 11–18 ). Size varies as follows. Males: alar expanse 30.0– 32.5 mm; body length 15.1–15.4 mm; forewing 12.3–13.4 mm; antenna 6.6–7.0 mm; females: alar expanse 33.0–34.0 mm; body length 16.8–17.0 mm; forewing 13.8–14.4 mm; antenna 7.0– 7.2 mm.

Differential diagnosis. This new species seems to be the closest to M. congoana Le Cerf, 1916 , M. oedipoides Strand, 1913 , and M. chalconota Hampson, 1910 . From the first species compared, unfortunately, only the holotype female is known so far, the female of M. ambo sp. nov. can be distinguished by the coloration of the hind tibia (internally mixed with pale yellow, yellow and dark brown scales, externally dark brown with bronzed-green sheen, with admixture of individual, pointed, orange scales, and with two small, pale yellow to white spots medially and somewhat distally of base of mid spurs in the species compared), abdomen dorsally (dark brown with bronzed-green sheen, with admixture of individual pale yellow scales on 3rd and 5th tergites; tergite 2 with a narrow pale yellow to white stripe distally, tergites 4 and 6 each with individual pale yellow to white scales distally in M. congoana ), by the shape of the external transparent area of the forewing (smaller, divided into four longitudinal spots, level to vein M2 about as broad as discal spot in the species compared) and by the conformation of the female genitalia (posterior apophyses about 1.1 times longer than anterior apophyses; ductus bursae long, about 1.3 times as long as anterior apophyses; corpus bursae extremely large, ovoid, with signum relatively large, narrowly pyriform in M. congoana ; cp. Fig. 19 with fig. 31 in Gorbunov, Arita, 1997). From only known female of M. oedipoides , M. ambo sp. nov. is separable by the coloration of the hind leg tuft (with more number of yellow scales externally in the species compared) and by the structure of the external transparent area of the forewing (small, divided into four cells, level to vein M2 about as broad as discal spot without the cuneiform projection and about 1.5 times as broad as apical area in M. oedipoides ). From the third species compared, M. ambo sp. nov. differs by the coloration of the hind leg tuft (externally black mixed with rufous and pale yellow scales in the species compared) and the discal spot of the forewing (distally mixed with brick-red scales in M. chalconota ), and by the shape of the external transparent area of the forewing (small, divided into four cells, level to vein M2 about as broad as discal spot without the cuneiform projection and about 1.2 times as broad as apical area in the species compared).

Bionomics. The host plant is Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. ( Cucurbitaceae ) ( Fig. 23 ). Seven cocoons were found in the ground at the root collar of the host plant ( Fig. 24 ). Judging by the shape and size of the swelling of the root collar, as well as by the absence of other host plants in the immediate vicinity, we can be sure that just these seven larvae have lived and have formed this gall. So, we can state that larvae of this new species live inside the root collar of the host plant and forming a rather large gall-like swelling. The full-grown larva leaves the host plant and makes a cocoon ( Fig. 25 ) at the soil surface in 3–5 cm around the host plant. The coriaceous cocoons are about 25 mm long and 8 mm broad with the flattened dorso-ventrally and rounded caudal end. The collected cocoons have been placed on a wet napkin in a plastic box. They were kept at the laboratory conditions at about 23º C. The first male emerged on April 21 and the last female ( Fig. 26 ), on June 25 of the next year. Consequently, the hibernation lasted at least six and no more than eight months, and the new species is univoltine.

Habitat ( Fig. 22 ). A dry anthropogenic shrub savanna, which has been formed on place of a disturbed forest. The plant cover represents the mosaic of a shrub composed by Euclea divinorum Hiern. (Ebenaceae) , Carissa spinarum L. ( Apocynaceae ), undergrowth of Eucalyptus spp. and solitary trees of Vachellia abyssinica (Hochst. ex. Benth.) Kyal. & Boatwr. ( Fabaceae ) and Euphorbia abyssinica J.F. Gmel. (Fabaceae) .

Distribution. Known from the type locality in Ethiopia.

Etymology. This species is named after the town of Ambo , West Shewa, Ethiopia, in vicinities of which it was collected.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Habitat of M. ambo sp. nov. Ethiopia, West Shewa, 3 km S Ambo, 2200 m a. s. l.

FIGURES 11 – 18. Melittia ambo sp. nov.: 11) ♂ holotype, upperside. Sesiidae picture № 0105 – 2014. Alar expanse 32.5 mm; 12) ditto underside. Sesiidae picture № 0106 – 2014; 13) ♂ paratype, upperside. Sesiidae picture № 0113 – 2014. Alar expanse xx. 5 mm; 14) ditto underside. Sesiidae picture № 0114 – 2014; 15) ♀ paratype, upperside. Sesiidae picture № 0107 – 2014. Alar expanse 34.0 mm; 16) ditto underside. Sesiidae picture № 0108 – 2014. 17) ♀ paratype, upperside. Sesiidae picture № 0109 – 2014. Alar expanse 33.0 mm; 18) ditto underside. Sesiidae picture № 0110 – 2014.

FIGURES 19 – 21. 19) Melittia pyropis Hampson, 1919 male genitalia. Genital preparation № OG – 007 - 2014. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. 20) Melittia ambo sp. nov. male genitalia (paratype). Genital preparation № OG – 006 - 2014. Scale bar: 0.5 mm; 21) Melittia ambo sp. nov. female genitalia (paratype). Genital preparation № OG – 009 - 2014. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 23 – 26. 23) Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. (Cucurbitaceae), a host plant of M. ambo sp. nov.; 24) root collar of the host plant with a gall formed by a group of larvae; 25) cocoons of M. ambo sp. nov.; 26) freshly emerged female of M. ambo sp. nov.