Ezishnola carcassoni, László, 2020

László, Gyula M., 2020, On the taxonomy of Meganola cretacea (Hampson, 1914) with description of two new species (Lepidoptera, Nolidae, Nolinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 30, pp. 82-92 : 90-92

Ezishnola carcassoni sp. nov. ( Figs 13, 14 , 17 , 23 )

Holotype. female, “ Kalinzu Forest Ankole Uganda Nov. 1961 R. H. Carcasson ”, “Coryndon Museum B.M. 1963-322”, QR code label with unique number: NHMUK 014046240 , slide No.: NHMUK 010316559 ( NHMUK).

Paratype. Uganda. 1 male, Katera Sango Bay , Masaka, Oct. 1960, R.H. Carcasson, QR code label with unique number: NHMUK 014046239 , slide No.: NHMUK 010316558 ( NHMUK) .

Diagnosis. E. carcassoni sp. n. is an East African allopatric sister species of E. creatacea and E. inopinata known so far only from Uganda. The new species differ externally from both sister species by its conspicuously interrupted transverse lines consisting of a dense row of sharply defined blackish dots, whereas the crosslines are more continuous in the other species, although similar wing pattern is not unknown in E. cretacea . In the male genitalia, E. carcassoni differs from both sister species by its somewhat shorter uncus and valva, in addition more robust, almost straight harpe (those of the other two species are thinner and slightly arcuate) and considerably narrower, more elongate transtillae. In the female genitalia, the new species has somewhat shorter apophyses than those of E. cretacea , ovoid corpus bursae without tubular section and without sack-like cervix bursae (corpus bursae with conspicuously long tubular section and cervix bursae is sack-like in E. cretacea ), in addition E. carcassoni lacks signum bursae. The differences between the female genitalia of the new species and E. inopinata are as follows: E. carcassoni has somewhat longer apophyses, narrower ductus bursae with longer sclerotized medial section compared to those of E. inopinata , in addition less elongate, more rounded corpus bursae with simple cervix bursae, while the corpus bursae of E. inopinata is more elongated with anteriorly dilated distal tubular section and its cervix bursae with a well-developed, membranous sack.

Description ( Figs 13, 14 ). Forewing length 12 mm in male, 13 mm in female. Antenna filiform in both sexes with somewhat longer and denser ciliation in males compared to that of females.

Head relatively large, labial palps medium long, curved dorsad, inner surface brownish white, lateral and ventral surface of first and second segments brownish grey, third segment pale creamy white; frons and vertex pale brownish white; compound eyes moderately large, globular. Thorax brownish grey, basal twothird of collar darker greyish, abdomen brownish white. Intraspecific variability limited. Sexual dimorphism is moderate, expressed in size (female slightly larger) and in coloration, (female hindwing somewhat darker than that of male).

Forewing relatively long and broad, rather quadrangular, apically rounded. Forewing ground colour pale brownish grey, with some darker brown irregular patches in the postmedian area. Sub-basal and basal lines diffuse, shadow-like, represented by groups of brownish hair scales; antemedial line fine, brownish grey, interrupted, almost straight, running angularly towards costa; medial line rather thick, interrupted, diffuse, present only in the ventral third; Orbicular stigma rather large, rounded, consisting of raised pale whitish grey scales. Postmedial line relatively thick, interrupted, very sharply defined by dense row of dark brown scales, upper section broadly arched, lower section running parallel with medial line. Subterminal line rather undulating, interrupted, consisting of dark brown triangular patches of different size; terminal line thick, interrupted, consisting of a row of dark brown streaks; terminal area with some red-brown suffusion; cilia pale brownish grey chequered with darker brown.

Hindwing pale greyish white, with some darker brownish suffusion terminally in males, darker grey in females, turning to brownish grey in the terminal area; cilia whitish grey in both sexes. Underside of forewing uniformly dark brownish grey, that of hindwing paler brownish grey, darkened along the margin in males, similar but darker in females, without traces of pattern.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 23 ). Uncus relatively short, rather narrow, gradually tapered distally, apically with a short, fine, pointed hook; subscaphium rather long and narrow poorly sclerotized; tegumen short and broad, rather triangular; valvae weakly sclerotized, relatively short, medially moderately dilated, apically broadly rounded, tongue-shaped; harpe thorn-like, rather long and robust, almost straight, apically curved and pointed, situated in the central plate of valva; transtillae well-developed, elongate-ovoid, medially divided; sacculus long and broad, basal third more strongly sclerotized than apical one; fultura inferior (juxta) very small, with a pair of ear-like rounded lobes; vinculum rather broad and long, broad V-shaped, saccus short, apically acutely pointed. Aedeagus short and narrow, caecum penis rather long, evenly rounded; carina without sclerotization; vesica membranous in full length, without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 17 ). Ovipositor short, trapezoidal, papillae anales conical; apophyses posteriores and anteriores short, relatively thin, of same length; 8 th tergite conspicuously short, weakly sclerotized, ribbon-like; ostium bursae moderately sclerotized, goblet-shaped, relatively short and narrow; ductus bursae very short, relatively narrow, medial half more strongly sclerotized than distal and proximal quarters, cervix bursae membranous, rather thick, without sack-like protrusion; corpus bursae membranous, elongate-ovoid without distal tubular part; signum bursae absent.

Etymology. The new species is named after the British entomologist Robert Herbert Carcasson, collector of the type specimens.

Remark. An unidentified specimen is illustrated in Hacker et al. (2012) on p. 529 from Budongo Forest, Uganda. Based on its external habitus, this specimen almost certainly belongs to E. carcassoni .

Figures

Figures 9-14: adults. 9, Ezishnola inopinata sp. n., holotype, female, Zambia (ANHRT); 10, E. inopinata sp. n., paratype, female, Zambia (ANHRT); 11, E. inopinata sp. n., paratype, male, Zambia (ANHRT); 12, E. inopinata sp. n., paratype, male, Zambia (ANHRT); 13, E. carcassoni sp. n., holotype, female, Uganda (NHMUK); 14, E. carcassoni sp. n., paratype, male, Uganda (NHMUK).

Figures 15-18: female genitalia. 15, Ezishnola cretacea (Hampson, 1914), LGNA 990, Ghana, Bunso Arboretum (HNHM); 16, E. inopinata sp. n., holotype, LGNA 692, Zambia, Lukwakwa (ANHRT); 17, E. carcassoni sp. n. holotype, NHMUK 010316559 (Gy. M. László), Uganda, Kalinzu Forest (NHMUK); 18, E. fuscographa László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010, paratype, LGN 971, Thailand, Bo Luang (MWM/ZSM).

Figures 19-24: male genitalia. 19, Ezishnola cretacea (Hampson, 1914), LGNA 835, Guinea, Nimba Mts (ANHRT); 20, E. cretacea (Hampson, 1914), LGNA 953, Liberia, Nimba Mts (ANHRT); 21, E. inopinata sp. n., paratype, LGNA 60, Zambia, Lukwakwa (ANHRT); 22, E. inopinata sp. n., paratype, LGNA 292, Zambia, Ikelenge (ANHRT); 23, E. carcassoni sp. n. paratype, NHMUK 010316558 (Gy. M. László), Uganda, Masaka (NHMUK); 24, E. fuscographa László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010, holotype, LGN 953, Thailand, Pua (MWM/ZSM).