Yponomeuta africanus Stainton, 1860

Agassiz, David J. L., 2019, The Yponomeutidae of the Afrotropical region (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutoidea), Zootaxa 4600 (1), pp. 1-69 : 15-16

15. Yponomeuta africanus Stainton, 1860

Hyponomeuta africanus Stainton, 1860: 222–223 .

Type locality: Republic of Republic of South Africa: Western Cape, Knysna .

Redescription of adult ( Plate 2). Wingspan 18–24 mm. Head white, usually with central black dorsal spot; labial palpus segment 3 longer than segment 2, each segment black at base and white tipped; antenna with scape white, distal to that a black ring, flagellum whitish at base, otherwise grey. Thorax white with three black spots, tegula white, with a black spot on anterior edge. Forewing white with five longitudinal rows of black spots, terminal fringe white, greyish at tornus; often a black or grey suffusion along dorsum before tornus and at ½ extending as a broken oblique fascia; underside dark grey but white terminal fringe and a narrow white edge to costa before apex. Hindwing dark grey, hyaline subbasal patch large. Specimens from Republic of Republic of South Africa ( Plate 2: 15a): are much more heavily marked than most of those from East Africa which sometimes have only the black dots ( Plate 2: 15b).

Male genitalia ( Plate 10). Socius broad and blunt, each bearing two spines, valva simple and typical of the genus, costa strong and straight, saccus fairly long with a bulbous end. Aedeagus simple and straight, a single cornutus about one third of its length.

Female genitalia ( Plate 20 ). Lamella postvaginalis with lobes close together, ostium small, ductus straight and sclerotised, corpus bursae very long and narrow, gradually widening, in all about ten times length of ductus and much the same length as abdomen.

Biology. Not known, adults recorded in every month except May and June.

Diagnosis: Distinguished from other white species of Yponomeuta by the black or grey suffusion normally present on the forewing, and in the male genitalia by the distinctive shape of the socius.

Distribution. Republic of Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan.

Type material. Type in NHMUK, not located. Collected by Trimen and taken to Stainton in England, listed by Walker (1864) as part of BM collections. This is quoted by Walsingham but type is not found. Also given as NH- MUK by Gershenson & Ulenberg (1998) but they do not say whether or not the type was seen. Mey (2015) claims that a specimen labelled?TYPE in SAMC is the holotype, but the information given above does not support this view as the type locality is Knysna which does not agree with the data label on the SAMC specimen.

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀ labelled? TYPE, SAM LEP A015673, Imaged 2011 ( SAMC) .

Other material examined: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 7 ♂ 4 ♀ Knysna , Eastern Cape, Diepwalle For- est 467 m, 35°°56 56’55 ’55ʼʼS ʼʼS 23 23° ° °09 09’ ’23 23ʼʼE, 23.ii–6.iii.98, D.M. Kroon ; 2 ♀ Knysna , C.P. 10–14.i.55 A.J.T. Janse ; 1 ♂, Knysna , C.P. 3.iii.1921 Dr H.G. Breijer; 1 without abdomen Belvedere, C.P. 8.iii.21 Dr H.G. Breijer ; 4 ♂ 6 ♀ Tsit- sikama Goesabos Forestry 1–13.iii.1980, Scoble & Kroon ; 9 ♂ 7 ♀ same loc. 13–22.iii.1979 Potgieter & Scoble; 2 ♀ Tsitsikama, De Plaat Forest 5–6.xi.1967 Vári & Potgieter; 1 without abdomen Saasveld , George, C.P. 7.ii.1965 H. Beertsema ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ same loc. 22–28.ii.1972 L. Vári; 1 ♀ Groenkop Forestry, George Dist. 3.iii.1967 L. & G. Vári ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ Suikerbosrand Natuureservaat 15–16.xi.1980 D.M. Kroon ; 1 ♀ Stormsriviermond Coast Nat. Park 4.xi.1967 Vári & Potgieter ; 1 ♀ Harkerville 4–7.iii.1977 L. & G. Vári ; 4 ♂ 4 ♀ Storms River , Cape 13–15.ii.1986, N.J. Duke; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ Diepwalle Forest / Natures Valley, Knysna , Cape 16.ii.1986 N.J. Duke ( TMSA TMSA));;1 1 specimen without abdomen Annshaw , King Williamstown 1893 Barrett ( NHMUK) ; ZIMBABWE: Laurenceville, Vumba Mts 32°°45 45’ ’ E E 19 19° ° ° 10 10’S 11–14.x.1980N.J. Duke( TMSA); TANZANIATANZANIA 1 Tang. Terr. UkergweI. Fr. Conrad( NMK ); KENYA: Escarpment, Kikuyu: 1 Ben ix–x.1900 (16); 1 Escarpment , Kikuyu , Doherty 1.xi. 1900; 1 Nairobi xi.23 Van Someren; 1 Meru Dist. 5.vii.1930, H. Young Coll.; 1 Ngong , Feb. 1964 ( NHMUK) ; KENYA: 3 ♂ 5 ♀ Central, Aberdares Country Club 0°20’S 36°53’E 1750 m 26–27.iv.2003 D.J.L. Agassiz including slides DJLA 1185 , 1278 ♂ and 1289 ♀; 2 ♂: Nairobi, Oluloa Forest, NMK–IPR Compound , 01°21’49ʼʼS 36°47’47’’E 1872 m MV light 15.viii.1999, D.J.L. Agassiz ; 1 ♂ Central, Escarpment between Limuru and Mai Mahui 1°02’09ʼʼS 36°35’58’’E 1850 m MV light 14.viii.1999 D.J.L. Agassiz ; 1 ♂ Western, Kesogon 6500 ft 2.vi.1999, D.J.L. Agassiz ; 1 ♀ Cen- tral, Castle Forest Lodge, 0°22’43’’S 37°18’32’’E 2100 m, 3.xi.2012, Agassiz, Beavan, Heckford & Larsen ; 20 specimens Nairobi and suburbs; 1 Ruiru, Townsend (no date); 1 Jacaranda Research Station , Ruiru , April 1960; 1 Muguga Feb. 1958 B. Verdcourt; 1 Nyeri Feb. 1948 Miss Steele ( NMK) ; 1 specimen without abdomen near Nairobi, Oluloa Forest 27.iii.1999 U. Dall’Asta MRAC ENT 000006436 ; UGANDA: 1 ♀ Central, Mabira Forest , 3000 ft 16.vii.2000, D.J.L. Agassiz ; 1 ♀ Western, Budongo Forest , 3000 ft 18.vii.2000, D.J.L. Agassiz. ( DJLA) ; 9 ♂ 8 ♀ Escarpment 7500–8500 ft Kikuyu IBEA ix–x.1900 Doherty ; 1 ♀ Ngong, Nairobi ii.1951 Fowler & Coalson; Meru Dist. 5.vii.1930 H. Young coll.; S.E . SUDAN Didings Distr, Nagichot 6–7000 ft xii.25–i.26 ( NHMUK) .

Figures

PLATE 20.