Diapalpus smithi, Takano & László, 2024

Takano, Hitoshi & László, Gyula M., 2024, The Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampoidea) of Maputo Special Reserve, Mozambique: a provisional checklist with descriptions of three new species and taxonomic notes, Zootaxa 5492 (2), pp. 231-259 : 238-239

Diapalpus smithi sp. n.

( Fig. 22 , 87a–c )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ MOZAMBIQUE 22m / Maputo Special Reserve, / West Gate ( Sand Thicket ) / 26°30’14.2”S, 32°42’59.6”E / 9- 17.ii.2018 Actinic Light Trap / Laszlo, G., Mulvaney, J., / Smith, L., leg. / ANHRT:2018.2 // ANHRTUK / 00039664 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6267 ♂ / prep. by Gy.M. Laszlo [partially handwritten]”

Paratype ♂ ( ANHRT) :

[4H]— 1♂.

Diagnosis. Diapalpus smithi sp. n. is the fourth species to be described in the genus and is most similar to the type species, D. congregarius Strand, 1913 ( Fig. 24 ) described from Tanzania and D. griseus Hering, 1941 ( Fig. 23 ) from D.R. Congo. However, the forewing of D. congregarius is more elongate and its ground colour brown, the discal spot is more finely defined, and the dark submarginal spots are well-defined contrasting against a paler terminal fascia. In D. griseus , the forewing shape is more similar to D. smithi sp. n. but in the former, the forewing is heavily irrorated with dark greyish-brown scales, the postmedial band is indistinct and the hindwing is a paler cream. In the male genitalia, D. congregarius ( Fig. 88 ) and D. griseus ( Fig. 89 ) are both distinguished from D. smithi sp. n. by their noticeably shorter and apically less sharply pointed posterior, and the shorter, more rounded anterior lobe of the valve. The vinculum is considerably shorter, caudally broader and more tapered in the former two species. The phalli are similarly curved medially and tapered distally in all three taxa, however the vesicae of both D. congregarius and D. griseus lack sclerotized dentate crests. Despite the similar ground plan of the male genitalia, the single, short triangular or thorn-like medial process of the eighth sternite readily distinguishes these two taxa from D. smithi sp. n. which lacks this process and possesses a U-shaped medial notch instead. It is worth noting that the habitus of D. smithi sp. n. is particularly reminiscent of members of the Madagascan genus Raphipeza Butler, 1880 and with the knowledge that this region of coastal southern African shares sibling or even the same taxa as Madagascar (e.g., László & Vetina 2019), the type species R. turbata ( Butler, 1879) was investigated further. Although the configuration of the male genital capsule is not dissimilar, the phallus-vesica complex of R. turbata is fundamentally different and Raphipeza is considered to be an allied but clearly distinct genus.

Description. Forewing length: holotype and paratype: 15 mm.

Male. Upperside. Ground colour of head, thorax, forewing and abdomen pale beige; hindwing cream. Antenna bipectinate, beige. Forewing ovoid, rounded at apex, outer margin arcuate. Anal margin with long dark brown acicular scales. Basal area with light cream scaling. Antemedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, weakly sinuate, inner of two more pronounced, arising perpendicularly from costa, and angled in cell to terminate perpendicularly along anal margin. Discal spot dark brown, half width of cell. Area between antemedial and postmedial fascia with heavy irroration of dark beige scales except around discal spot; veins R5 to 1A+2A highlighted with black scales from antemedial fascia to beyond postmedial fascia. Postmedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, crenulate (interneural concavities distad), outer of two indistinct, arising perpendicularly from costa, and angled in space M1 running broadly parallel to outer margin, terminating perpendicularly along anal margin. Submarginal fasciae dark beige, poorly-defined, running parallel to outer margin. Terminal area with two dark beige spots in spaces R5 and M1. Fringe dark beige. Hindwing rounded, outer margin arcuate; paler anally. Costal margin with dark brown irroration. Medial fascia pale beige, arcuate, indistinct. Fringe pale beige. Underside. Ground colour as on upperside except for a band of dark brown scales along anterior margin of thorax. Forewing with dark brown irroration between cell and costal margin to just beyond postmedial fascia. Postmedial fascia as on upperside but lacking crenulations and poorly-defined, becoming weaker anally. Hindwing medial fascia as on upperside but dark brown and slightly better defined. Abdomen. Eighth sternite heavily sclerotized, square, possessing two short, broad, rounded, apically finely setose distal lobes encompassing a narrow U-shaped medial notch.

Male genitalia. Uncus fully reduced; socius reduced, represented by very short bulge covered in sparse, long setae. Tegumen very short, ca. twice width of lateral plates. Juxta inverted-triangular, heavily sclerotized. Valve bilobate, anterior lobe nearly half length of posterior lobe, triangular with strongly setose ventral margin; posterior lobe narrow, gradually tapered into pointed apex, slightly curved dorsad, finely setose. Vinculum as long as valve, broad, apically rounded. Phallus short and relatively thin (ca. twice as long as vinculum), tubular, medially slightly curved dorsad; coecum penis membranous, sack-like, carina short (ca. a third of length of phallus), pointed triangular, heavily sclerotized. Vesica with two parallel, elongate serrate crests.

Female unknown.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AFG3475. When rooted with Weirdonia Prozorov & Zolotuhin, 2012 , the new species is recovered as sister to the rest of Diapalpus . Intraspecific PWD was 0.0% (n=2) and diverged from D. griseus by 10.0% (n=3).

Derivatio nominis. The new species is dedicated with great pleasure to Richard Smith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, ANHRT, whose dedication to African entomology has enabled the discovery of so many new species to science. A noun in the genitive case.

Distribution. The new species is known only from its type locality and is almost certainly endemic to the MPA hotspot.

Figures

FIGURES 13–24. Adults (all in coll. ANHRT and collected in MSR unless otherwise stated). 13. Sena donaldsoni marshalli, ♂. 14. Id., ♂. 15. S. prompta, ♂. 16. Id., ♂. 17. Id., ♀. 18. Id., ♀. 19. Ocinaropsis obscura, ♂. 20. Odontocheilopteryx myxa, ♂. 21. Id., ♀. 22. Diapalpus smithi sp. n., holotype ♂ (gen. slide No. LG 6267). 23. D. griseus, Zambia, Mwinilunga, ♂ (gen. slide No. LG 6356). 24. D. congregarius, Tanzania, Iringa, ♂ (NHMUK 010606818, gen. prep. by László) (NHMUK).

FIGURES 87–89. Male genitalia (a: clasping apparatus, b: phallus) and eighth sternite (c). 87. Diapalpus smithi sp. n., holotype, LG 6267 (ANHRT). 88. D. congregarius, NHMUK 010606818 (prepared by G. László) (NHMUK). 89. D. griseus, LG 6356 (ANHRT).