Prasinocyma aquamarina, Hausmann, Axel, Sciarretta, Andrea & Parisi, Francesco, 2016

Hausmann, Axel, Sciarretta, Andrea & Parisi, Francesco, 2016, The Geometrinae of Ethiopia II: Tribus Hemistolini, genus Prasinocyma (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 4065 (1), pp. 1-63 : 26

Prasinocyma aquamarina sp. n.

( Figs 25 , 94 )

Holotype. 1♀, SE. Ethiopia [Oromia], Bale Mts. 10 km S Rira, 2450m, 6.8092N 39.6386E, 25.III.2009, leg. R. Beck, M. Dietl ( BC ZSM Lep 26135; gen.prp. ZSM G 19455).

Description. Adult ( Fig. 25 ). Wingspan. Female 38 mm. Ground colour pale bluish green, irrorated with white strigulae. Forewings without spot at the inner termen. Fore- and hindwings with blackish green discal dot, terminal dots absent. Hindwing termen slightly angled at M3. Length of female palpi twice diameter of eye. Frons pale green. Female antennae filiform.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 94 ). Antrum sub-rectangular. Sterigma (lamella postvaginalis) wide, with the anterior margin irregularly shaped. Ductus bursae of medium lengh. Corpus bursae pyriform, with small signum, laterally tapered and anteriorly with short, paired, tapering projections.

Differential diagnosis. Slightly larger than P. beryllaria sp. n. (so far available only in the opposite sex), otherwise almost indistinguishable in habitus. Although only one female is available, the DNA barcode clearly supports its description as a new species.

Genetic data. BIN: BOLD:AAF8222. Nearest neighbours in Ethiopia: P. leveneorum sp. n. (1.9%), P. croca (5.4%), distance from P. pupillata ( South Africa) 5.3%, from P. b e r y l l ar i a sp. n. 9.9%. Grouping more closely with the preceding undescribed species when excluding the 3rd codon position. The close genetic relationship with P. leveneorum sp. n. (perhaps biased by the short-fragement condition of the sequence of P. leveneorum sp. n.) suggests them to be a pair of sibling species.

Etymology. The name refers to the green ground colour similar to that of the aquamarine gem.

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 30. Adults of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar— 1 cm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides, and / or DNA barcoding, and / or nomenclatural status of the illustrated specimen are given. 25. Prasinocyma aquamarina sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 26135; Holotype); 26. Prasinocyma beryllaria sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 81817; Holotype); 27. Prasinocyma lutulenta sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 85809 - 81481; Holotype); 28. Prasinocyma septentrionalis sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 13197; Holotype); 29. Prasinocyma neglecta Prout, 1921 (BC ZSM Lep 83223); 30. Prasinocyma gajdacsi Prout, 1930.

FIGURES 92 – 97. Female genitalia of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar (s) — 1 mm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides are given. 92. Prasinocyma fusca sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 16218); 93. Prasinocyma germinaria (Guenée, 1858) (ex NHM); 94. Prasinocyma aquamarina sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19455); 95. Prasinocyma lutulenta sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 16040); 96. Prasinocyma septentrionalis sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19408); 97. Prasinocyma neglecta Prout, 1921 (gen. prp. ZSM G 16057).