Prasinocyma angolica pseudopedicata

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 : 13

Prasinocyma angolica pseudopedicata subp. n.

Holotype. ♂, S. Ethiopia, Oromia, 7 km NW Yabelo, 1950m (lux), 4.9252°N, 38.0435°E, 9.XI.2010, leg. de Freina, Hacker, Peks, Schreier; gen.prp. ZSM G 19635; BC ZSM Lep 84181.

Paratypes. Oromia: 2♂, id. (gen.prp. ZSM G 19645, 19585); 2♂, S. Ethiopia, Oromia, 1 km W vill. Aluweya, 1300 m (lux), 4.9636°N, 37.5489°E, 10.XI.2010, leg. de Freina, Hacker, Peks, Schreier ( BC ZSM Lep 84180; 84185); 1♂, Äthiopien [ Ethiopia], Reg. Sidamo/Oromia, Prov. Bale, Goba, Sof Omar, 1570m, 06°55.620’N, 40°43.004’O, 27.V.2012, Dietl M. + S. & R. Beck ( BC ZSM Lep 81867; gen.prp. ZSM G 19656); 1♂, S. Ethiopia, Arba Minch, Reg. Omo, Prov. Gemu Gofa, 1350 – 1450m 6°00.196’N 037°33.043’E, 27.V – 04.VI.1999, leg. Beck/Hiermeier ( BC ZSM Lep 13156 failure; 85804; gen.prp. ZSM G 19422); Southern Nations: 1♂, Aethiopien, Prov. South Nation, Bonga-Hotel, 1720 m, 07° 16.444 N, 36°14.769’ O, 24.VI.2014, Riedel G. & Beck R. leg. (gen.prp. ZSM G 15907).

Further material from Kenya and Tanzania (see under genetic data).

Description. Adult ( Fig. 3 ). Wingspan. Male 24 – 26 mm. Ground colour bluish green, irrorated with white strigulae, without spot at the inner termen. Discal dots absent from forewing. On hindwing discal spot developed as an elongate dark green streak towards costa of hindwing. Terminal dots absent from fore- and hindwings. Hindwing termen round. Length of male palpi 1.0 times diameter of eye, tip pale brown. Frons pale brown. Antennae bipectinate in male. Male frenulum very weak. Male hindtibia extended and covering first tarsomere, tibia with white pencil and four spurs.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 45 ). Valva comparatively narrow, ventral membranous lobe prominent, harpe long, narrow, sigmoid. Saccus long and broad. Aedeagus long (2.0 mm) and very narrow, bent at 1/2. Sternum A8 with paired strongly sclerotized, stout, long projections, sub-laterally.

Differential diagnosis. In habitus very similar to P. pedicata , but hindwing termen more rounded. In male genitalia reminiscent of P. pe d i c a t a but projections of sternum A8 closer to each other, longer, harpe longer, aedeagus longer. In habitus and genitalia also reminiscent of P. bailei .

Genetic data. BIN: BOLD:AAF8220. Nearest neighbour: P. pedicata (populations from Ethiopia) at a distance of 1.6%. Populations of P. a. pseudopedicata subsp. n. from Kenya and Tanzania with separate BIN (BOLD:AAM9716) at a genetic distance of 3.5% from Ethiopian populations but without any difference in genitalia, and thus regarded as conspecific here. The genetic distance may be explained by past genetic introgression (many 1000 ya) from P. pedicata into the Ethiopian populations of P. a. pseudopedicata subsp. n. and subsequent gene drift away from the typical COI haplotype of P. pedicata . Distance from P. bongaensis 3.9%.

Etymology. The name refers to the sister species P. pedicata , greek pseudo = reminiscent of.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. 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. 1. Prasinocyma immaculata thiaucourti Herbulot, 1993 (BC ZSM Lep 13171); 2. Prasinocyma pedicata aethiopica subsp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 45465; Holotype); 3. Prasinocyma angolica pseudopedicata subp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 84181; Holotype); 4. Prasinocyma bongaensis sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 84753; Holotype); 5. Prasinocyma pumilata Fletcher, 1956 (BC ZSM Lep 78500); 6. Prasinocyma tranquilla Prout, 1917 (BC ZSM Lep 85805 - 84638).

FIGURES 43 – 46. Male genitalia of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar (s) — 1 mm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides are given. 43. Prasinocyma immaculata thiaucourti Herbulot, 1993 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19396); 44. Prasinocyma pedicata aethiopica subsp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19399); 45. Prasinocyma angolica pseudopedicata subp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19635); 46. Prasinocyma pumilata Fletcher, 1956 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19660).