Pseudosesia lecerfi ( Hampson, 1919 )

Gorbunov, O. G., 2022, To the morphology of little-known Pseudosesia lecerfi (Hampson, 1919) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), Russian Entomological Journal 31 (3), pp. 286-292 : 287-291

Pseudosesia lecerfi ( Hampson, 1919)

Figs 1–19.

“ Paranthrene lecerfi n. n.” — Hampson, 1919: 109. New replacement name for Paranthrene oberthueri Le Cerf, 1916 .

= “ Paranthrene Oberthüri ♀ nov. sp. ” — Le Cerf, 1916: 10, pl. CCCLXXVII, fig. 3153. Type locality:: “ Moluques, Batjan …” [= Indonesia: North Maluku, Bacan Id.]. Holotype ♀ (MHNP). Junior secondary homonym of Phlogothauma oberthueri Le Cerf 1916 .

Literature. Le Cerf, 1917: 267 ( Paranthrene Oberthüri ); Dalla Torre, Strand, 1925: 160 ( Paranthrene Lecerfi as a synonym of Paranthrene Oberthuri [sic!]); Gaede, 1933: 795, pl. 94, row h ( Paranthrene lecerfi ); Heppner, Duckworth, 1981: 23 ( Paranthrene lecerfi ); Pühringer, Kallies, 2004: 21 ( Paranthrene lecerfi as unnecessary replacement name for Paranthrene oberthueri ); Kallies, 2020: 42 ( Pseudosesia lecerfi ); Arita et al., 2021: 31, 153, figs 325a–b ( Paranthrene oberthueri ).

MATERIAL. 1 ♀ holotype ( Fig. 1) with labels as in Fig. 2 ( MHNP) ; 2 ♂♂, Indonesia, N Maluku, W Halmahera , 9 km NE Sidangoli, 00°56.09´N, 127°34.13´E, 120 m, 13.II.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0037-0040–2017; 1 ♂ with genitalia preparation No OG –055-2018) ( COGM) ; 3 ♂♂, with the same locality, 14.II.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0031-0036–2017) ( COGM) ; 1 ♂, Indonesia, N Maluku, E Halmahera , 18 km NE Subaim, 01°12.9´N, 128°15.3´E, 300 m, 16.II.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0029-0030–2017) ( COGM) ; 13 ♂♂, Indonesia, N Maluku, Bacan Id., Labuha , 00°39.390´S, 127°30.042´E, 118 m, 28.II.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0043-0062–2017; 1 ♂ with genitalia preparation No OG– 057-2018) ( COGM) ; 14 ♂♂, Indonesia, N Maluku, Bacan Id., Labuha , 00°39.876´S, 127°30.444´E, 178 m, 01.III.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0063-0084–2017; 1 ♂ with genitalia preparation No OG–056-2018) ( COGM) ; 10 ♂♂, with the same locality, 03.III.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0085-0102–2017) ( COGM) ; 5 ♂♂, Indonesia, N Maluku, Bacan Id., Labuha , 00°36.98´S, 127°28.96´E, 30 m, 05.III.2017, O. Gorbunov leg. ( Sesiidae pictures Nos 0103-0112–2017) ( COGM) .

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Figs 3–4). Alar expanse 29.9 mm; body length 17.8 mm; forewing length 14.8 mm; antenna length 9.9 mm.

Head: antenna black with dark blue shine, scapus black with few yellow scales externally; frons dark brown with greenish-violet shine and a broad yellow stripe laterally; labial palpus internally completely black with dark blue shine, basal joint black basally and yellow distally, mid and apical joints yellow ventrally and black with dark blue shine dorsally, mid joints with yellow scales dorso-basally; vertex black with bright anthracitic shine; pericephalic hairs completely yellow; neck plate yellow with few black scales with dark blue shine.

Thorax: patagia black with bright blue-violet shine; tegula black with bright greenish-violet shine, narrowly yellow anteriorly, broadly yellow interiorly and with sparse yellow stripe medially; mesothorax black with greenish-violet shine with small yellow spot medially in distal third and narrowly yellow distal margin; metathorax black with greenish-violet sheen and a few yellow scales medially; thorax laterally black with bright greenish-violet shine and two large yellow spots anteriorly and at base of forewing; posteriorly, both metepimeron and metameron black with greenish shine, densely covered with yellow hair-like scales.

Legs: fore coxa black with dark blue shine, narrowly yellow basally and broadly yellow externally and distally; fore femur completely black with bright blue-violet shine; fore tibia with tuft of elongated scales posteriorly, completely black with bright greenish-violet shine; basal fore tarsomere completely black with bright blue-violet shine, remaining tarsomeres completely yellow; mid coxa black with greenish-violet shine and narrowly yellow both internally and distally; mid femur black with bright blue-violet shine and narrow

288 O.G. Gorbunov yellow posterior margin; mid tibia black with bright greenish-violet shine and few yellow scales exterior-medially, spurs entirely black with greenish shine; basal mid tarsomere black with bright greenish-violet shine and small yellow spot posterior-dorsally, tarsomeres 2–4 each black with greenish shine and narrow yellow ring distally, distal tarsomere yellow with a few black scales dorsally; hind coxa black with greenish shine; hind femur black with bright blue-violet shine and narrow but slightly broadened distally yellow posterior margin; hind tibia black with bright blue-violet shine and admixture of yellow scales interior-medially, spurs black externally and pale yellow internally; hind basal tarsomere black with bright greenish-violet shine and small yellow spot posterior-dorsally, remaining tarsomeres black with greenish shine and small yellow spot posterior-dorsally.

1 3 5 7 2 4 6 8

Forewing: dorsally with narrow short yellow stripe between CuA-stem and vein 1A; costal margin black with dark dark greenish shine; remaining opaque surface black with dark bronze-violet shine and admixture of individual yellow scales between veins R 3 –M 2 and CuA-stem and 1A; ventrally costal margin dark brown to black with dark violet shine, anal margin narrowly yellow; remaining opaque surface dark brown with bronze-violet shine and with more dense admixture of yellow scales; transparent areas poorly developed: anterior transparent area small, elongated-oval, posterior transparent area small, not reaching level of discal spot of hindwing, exterior transparent area small, oval, divided into three cells between veins M –CuA; cilia dark brown with bronze-violet

1 1

shine.

Hindwing transparent; veins, discal spot, surface between veins R and M 1 and outer margin black with dark violet shine dorsally and bronze-violet shine ventrally; discal spot cuneiform, reaching base of vein M 3; outer margin broad, about as broad as length of cilia, but somewhat broader between veins CuP and 1A costally; cilia dark brown with dark violet shine and yellow anally.

Abdomen dorsally black with bright bronze-violet shine; tergites 1–4 each with narrow yellow stripe distally, tergites 5–7 each with few yellow scales distally; ventrally abdomen violet shine, sternite 1+2 with admixture of yellow scales; all sternites with narrow yellow stripe distally; anal tuft well-developed, black with dark violet shine dorsally and greenish shine ventrally.

Male genitalia (paratype) (genital preparation No OG– 055-2018) ( Figs 15–18 ). Uncus long, narrow, slightly broadened and rounded distally, with simple setae and scales in distal half dorsally; tegumen short; gnathos narrow, with three thin sharp teeth laterally; tuba analis with subscaphium narrowly sclerotized ( Fig. 15 ); valva ( Fig. 16 ) semi-oval, covered with simple short and few long setae; medial crista low, with few simple soft setae; crista sacculi low and narrow, covered with strong simple setae; saccus ( Fig. 17 ) about as long as vinculum, narrow, somewhat rounded basally; aedeagus ( Fig. 18 ) rather broad, slightly longer than length of valva, distally distinctly narrowed and not armed; vesica with numerous minute cornuti.

Female ( Fig. 1). A fairly complete morphological description of the appearance, as well as a depiction of the holotype, is given in Le Cerf [1916, 1917]. The female genitalia remain unexplored.

INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY ( Figs 3–14). Unknown for females, but males are quite variable. The variation in the number of yellow scales on the thorax, legs, abdomen and forewing is very noticeable. So, there is a specimen in which thin yellow rings are present only on the first two segments of the abdomen ( Figs 7, 8), and there are specimens with such rings on all segments of the abdomen ( Figs 11, 12 ). In addition, the transparent areas of the forewing are highly variable, especially the anterior and exterior one from fairly well developed ( Figs 3, 5) to completely undeveloped ( Figs 11, 13 ). Moreover, this species is quite variable in individual sizes: alar expanse 21.0– 30.3 mm; body length 13.2–19.8 mm; forewing length 9.5–13.5 mm; antenna length 6.6–9.8 mm.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. By the bronze shine of the opaque parts of the wings, the female of this species is somewhat similar to P. meeki (Druce, 1898) (type locality: “Trobriand Islands, Kiriwini…” [= Papua New Guinea: Trobrial Islands, Kiriwina Island]) and P. scintillans Butler, 1882 (type locality: “ New Britain.” [= Papua New Guinea: Bismark Archipelago, New Britain Island].), from which it can be distinguished by opaque cell between veins CuP and 1A of the hindwing (cp. Fig. 1 in this article with fig. 110 in Kallies, 2020: 44 and fig. 168a in Arita et al., 2021: 104). From all other known Pseudosesia females, the female of P. lecerfi clearly differs in the colouration of the opaque parts of the wings and opaque cell between veins CuP and 1A of the hindwing. The males of P. lecerfi are easily distinguished from all congeners by the structure of the transparent areas of the forewing.

BIONOMICS. The larval host plant is unknown. The males were collected from mid-February to early March with help of unspecific artificial sex pheromones.

HABITAT. Both on Bacan Island and on Halmahera Island, the males were collected in close proximity to small rivers in the so-called “Halmahera rain forest” ( Fig. 19 ).

DISTRIBUTION. This species was collected at two sites on Halmahera Island and three localities on Bacan Island , North Maluku, Indonesia. Unfortunately , the exact type locality on Bacan Island is not known. The indication for Halmahera Island should be considered the first indication of the genus Pseudosesia for the island .

Acknowledgements. I would like to express my cordial thanks to Mr. Maxim B. Markhasyov, Dr. Vasily K. Tuzov and Prof. Dmitry G. Zamolodchikov (all from Moscow, Russia) for the company and help during our successful trip to North Maluku, Indonesia in 2017. I also wish to thank Prof. Yutaka Arita ( Iga , Mie, Japan) for providing slides of the type specimens of the clearwing moth deposited in European collections. I am indebted to Dr. Anatoliy V. Krupitsky (Moscow, Russia) for carefully checking the English of an advanced draft .

The study was conducted using the equipment of the Joint Usage Center “Instrumental methods in ecology” at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia). The investigation was fulfilled within the State research projects Nos. AAAA-A18- 118042490060-1 and 0089-2021-0007.

Figures

Figs 15–18. Male genitalia of P. lecerfi. Genital preparation No OG–055-2018: 15 — tegumen-uncus complex; 16 — valva; 17 — saccus; 18 — aedeagus. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Рис. 15–18. Гениталии самца P. lecerfi. Препарат гениталий № OG–055-2018: 15 — тегумен-ункусный комплекс; 16 — вальва; 17 — саккус; 18 — Эдеагус. МасШтаб 0,5: мм.

Figs 9–14. Variability of P. lecerfi: 9–10 — ♂, alar expanse 27.1 mm, Sesiidae picture Nos 0051-0052–2017; 11–12 — ♂, alar expanse 27.5 mm, Sesiidae picture Nos 0063-0064–2017; 13–14 — ♂, alar expanse 28.5 mm, Sesiidae picture Nos 0071-0072–2017. 9, 11, 13 — dorsal view; 10, 12, 14 — ventral view. Рис. 9–14. ИЗменчивость P. lecerfi: 9–10 — ♂, раЗмах крыльев 27,1 мм, Sesiidae снимки №№ 0051-0052–2017; 11–12 — ♂, раЗмах крыльев 27,5 мм, Sesiidae снимки №№ 0063-0064–2017; 13–14 — ♂, раЗмах крыльев 28,5 мм, Sesiidae снимки №№ 0071- 0072–2017. 9, 11, 13 — сверху; 10, 12, 14 — сниЗу.

Fig. 19. Habitat of P. lecerfi. Indonesia, North Maluku, Bacan Id., Labuha, 00°39.390´S, 127°30.042´E, 118 m, 28.II.2017. Photo by O. Gorbunov. Рис. 19. Биотоп P. lecerfi. ИндонеЗиЯ, Северное Малуку, остров Бачан, Лабуха, 00°39.390´ю.Ш., 127°30.042´в.д., 118 м, 28.II.2017. Фото О. Горбунова.