Sesamia lalaci Le Ru, 2024

Hévin, Noémie M. C., Kergoat, Gael J., Zilli, Alberto, Capdevielle-Dulac, Claire, Musyoka, Boaz K., Sezonlin, Michel, Conlong, Desmond, Van Den Berg, Johnnie, Ndemah, Rose, Le Gall, Philippe, Cugala, Domingos, Nyamukondiwa, Casper, Pallangyo, Beatrice, Njaku, Mohamedi, Goftishu, Muluken, Assefa, Yoseph, Kandonda, Onésime Mubenga, Bani, Grégoire, Molo, Richard, Chipabika, Gilson, Ong’amo, George, Clamens, Anne-Laure, Barbut, Jérôme & Le Ru, Bruno, 2024, Revisiting the taxonomy and molecular systematics of Sesamia stemborers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina): updated classification and comparative evaluation of species delimitation methods, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 82, pp. 447-501 : 447-501

Sesamia lalaci Le Ru sp. nov.

Figures 8 E, P ; 11 ; 12 A – B

Type material.

Holotype ♂, MOZAMBIQUE, Nampula district, Lalaci , 14 ° 57 ′ 40 ″ S, 37 ° 16 ′ 02 ″ E, 656 m a. s. l., III. 2010, ex larvae in stems of Cenchrus purpureus , gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 5, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) . — Paratypes: MOZAMBIQUE: two ♂, Nampula district, Pharani , 14 ° 56 ′ 34 ″ S, 37 ° 53 ′ 22 ″ E, 584 m a. s. l., IV. 2010, ex larvae in stems of Hyparrhenia schimperi (A. Rich.) Stapf , gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 6, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; one ♂, Nampula district, Muacala River , 14 ° 10 ′ 12 ″ S, 39 ° 54 ′ 24 ″ E, 180 m a. s. l., III. 2010, ex larvae in stems of Megathyrsus maximus , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; TANZANIA: one ♂, Mtwara Region, Ndanda , 10 ° 30 ′ 07 ″ S, 39 ° 01 ′ 02 ″ E, 306 m a. s. l., iii. 2007, ex larvae in stems of Cenchrus purpureus , (B. Le Ru leg.) [ MNHN] .

Diagnosis.

(See also the identification key of incerta subgroup, section 3.4. 2.). This species can be distinguished from the other known members of the incerta subgroup by the combination of the following characters of the male genitalia: tegumen with large flat peniculi; vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin and w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a large sized saccus, rounded; juxta large, the inferior plate shaped like an elongated triangle, almost isosceles, with a slight bulge at the bottom, the two sides straight, ending with a long and narrow, shortly bifid superior plate at least three times shorter than the inferior plate; phallus strongly curved in the middle.

Description.

(Fig. 12 A, B ). Antenna ochraceous, shortly pectinate, flagellum adorned dorsally with ochraceous scales; palpus ochraceous; eyes brown. Head and thorax covered with long ochraceous hairs. Forelegs brown, otherwise dark ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales. Forewing ochraceous, slightly suffused with brown and fuscous scales; a longitudinal grey fuscous fascia along lower margin of cell, partly within, partly without cell from base of cell to the subterminal line; three dark brown spots, one antemedial, one at apex of cell and one postmedial; one subterminal line with brown elongated markings on the veins; outer margin adorned with more or less visible brown spots between the veins, fringe light ochraceous suffused with brown and fuscous scales, basal line of fringe light ochraceous. Hindwing white, fringe concolor (white), suffused with fuscous scales. Underside of forewing light ochraceous, heavily suffused with fuscous and brown scales in costal and apical areas and below the cell, fringe light ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales, basal line light ochraceous. Underside of hindwing white suffused with brown and fuscous scales in costal and apical areas, fringe concolor (white), suffused with fuscous scales. — Forewing length: male 28–33 mm (x ̅ = 30.7 mm, N = 4). — Male genitalia (Fig. 8 E, P ). Tegumen with large flat peniculi; vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin and w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a large saccus, rounded. Valve with sacculus and cucullus separate; costa short and narrow, heavily sclerotized, ending with a stout and long straight spine, with two apical teeth; sacculus heavily sclerotized rounded at base, a broad and short apical extension, curved inwards, strongly club-shaped, bearing numerous short and stout spines; cucullus weakly sclerotized, slightly clavate at apex, with scattered and papillated hairs; juxta large, the inferior plate shaped like an elongated triangle, almost isosceles, with a slight bulge at the bottom, the two lateral sides straight, ending with a long and narrow, shortly bifid superior plate at least three times shorter than the inferior one; uncus angled and stout at base, narrowed in distal part, pointed at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side; phallus short and thin, strongly curved in the middle; lamina ventralis with an elongate carinal crest, produced into paired lateral lobes; vesica with a small semi-circular flat cornutus.

Etymology.

Named after Lalaci, a small village in Nampula district in Mozambique; treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Mozambique. Known from localities in the ‘ East African coastal Zanzibar-Ihambane’ (Mosaic # 16 a) vegetation mosaic ( White 1983) (Fig. 11 ) belonging to the Zambezian bioregion (sensu Linder et al. 2012).

Ecology.

Larvae were collected from young stems and shoots of Cenchrus purpureus , Hyparrhenia schimperi (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Andersson ex Stapf and Megathyrsus maximus growing along rivers or in wetlands inhabited by various Poales belonging to the following genera Echinochloa , Megathyrsus , Panicum and Setaria .

Remarks.

This species is morphologically very close to S. lusese sp. nov., S. msowero sp. nov. and S. pennipuncta , and its identification is impossible without a thorough examination of the genitalia.

Figures

Figure 8. Male genitalia of members of the incerta subgroup (dorsal view for apparatus and lateral view for phalli). S. epunctifera: A apparatus; L phallus; S. firmata: B apparatus; M phallus; S. incerta: C apparatus; N phallus; S. kamba sp. nov.: D apparatus; O phallus; S. lalaci sp. nov.: E apparatus; P phallus; S. lusese sp. nov.: F apparatus; Q phallus; S. msowero sp. nov.: G apparatus; R phallus; S. pennipuncta: H apparatus; S phallus; S. penniseti: I apparatus; T phallus; S. poephaga: J apparatus; U phallus; S. simplaria: K apparatus; V phallus. Scale bar = 1 mm for apparatus and 0.5 for phalli.

Figure 11. Distribution map of sampled specimens of the incerta subgroup: S. firmata, S. lalaci sp. nov., S. pennipuncta, S. poephaga, S. penniseti, S. simplaria.

Figure 12. Adults of the incerta subgroup (S. lalaci sp. nov., S. lusese sp. nov., S. msowero sp. nov., S. pennipuncta, S. penniseti, S. poephaga and S. simplaria). S. lalaci sp. nov.: A male upper side; B male underside; S. lusese sp. nov.: C male upper side; D male underside; S. msowero sp. nov.: E male upper side; F male underside; G female upper side; H female underside; S. pennipuncta: I male upper side; J male underside; K female upper side; L female underside; S. penniseti: M male upper side; N male underside; O female upper side; P female underside; S. poephaga: Q male upper side; R male underside; S female upper side; T female underside; S. simplaria: U male upper side; V male underside; W female upper side; X female underside. Scale bar = 10 mm.