Homadaula gabonensis, Mey, 2022

Mey, Wolfram, 2022, Unexpected diversity: ten new species of Homadaula Lower, 1899 from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (Galacticoidea: Galacticidae), Metamorphosis 33 (1), pp. 21-33 : 26-27

Homadaula gabonensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A9B498B1-AE2F-4EBD-9885-37A1E1179ABA

Type material: Holotype ♂, Gabon, Ogooue , Ivindo , Ipassa, Makokou, 530 m, 0°30′43′′N 12°48′13′′E, 14– 24.iii.2015, leg. K. Larsen (coll. Agassiz).

Paratypes: 3 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as holotype, leg. Knut Larsen , ♂ genitalia slide Mey 49/21, (coll. Agassiz, 1 ♂ MfN) .

Male genitalia: ( Fig. 10 ). Pleural lobes of segment VIII short and flat, with long, lamellar scales, tergal plate (= segment VIII) broad and elongate, rounded at apical corners and slightly emarginated in the middle. Segment IX forming broad, compact, ring-like structure, vinculum with narrow bridge between fused bases of valvae; uncus absent, gnathos arms (or derived socii) bulbous, sclerotised apically and encompassing anal tube; anellus with elongate basal part and large, distal part in form of a gear wheel; valva long, straight, with large, triangular dorsal lobe, valva in ventral view like the pincer of a scorpion. Phallus angled in lateral view, dagger-like.

Description: Adult male ( Fig. 12 ). Length of forewing 3.5– 5 mm, wingspan 9–11.5 mm. Head with smooth paletipped grey scales; labial palpi dark brown, as long as eye diameter, straight and ascending. Antennae filiform, 0.5 of forewing length, dark brown, short ciliated (0.3–0.4 of flagellomere diameter) on ventral side. Fore and middle legs grey, hind femur and tibia pale brown. Forewings with grey-white scales from base to termen, brown scales along costa and anal fields, erect black scales scattered and arranged as pre-medial, vertical line; hindwings brown, veins darker scaled, translucent patch present, Cu1 and M3 with long stalk.

Male genitalia: ( Fig. 13 ). Pleural lobes of segment VIII short and flat, with long, lamellar scales, tergal plate (= segment VIII) broad and elongate, rounded at apical corners and slightly concave in the middle. Segment IX forming broad, compact, ring-like structure, vinculum with narrow bridge between bases of valvae; uncus absent, gnathos arms (or derived socii) bulbous, sclerotised apically and encompassing anal tube; anellus with short basal part and larger, distal part forming a small gear wheel-like structure, anellus with pair of thin appendages; valva long, straight, with large, rounded dorsal lobe. Phallus short, dagger-like, fused with anellus, bulbus ejaculatorius large.

Female genitalia: not examined

Diagnosis: The new species is similar to H. deprinsorum sp. nov. and H. agassizi sp. nov. by the architecture of the fused anellus-phallus complex, and by the form of the valva in the male genitalia. The erected, black scales on different positions in the forewings represent a scarcely observed character in the genus and separates H. gabonensis sp. nov. from other species of the genus.

Distribution: Gabon

Etymology: The new species is named after the name of the country where the type series was collected.

Figures

Figure 10 – Male genitalia of Homadaula deprinsorum sp. nov., a – lateral, b – dorsal, c – ventral, scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 12 – Homadaula gabonensis sp. nov., male paratype.

Figure 13 – Male genitalia of Homadaula gabonensis sp. nov., a – lateral, b – ventral, c –dorsal, scale bar: 0.5 mm.