Meganola mesonephele ( Hampson, 1914 )

László, Gyula M., 2020, Review of the genus Meganola Dyar, 1898 of Ivory Coast and adjacent areas with descriptions of 5 new species and several taxonomic updates (Lepidoptera Nolidae, Nolinae) - Taxonomic studies on West African Nolinae I., Zootaxa 4853 (2), pp. 151-182 : 159

Meganola mesonephele ( Hampson, 1914)

( Figs 10 , 60 , 91 )

Celama mesonephele Hampson, 1914 , Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum, Suppl. 1: 398, pl. 23, fig. 2. Type locality: Gold Coast, Bibianaha. Holotype, ♂ (NHMUK).

= Meganola polioleuca Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 573, syn. n.

Material examined. Ivory Coast. 1 ♂, 1171m, Mt. Tonkoui Peak , 07°27’15.2”N, 07°38’12.5”W, 1–8.XI.2015, Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E. leg., ANHRT:2017.16, slide No.: LGNA 149 ♂; 1 ♀, 1171 m, Mt Tonkoui Peak , N07°27’15”, W07°38’13”, 12–18.VII.2015, Light Trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P. & Ruzzier, E., ANHRT:2017.14, slide No.: LGNA 21 ♀; 1 ♀, 415m, Telo village , outside Sangbe NP, 08°09’06.5”N, 07°23’53.5”W, 10–13.XI.2015, Light trap, Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E. leg., ANHRT:2017.16, slide No.: LGNA 151 ♀. Sierra Leone. 1 ♀, Baoma , Goderich, 8°25‘41“N, 13°15‘47“W, leg. R. W. Goff, 27.XII.2014, slide No.: LGNA 211 ♀; 1 ♂, 80m, Kalainkay nr. Kamabai, Northern Prov., 3–6.XI.2015, N09°10‘52“, W11°56‘44“, Light Trap, R. Goff coll., leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., slide No.: LGNA 284 ♂ ( ANHRT).

Remarks. The female of M. mesonephele was considered unknown by Hacker et al. (2012), although he described 39 pages later M. polioleuca Hacker, 2012 based on a single, slightly worn female specimen which is externally almost identical with M. mesonephele . The examination of recently collected material from Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone has proved the identity of M. mesonephele and M. polioleuca to be the male and female of the same taxon with specimens having been collected at the same locality displaying both external and genitalia features agreeing with those of the two species illustrated in Hacker et al. (2012). Consequently, M. polioleuca is here synonymised with M. mesonephele .

Distribution. Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Sudan ( Hacker et al. 2012). The specimens from Sierra Leone represent new country record.

Figures

FIGURES 1–20: adults (all in coll.ANHRT unless otherwise indicated). 1, Meganola smithi sp. n., holotype, ♂, Ivory Coast; 2, M. smithi sp. n., paratype, ♂, Liberia; 3, M. smithi sp. n., paratype, ♀, Liberia; 4, M. endoscota, holotype, ♀, Ghana (NHMUK); 5, M. endoscota, ♂, Liberia; 6, M. endoscota, ♂, Guinea; 7, M. endoscota, ♂, Cameroon; 8, M. microfascia, ♂, Ivory Coast; 9, M. microfascia, ♀, Ivory Coast; 10, M. mesonephele, ♀, Ivory Coast; 11, M. lucia, ♂, Ivory Coast; 12, M. lucia, ♂, Cameroon; 13, M. lucia, ♀, Ivory Coast; 14, M. palaeographa, ♂, Ivory Coast; 15, M. palaeographa, ♀, Ivory Coast; 16, M. monofascia, ♂, Ivory Coast; 17, M. monofascia, ♂, Cameroon; 18, M. monofascia, ♀, Liberia; 19, M. dananae, ♂, Guinea; 20, M. dananae, ♀, Guinea.

FIGURES 57–65: male genitalia (all in coll. ANHRT unless otherwise indicated). 57, Meganola smithi sp. n., holotype, Ivory Coast, LGNA 242; 58, M. endoscota, Liberia, LGNA 970; 59, M. microfascia, Ivory Coast, LGNA 250; 60, M. mesonephele, Ivory Coast, LGNA 149; 61, M. lucia, Ivory Coast, LGNA 472; 62, M. palaeographa, Ivory Coast, LGNA 235; 63, M. monofascia, Ivory Coast, LGNA 237; 64, M. monofascia, Cameroon, LGNA 568; 65, M. monofascia, Zambia, LGNA 103.

FIGURES 88–95: female genitalia (all in coll. ANHRT unless otherwise indicated). 88, Meganola smithi sp. n., paratype, Liberia, LGNA 523; 89, M. endoscota, holotype, Ghana, NHMUK010315151 (prep. by Gy.M. László) (NHMUK); 90, M. microfascia, Ivory Coast, LGNA 418; 91, M. mesonephele, Ivory Coast, LGNA 151; 92, M. lucia, Ivory Coast, LGNA 420; 93, M. palaeographa, Ivory Coast, LGNA 24; 94, M. dananae, Guinea, LGNA 988; 95, M. taiana sp. n., paratype, Ivory Coast, LGNA 983.