Meganola monofascia (van Son, 1933 )

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 : 161-162

Meganola monofascia (van Son, 1933)

( Figs 16–18 , 63–65 , 107)

Nola major var. monofascia van Son, 1933 , Annals of the Transvaal Museum 15: 214. Type locality: [ RSA] Transvaal, Pietersburg. Holotype, ♂ (TMSA).

= Meganola septima Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 375, syn. n.

= Meganola octava Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 377, syn. n.

= Meganola heteromorpha Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 383, syn. n.

= Meganola dissoluta Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 384, syn. n.

= Meganola brachyvalva Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17:385, syn. n.

= Meganola pseudofuscata Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 468, syn. n.

Material examined. Ivory Coast. 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 26 ♂; 3 ♂, same site, but collected at 1–8.XI.2015, ANHRT:2017.16, slide Nos: LGNA 237 ♂, LGNA 245 ♂, LGNA 246 ♂. Liberia. 1 ♂, 1327m, Nimba county, ENNR, Nimba Mts , main ridge (montane forest), 7°31’1.3”N, 8°31’1.0”W, 9.xii.2017, Light Trap (blended bulb 250W), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33, slide No.: LGNA 583 ♂. Cameroon. 2 ♂, 1246m, Adamawa Region, Adamawa Plateau, 7.3km West of Bazanga, Chute de Tello , 07°13’50.6”N, 13°56’29.2”E, 24–30.ix.2018, MV Light Trap, Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT:2018.36, slide Nos: LGNA 568 ♂, LGNA 570 ♂. Sierra Leone. 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., ANHRT:2018.20, slide No. : LGNA 289 ♂; 1 ♂, 420m, Mansonia village at the foothills of Loma Mts , N09°07’47”, W11°05’06”, 6.vi.2016, Light Trap, leg. Takano, Miles & Goff, ANHRT:2017.18, slide No.: LGNA 471 ♂. Zambia. 1 ♂, 1400m, Hillwood, Ikelenge, S11°16’02”, E24°18’59’, 30.IV.–11. V.2014, Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Chmurova, L. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2017.11, slide No. : LGNA 103 ♂; 1 ♂, same locality, but collected at 25–27.xi.2014 by Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT:2017.12, slide No. : LGNA 393 ♂. Mozambique. 1 ♂, Maputo Special Reserve, 22m, West Gate, Sand Forest , 26°30’14.2”S, 32°42’59.6”E, 3–13.XII.2016, Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Cristovao, J., László, G., Miles, W. leg., ANHRT:2017.22, slide No.: LGNA 354♂; 2 ♂, same locality and collectors, but collected at 21–30.XII.2016, slide Nos: LGNA 517 ♂, LGNA 518 ♂; 1 ♂, same site, but collected at 21–22.II.2018, by László, G., Mulvaney, J. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2018.2, slide No.: LGNA 519 ♂; 1 ♂, Ponta Milibangalala, Dune Grassland , 26°26’58.6”S, 32°55’29.8”E, 25–30. V.2017, MV Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., László, G., Miles, W., Vetina, A. leg., ANHRT:2017.26 ( ANHRT).

Remark. The externally variable but internally (genital morphology) fairly constant and distinctive M. monofascia has been found to be surprisingly widely distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. As the validity of the numerous related species described by Hacker ( Hacker et al. 2012) in the M. monofascia species-group is not supported by any firm distinctive morphological characters (cf. Hacker et al. 2012: 366, 375, 377, 383, 384, 385, 468), M. septima , octava , heteromorpha , dissoluta , brachyvalva and pseudofuscata are synonymized here with M. monofascia . The closest relative of M. monofascia is the Madagascan taxon M. praefica ( Saalmüller, 1884) . Meganola monofascia is hardly distinguishable externally from the Southern African M. bispermutata Hacker, 2012 despite the considerable differences in their male genitalia (László & Vetina 2019). It is also worth noting that the three specimens identified as M. furvitincta ( Hampson, 1914) from Nigeria and Ivory Coast figured by Hacker et al. (2012: 380) belong in fact to M. monofascia .

Distribution. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, D.R. Congo, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, in addition, Ivory Coast ( Hacker et al. 2012), Senegal ( Hacker 2014) and Mozambique (László & Vetina 2019). The specimens from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon and Zambia represent new country records.

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.