Meganola furvitincta ( 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 : 163-164

Meganola furvitincta ( Hampson, 1914)

( Figs 21–22 , 67–68 )

Celama furvitincta Hampson, 1914 , Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum, Suppl. 1: 398, pl. 23, fig. 1. Type locality: Sierra Leone. Syntypes, 2 ♂ (NHMUK).

= Meganola mbala Hacker, 2014 , Esperiana 19: 165, syn. n.

= Meganola poliographa Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 334, syn. n.

Type material examined. Lectotype (here designated), ♂, red ring type label, with handwritten: “ Celama furvitincta type ♂. Hmpsn.”, „ Sierra Leone. W.G. Clements. 99–116”, unique number: NHMUK010598119 , Slide No.: BM Arct. 6469 (prep. by Gy.M. László) ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. Liberia. 1 ♂, 1000–1100m, Nimba Mts., ENNR, Nimba county ( Cellcom road), 7°32’45.88”N, 8°31’21.04”W, 02–14.xii.2017, Cold Cathode Light Bucket, Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33, slide No.: LGNA 491 ♂; 2 ♂, 1165m, Nimba Mts camp, ENNR, Nimba county, 7°31’45”N, 8°31’37”W, 03–13.xii.2017, Light Trap (blended bulb 250W), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33, slide No.: LGNA 560 ♂; 1 ♂, 1327m, Nimba Mts main ridge (montane forest), ENNR, Nimba county, 7°31’1.3”N, 8°31’1”W, 9.xii.2017, Light Trap (blended bulb 250W), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33 ( ANHRT). Zambia. 1 ♂, 1437m, Kapishya Hot Springs, Shiwa N’gandu Estate , S11°10’13”, E31°36’00”, I.-III.2017 M. T. Harvey coll. leg. Oram, D., Miles, W., Smith, L., ANHRT:2017.30, slide No.: LGNA 743♂; 2 ♀, 1205m, Zambezi Rapids ( Miombo /Riverine forest mosaic), S11°7’30”, E24°11’6”, 4–9.xi.2018 MV Light Trap Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László , G., Oram, D. leg. ANHRT:2018.40, slide Nos: LGNA 758♀, LGNA 1009 ♀; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1684m, Danger Hill , 30 km N of Mpika, Muchinga Province, 11°37’38”S, 31°33’56”E, 27–30.iv.2019 MV Light Trap , Dérozier, V., László , G., Miles, W. leg. ANHRT:2019.12, slide Nos: LGNA 1010 ♂, LGNA 1034 ♀; 1 ♂, 1035 m, Lyangu , Liuwa Plain NP S14°46’51”, E22°34’44” 12–15.XI.2013 Light Trap leg. Smith, Takano & Oram, ANHRT:2017.10, slide No.: LGNA 22♂; 1 ♂, 1440m, Kalene Hill ( Miombo woodland), S11°11’11”, E24°12’5”, 6.xi.2018 Actinic Light Trap Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László , G., Oram, D. leg. ANHRT:2018.40, slide No.: LGNA 744 ; 1 ♀, 1500m, Kundalila Falls , 12 km SE of Kanona, Central Province, 13°09’17”S, 30°42’07”E, 26–27.IV.2019, Actinic Light Trap, Dérozier, V., László , G., Miles, W. leg., ANHRT:2019.12, slide No.: LGNA 1011 ♀ ( ANHRT).

Remarks. In their monograph, Hacker et al. (2012) did not illustrate the genitalia of any of the syntypes of M. furvitincta ( Hampson, 1914) . The author of this present paper had the opportunity to dissect and image the genitalia of one of the male syntype specimens of M. furvitincta which is designated here as the lectotype and its genitalia figured here for the first time ( Fig. 68 ). Examination of the genital morphology of the lectotype has revealed a misidentification by Hacker et al. (2012: 380) where instead of M. furvitincta , specimens of M. monofascia (van Son, 1933) are illustrated below the photo of the syntype of M. furvitincta . The misidentification is obvious in the case of the two illustrated male genitalia figures (Figs E and F on page 380), whereas the true identity of the two female genitalia figures is dubious as they are not conspecific, with Fig. H most probably belonging to M. bispermutata . The female copulatory organ illustrated under Fig. G may well be that of M. furvitincta , although the poor quality of the image does not allow for a firm identification. Omitting the examination of the primary type of M. furvitincta has led Hacker to describe several synonyms: the habitus of the illustrated holotypes and their genitalia of M. poliographa Hacker, 2012 from Uganda and M. mbala Hacker, 2014 from North-eastern Zambia agree undoubtedly with that of the lectotype of M. furvitincta , and therefore these two species are here synonymized with M. furvitincta . Based on their distinctive genital morphology, the following species are closely related to M. furvitincta and treated tentatively as valid until further material is examined:

- M. usambarana Hacker, 2012 : The species described from the Usambara Mts, Tanzania with paratypes also from Rwanda, Uganda and D.R. Congo differs from M. furvitincta by its conspicuously brighter, silvery forewing coloration. However, as the differences in the male genitalia of the two species are almost negligible, it is highly likely that M. usambarana is only a light form of M. furvitincta .

- M. spherographa Hacker, 2012 : The species occurs sympatrically with M. furvitincta in West Africa but differs from the latter by its somewhat shorter and apically slightly dilated laminar process of the carina and narrower harpe.

- M. aarviki Hacker, 2012 : The species is known from Congo and Kenya and differs from all other taxa in this species-group by having the shortest laminar process of the carina and the longest, rather sinuous harpe.

- M. stigmatographa Hacker, 2012 : The species described from near Songea, Tanzania is taxonomically rather remote from the other taxa in this group due to its long and narrow aedeagus bearing a long, slightly arcuate sticklike carinal process and the large, broad V-shaped vinculum. The ground plan of the clasping apparatus and aedeagus however suggests an affinity to the furvitincta species-group.

Distribution. Due to the errors in Hacker et al. (2012) discussed above and the yet unclarified taxonomic position of several closely related species, it is difficult to outline the exact distribution of the species. One of the female genitalia illustrated in Hacker et al. (2012) from Ivory Coast (cf. fig. G on page 380) might indeed be those of M. furvitincta , although reliable pairing of male and female specimens of each species of the species-group would require molecular data. As the type locality of M. furvitincta is Sierra Leone and the species is also found in Zambia, it appears to be another example of widely distributed taxa such as M. monofascia and M. lucia discussed previously. The specimens from Liberia represent new distributional data for the species.

Figures

FIGURES 21–40: adults (all in coll. ANHRT unless otherwise indicated). 21, Meganola furvitincta, lectotype, ♂, Sierra Leone (NHMUK); 22, M. furvitincta, ♂, Liberia; 23, M. aarviki, ♂, Ivory Coast; 24, M. spherographa, ♂, Ivory Coast; 25, M. spherographa, ♀, Liberia; 26, M. taiana sp. n., holotype, ♂, Ivory Coast; 27, M. taiana sp. n., paratype, ♂, Liberia; 28, M. taiana sp. n., paratype, ♀, Ivory Coast; 29, M. xantholeuca, ♀, Ivory Coast; 30, M. xantholeuca, ♀, Liberia; 31, M. rhyssomorpha, ♂, Ivory Coast; 32, M. rhyssomorpha, ♀, Ivory Coast; 33, M. chionea, holotype, ♂, Nigeria (NHMUK); 34, M. subchionea sp. n., holotype, ♂, Ivory Coast; 35, M. cinereoparva sp. n., holotype, ♂, Ivory Coast; 36, M. cinereoparva sp. n., paratype, ♂, Ivory Coast; 37, M. mesothermoides, holotype, ♀, Ghana (NHMUK); 38, M. mesothermoides, ♂, Liberia; 39, M. spermophaga, ♂, Liberia; 40, M. spermophaga, ♀, Sierra Leone.

FIGURES 66–74: male genitalia (all in coll.ANHRT unless otherwise indicated). 66, Meganola dananae, Guinea, LGNA 975; 67, M. furvitincta, lectotype, Sierra Leone, BM Arct. 6469 (prep. by Gy. M. László) (NHMUK); 68, M. furvitincta, Liberia, LGNA 491; 69, M. aarviki, Ivory Coast, LGNA 980; 70, M. spherographa, Ivory Coast, LGNA 228; 71, M. taiana sp. n., holotype, Ivory Coast, LGNA 142; 72, M. taiana sp. n., paratype, Liberia, LGNA 487; 73, M. fontainei, Zambia, LGNA 1; 74, M. rhyssomorpha, Ivory Coast, LGNA 233.