Meganola endoscota ( 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 : 157-158

Meganola endoscota ( Hampson, 1914)

( Figs 4–7 , 58 , 89 )

Nola endoscota Hampson, 1914 , Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum, Supplement 1: 407. Type locality: [ Ghana] Gold Coast, Bibianaha. Holotype, ♀ (NHMUK).

= Meganola endoscota undosaria Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 256, syn. n.

= Meganola kaduna Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 290, syn. n.

= Meganola peksi Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 295 ( Hacker 2014)

= Meganola mabiriaria Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 291, syn. n.

= Meganola simplicifacta Hacker, 2012 , Esperiana 17: 294, syn. n.

Type material examined. Holotype. ♀, red ring “Type H. T.” label; “ Gold Coast. Bibianaha. 24–26.X.1911. H.G.F. Spurrell. 1911-413”, with handwritten: “ Nola endoscota type ♀ Hmpsn.”, unique number: NHMUK010598804 , Slide No.: NHMUK010315151 (prep. by Gy.M. László) ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. Cameroon. 1 ♂, 612m, Central Region, Nkoteng, On Sanaga River , Nkoteng Forest , 04°33’34.2”N, 11°59’37.6”E, 24–28.x.2018, LepiLED Light Trap, Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg. ANHRT:2018.36, slide No.: LGNA 888♂, 1 ♂, same data, but collected by Cold Cathode UV Light Trap , slide No.: LGNA 972♂. Guinea. 1 ♂, 435m, Geipa Camp, Foret de Diecke , 7°26’7.06”N, 8°50’47.87”W, 05–14.iv.2019, Light Trap, Blended Bulb (250W), Sáfián, Sz., Koivogui, S. leg. ANHRT:2019.7, slide No.: LGNA 969♂. Liberia. 2 ♂, 750m, Nimba County, Nimba Mts., ENNR, Cellcom road, 7°33’3.78”N, 8°31’46.49”W, 16–28.xii.2018, Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8 W), Sáfián, Sz. , Simonics, G. leg. ANHRT:2018.43, slide Nos: LGNA 970♂, LGNA 971♂ ( ANHRT) Ghana. 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Bunso Arboretum , 6º15’58.03”N, 0º 27’45.72”W, 13–14.IX.2010, leg. Sz. Sáfián ( HNHM).

Remark. The taxonomy of M. endoscota ( Hampson, 1914) has not been satisfactorily clarified by Hacker et al. (2012), having failed to illustrate the copulatory organ of the female holotype and figuring instead, an externally similar female specimen from Ivory Coast. Despite not examining the genital morphology of the primary type of the species, Hacker described a new subspecies of M. endoscota from Kivu Province, D.R. Congo ( M. endoscota undosaria Hacker, 2012 ). The author of this present paper had the opportunity to dissect the female holotype of M. endoscota housed in the NHMUK, the genitalia of which is illustrated here for the first time ( Fig. 89 ). As there are no considerable differences in the external habitus or the female genitalia of the two subspecies, M. endoscota undosaria is considered here as a mere synonym of M. endoscota . In the same work, Hacker described three new species based exclusively on male specimens ( M. peksi , M. simplicifacta and M. mabiriaria Hacker, 2012 ) despite their undoubted similarities with M. endoscota , namely their markedly short, brownish grey forewings with the conspicuously dark brown median area and the oblique, slightly dentate postmedial line. A fourth species, M. kaduna Hacker, 2012 also reminiscent of M. endoscota , shares the same, rather characteristic male genital morphology with the above-mentioned three taxa. A female paratype of M. kaduna illustrated by Hacker et al. (2012: 290) has proved to be a misidentification of Meganola cirrhographa Hacker & Hoppe, 2012 (cf. p. 288 in Hacker et al. (2012)). Subsequently, Hacker (2014: 143) figured a male specimen identified as M. endoscota undosaria from Nyungwe Forest ( Rwanda), without illustrating its genitalia, unfortunately rendering this identification doubtful. Hacker (2014) himself synonymised his M. peksi with M. kaduna , admitting the lack of distinctive features to separate the two species. A series of male specimens in the ANHRT collection reminiscent of M. endoscota recently collected in Cameroon, Guinea and Liberia display identical male genitalia characters (fig. 58) to Hacker’s taxa discussed above (cf. Hacker et al. 2012: 290, 291, 294, 295), namely the conspicuously narrow, medially constricted valva, the long and robust, curved harpe and the short but conspicuous, heavily sclerotized crest-like ventral carinal process of the aedeagus. From the comparative study of genital morphology based on a dozen specimens from various West African localities, it has been possible to conclude that M. kaduna , M. mabiriaria , M. peksi and M. simplicifacta are conspecific and represent the hitherto unknown male of M. endoscota ; the four former species are here synonymised with the latter. It is also worth noting that this species has a much wider distribution than had been proposed earlier ( Hacker et al. 2012; Hacker 2014).

Distribution. Ghana, Ivory Coast, D.R. Congo, Uganda ( Hacker et al. 2012) and Rwanda ( Hacker 2014). The specimens from Cameroon, Guinea and Liberia 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.

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.