Birketsmithiola kingstoni, Volynkin, 2022

Volynkin, Anton V., 2022, Taxonomic review of the Afrotropical genus Birketsmithiola Krüger with descriptions of five new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Zootaxa 5205 (1), pp. 73-86 : 77

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5205.1.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0BD59D88-7B2D-4C6D-A288-C1E836F436A5
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7293549
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD3587FC-FFFB-FFC7-FF07-FF683D3DFCED
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Birketsmithiola kingstoni
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Birketsmithiola kingstoni View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 8 View FIGURES 1–8 , 23 View FIGURES 21–24 )

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 15.0 mm in the male holotype. Birketsmithiola kingstoni sp. n. is most externally reminiscent of B. bvumba sp. n. from which it differs in the red head (it is orange in the congener), the straighter costal margin of the forewing with a thinner red strip, and the hindwing having a broad area of grey suffusion along the costal margin, which is uniform pale yellow in B. bvumba sp. n. The male genital capsule structure of the new species is similar to B. kruegeri sp. n. but distinguished by the shorter valva (in proportion to the length of the tegumen-uncus complex), and the somewhat longer dorsal costal protrusion of the left valva. The phallus of B. kingstoni sp. n. is somewhat longer than in B. kruegeri sp. n. Compared to B. kruegeri sp. n., the vesica of the new species has a semiglobular subbasal diverticulum (it is absent in the congener), and the slightly larger medial cornutus positioned more laterally.

The female is unknown.

Distribution. The new species is known only from its type locality in northern Malawi ( Fig. 34 View FIGURE 34 ).

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Mr Anthony J. Kingston, collector of the holotype specimen. The name is a noun in the genitive case.