Ancylogastra gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & Kravchenko, 2021

Bassi, Graziano, Sáfián, Szabolcs, Léger, Théo, Müller, Günter C., Kravchenko, Vasiliy D. & Poltavsky, Alexander N., 2021, Ancylogastra, a new genus of Afrotropical Crambinae, with descriptions of seven new species (Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea, Crambidae), Zootaxa 5052 (1), pp. 42-60 : 52-53

Ancylogastra gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & Kravchenko , sp. n.

( Figs 4 , 21–24 , 35, 37 )

Holotype male: 1) Holotypus; 2) Liberia, Nimba County, Nimba Mountains, Western Range, Mount Gangra , Western slope, 7°33’29.73”N, 8°38’16.40”W, 648 m. a.s.l., 20.III.2017, Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. Leg[unt], 3) Ancylogastra gangraensis Bassi Sáfián, Müller & Kravchenko , Holotype, G. Bassi det. Deposited in SMTA .

Paratypes: 1 female, same data as holotype ; 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype, but 23.III.2017 ; 2 females, Liberia, Nimba County, Nimba Mountains, ENNR [East Nimba Nature Reserve], 700 m a.s.l., Cellcom Road : 7°32’46.88”N, 8°32’1.14”W, Elevation: 700 m a.s.l., 27.III.2017 and 31.III.2017, Leg[unt] Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., SMTA ; 1 male, 2 females, Guinea, Nimba Mountains, Richard Molard Camp , 1382 m, 1-8.vi.2019, at light, 07°36’N, 08°25’W, S. Sáfián legit, GS 6666 and 6690 GB, RCGB .

Diagnosis. Ancylogastra gangraensis sp. n. ( Fig. 4 ) is characterized by the brown, white-streaked forewing. Externally the species resembles A. boireaui sp. n. ( Fig. 3 ), which is more intense in ground colour and clearly larger wingspan (25–31 mm vs. 15–23 mm). In male genitalia the slender and inwardly bent apex of the costal arm and the tridentate cornutus distinguish A. gangraensis sp. n. ( Fig. 21 ) from its congeners. The female genitalia of A. gangraensis sp. n. ( Fig. 35 ) are characterized by the large globular extension of the ductus bursae, which is unlike that of all congeners.

Etymology. The new species derives its name from the type locality, on Mount Gangra.

Description ( Fig. 4 ). Wingspan: males 15–23 mm, females 16–21 mm. Labial palpi four times as long as wider diameter of eye, brown with upper and inner sides white. Maxillary palpi subtriangular, brown tipped white with inner side white. Antenna bipectinate in male, scape thickened, off-white, rami as long as flagellomere, brown with silvery brown costa; in female coloured as in male, but slightly serrate. Frons rounded, slightly produced, pale brown sprinkled with white. Ocelli poorly developed. Chaetosemata well developed. Vertex white with thin distal line brown. Patagia and thorax pale brown. Tegulae pale brown with inner side brown. Forewing ground colour brown with subapical area, interveins and subdorsal stripe white; subdorsal stripe dorsally bordered dark brown and ending before termen; postmedial fascia white with brown borders, large and widely concave subapically; subterminal area white with seven elongated subterminal spots; apex rounded; termen oblique; fringes bright white with both short and long scales tipped silvery grey; underside brown with terminal spots visible. Hindwing off-white; fringes white; underside off-white distinctly suffused brown dorsally. Legs brown with inner side white and well-developed tibial spurs. Abdomen ivory yellow with anal tuft more intense. Sclerotisations of male abdominal segment VIII as in Figs 22, 23 .

Male genitalia ( Figs 21, 24 ). Uncus slightly shorter than gnathos, moderately curved. Gnathos slender, with rounded, slightly upcurved tip. Tegumen subtriangular. Vinculum subrectangular, with thick border and small bifid dorsal projection. Juxta broad, v-shaped. Pseudosaccus suboval. Valva elongated, narrowing towards cucullus; costa strongly sclerotised in first half, with long and slender costal arm apically bent inwards; sacculus simple. Phallus shorter than valva, almost straight, with apex slightly produced dorsally; vesica with single tridentate cornutus.

Female genitalia ( Figs 35, 37 ). Papillae anales drop-shaped. Apophyses posteriores longer than apophyses anteriores basally lightly sclerotised, then strongly sclerotised, wavy and with an inner tooth submedially. Abdominal segment VIII narrow and larger ventrally. Sterigma ventrally subtriangular, produced; dorsally with U-shaped reinforcement. Ostium bursae membranous. Ductus bursae wrinkled, longer than corpus bursae, with large globular extension sponge-like and wrinkled. Corpus bursae suboval, slightly wrinkled.

Distribution. Known from Liberia and Guinea, at elevations between 648 and 1382 meters a.s.l.

Remarks. The adults were attracted to an artificial light in a mixed vegetation habitat. The settling of a giant iron mine wiped out the whole summit of Mount Gangra and thus destroyed the type locality. Its discovery on Mount Nimba (Richard Molard) in Guinea ( Fig. B ) suggests that fortunately the species is widespread along the whole Nimba Mountains chain.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Adults of Ancylogastra Bassi & Poltavsky, gen. n. species. A. amphiaula (Meyrick), female, Malawi, Nyika National Park. 2. A. magnifica Bassi, sp. n., male holotype. 3. A. boireaui Bassi & Sáfián, sp. n., male holotype. 4. A. gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & †Kravchenko, sp. n., male paratype. 5. A. endroedyi Bassi, sp. n., female holotype. 6. A. coronata Bassi, sp. n., female holotype. 7. A. burundiana Bassi, sp. n., male paratype. 8. A. ghanensis Bassi, sp. n., male holotype. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURES 16–24. Male genitalia and abdominal sclerotisations of Ancylogastra Bassi & Poltavsky, gen. n. species. 16. A. burundiana Bassi, sp. n., holotype; 17. The same, tergite of eighth abdominal segment; 18. A. ghanensis Bassi, sp. n., paratype GS 6220 GB; 19. The same, paratype GS 6246 GB, sternite of eighth abdominal segment; 20. The same, tergite of eighth abdominal segment; 21. A. gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & †Kravchenko, sp. n., paratype GS 6690 GB, Guinea; 22. The same, tergite of eighth abdominal segment; 23. The same, sternite of eighth abdominal segment; 24. The same, apex of phallus magnified. Not to scale.

FIGURES 34–37. Female genitalia of Ancylogastra Bassi & Poltavsky, gen. n. species. 34. A. boireaui Bassi & Sáfián, sp. n., paratype GS 6655 GB, with origin of the ductus seminalis arrowed; 35. A. gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & †Kravchenko, sp. n., paratype, GS 6666 GB, Guinea; 36. The same as 34, papillae anales, dorso-lateral view; 37. The same as 35, papillae anales, dorso-lateral view. Not to scale.

FIGURE B. High-altitude grassland and forest around Richard Molard Camp, Nimba Mountains, Guinea, habitat of A. boireaui Bassi & Sáfián, sp. n. and A. gangraensis Bassi, Sáfián, Müller & Kravchenko, sp. n. (photo S. Sáfián).