Sesamia kabirara Le Ru, 2024

Hévin, Noémie M. C., Kergoat, Gael J., Zilli, Alberto, Capdevielle-Dulac, Claire, Musyoka, Boaz K., Sezonlin, Michel, Conlong, Desmond, Van Den Berg, Johnnie, Ndemah, Rose, Le Gall, Philippe, Cugala, Domingos, Nyamukondiwa, Casper, Pallangyo, Beatrice, Njaku, Mohamedi, Goftishu, Muluken, Assefa, Yoseph, Kandonda, Onésime Mubenga, Bani, Grégoire, Molo, Richard, Chipabika, Gilson, Ong’amo, George, Clamens, Anne-Laure, Barbut, Jérôme & Le Ru, Bruno, 2024, Revisiting the taxonomy and molecular systematics of Sesamia stemborers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina): updated classification and comparative evaluation of species delimitation methods, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 82, pp. 447-501 : 447-501

Sesamia kabirara Le Ru sp. nov.

Figures 2 E – H ; 3 B, I ; 4 B , 6

Type material.

Holotype ♂, UGANDA, Western Province , Rushenyi, Kabirara, 01 ° 00 ′ 36 ″ S, 30 ° 07 ′ 01 ″ E, 1522 m a. s. l., V. 2009, ex larvae in stems of Typha domingensis Pers. , male gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / 264, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; Paratypes: KENYA: two ♂, two ♀, Nyanza Province, Homa Bay, Ndhiwa , 00 ° 40 ′ 24 ″ S, 34 ° 32 ′ 07 ″ E, 1448 m a. s. l., IV. 2004 – II. 2005, ex larvae in stems of E. pyramidalis , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; four ♂, two ♀, Nyanza Province, Kisumu, Aram , 00 ° 17 ′ 38 ″ S, 34 ° 25 ′ 37 ″ E, 1146 m a. s. l., II. 2005, ex larvae in stems of E. pyramidalis , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; RWANDA: two ♂, Kigali, Kitikinyoni , 01 ° 57 ′ 45 ″ S, 29 ° 59 ′ 59 ″ E, 1358 m a. s. l., III. 2006, ex larvae in stems of E. pyramidalis , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; six ♂, five ♀, Kigali, Kitikinyoni, 01 ° 57 ′ 45 ″ S, 29 ° 59 ′ 59 ″ E, 1358 m a. s. l., III. 2006, ex larvae in stems of Brachiaria radicans Napper , male gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / 24, females gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / 1014–1015, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; UGANDA: two ♂, two ♀, same locality and date as holotype, ex larvae in stems of Typha domingensis Pers. , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; one ♂, Eastern Province, Mbale, Mailotano , 01 ° 04 ′ 30 ″ N, 34 ° 07 ′ 32 ″ E, 1071 m a. s. l., III. 2005, ex larvae in stems of Echinochloa pyramidalis (Lam.) Hitchc. & Chase , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) .

Diagnosis.

(See also the identification key of calamistis species subgroup, section 3.3. 2.). This species can be distinguished from the other known members of the calamistis subgroup by the combination of the following characters of the male and female genitalia: vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin, w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a medium sized saccus; the apical extension of the sacculus as long as the cucullus, tapered and pointed at apex; juxta large and trapezoidal, the inferior plate produced into a sharp point, the sides pointed, the superior plate elongated without narrowing; phallus short and thick; vesica with a weak skinny cornutus; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 elongated, almost three times longer than wide; ostium small, transverse, strongly sclerotized, funnel-shaped with short and pointed tip on each side and a hemispherical cup in the middle; ductus bursae short, very broad, almost ovoid and strongly sclerotized posteriorly.

Description.

(Fig. 2 E – H ). Wing patterns similar in both sexes, but males are darker. Antenna ochraceous, bipectinate at base and serrate at apex in the male, filiform in the female, flagellum adorned dorsally with ochraceous scales in males and light ochraceous scales in females; palpus ochraceous; eyes brown. Head and thorax covered with long ochraceous hairs. Abdomen light buff suffused with fuscous scales. Forelegs of male light brown, otherwise ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales. Forewing ochraceous suffused with brown and fuscous scales, much more in males; three more or less distinct dark brown spots, one ante-medial, one at apex of cell and one postmedial; a longitudinal fuscous fascia along lower margin of cell, partly within, partly without cell from base of cell to the subterminal line; one more or less visible subterminal transverse markings, frequently reduced to a series of brown markings on the veins; outer margin adorned with brown spots between the veins, fringe light buff. Hindwing white extensively suffused with fuscous scales on the costal, apical and terminal areas, a series of fuscous markings more or less visible on the veins, fringe concolor, basal line of fringe buff. Underside of forewing ochraceous, heavily suffused with brown and fuscous scales in costa, apex and termen areas, fringe buff suffused with fuscous scales; underside of hindwing white extensively suffused with brown scales, particularly in costal and apical areas, fringe buff suffused with fuscous scales. — Forewing length: male 22–24 mm (x ̅ = 23.4 mm, N = 12); female 26–28 mm (x ̅ = 27.1 mm, N = 11). — Male genitalia (Fig. 3 B, I ). Tegumen with large peniculi; vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin, w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a medium sized saccus. Valve with sacculus and cucullus separate; costa short and narrow, heavily sclerotized, ending with a long straight spine, with an apical tooth; sacculus heavily sclerotized rounded at base with an indentation, a narrow and elongated apical extension as long as the cucullus, slightly curved inwards, adorned outwards with rows of short stout spines, pointed at apex; cucullus long, weakly sclerotized, slightly clavate at apex, with scattered and papillated hairs; juxta large and trapezoidal, the inferior plate produced into a sharp point, the sides pointed, the superior plate elongated without narrowing, with pointed ends; uncus angled and stout at base, narrowed in distal part, truncate at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side; phallus short and thick, dilated at base; lamina ventralis with an elongate carinal crest, produced into paired lateral lobes; vesica with a weak skinny cornutus. — Female genitalia (Fig. 4 B ). Apophyses anteriores with spatulate tips; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 lightly sclerotized, elongated, almost three times longer than wide; ostium bursae small, transverse, strongly sclerotized, funnel-shaped with short and pointed tip on each side and a hemispherical cup in the middle; ductus bursae short, almost ovoid and very strongly sclerotized posteriorly; corpus bursae long, without signa; ovipositor lobes at least twice as long than wide with dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae, the ventral side of each lobe slightly curved and tooth-shaped; apophyses posteriores more slender than apophyses anteriores.

Etymology.

Named after Kabirara, a village near Rushenyi in the Western Region of Uganda; treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Known from several localities belonging to two vegetation mosaics (‘ lowland rain forest and secondary grassland’ (Mosaic # 11 a) and ‘ East African evergreen bushland and secondary acacia wooded grassland’ (Mosaic # 45 )) ( White 1983) (Fig. 6 ) belonging to the Congolian bioregion (sensu Linder et al. 2012).

Ecology.

Larvae were collected from young stems and shoots of Poaceae ( Brachiaria arrecta (T. Durand & Schinz) Stent. , Echinochloa pyramidalis (Lam.) Hitchs. & Chase ) and Typhaceae ( Typha domingensis ) growing in wetlands inhabited by other Poales belonging to the following genera: Digitaria Haller , Miscanthus Andersson , Panicum L. and Sporobolus R. Br.

Figures

Figure 2. Adults of the calamistis subgroup (S. calamistis, S. kabirara sp. nov., S. kalale sp. nov., S. madagascariensis, S. mapalense sp. nov., S. monodi, S. oriaula and S. teke sp. nov.). S. calamistis: A male upper side; B male underside; C female upper side; D female underside; S. kabirara sp. nov.: E male upper side; F male underside, G female upper side; H female underside; S. kalale sp. nov.: I male upper side; J male underside; S. madagascariensis: K male upper side; L male underside, M female upper side; N female underside; S. mapalense sp. nov.: O male upper side; P male underside, Q female upper side; R female underside; S. monodi: S male upper side; T male underside; U original label type from MNHN; S. oriaula: V male upper side; W male underside; X female upper side; Y female underside; S. teke sp. nov.: Z female upper side; AA female underside. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figure 3. Male genitalia of members of the calamistis subgroup, with the vesica inside the phallus. S. calamistis: A apparatus; H phallus; S. kabirara sp. nov.: B apparatus; I phallus; S. kalale sp. nov.: C apparatus; J phallus; S. madagascariensis: D apparatus; K phallus; S. mapalense: E apparatus; L phallus; S. monodi: F apparatus; M phallus (poorly prepared, damaged); S. oriaula: G apparatus; N phallus. Scale bar = 1 mm for apparatus and 0.5 mm for phalli.

Figure 4. Female genitalia of members of the calamistis subgroup. A S. calamistis; B S. kabirara sp. nov.; C S. madagascariensis; D S. mapalense sp. nov.; E S. oriaula; F S. teke sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 6. Distribution map of sampled specimens of the calamistis subgroup, with the exception of S. calamistis specimens.