Zovax venus Bassi, 2013

Bassi, Graziano, 2013, Notes on some Old World Prionapterygini Landry, 1995 (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Crambinae), with descriptions of new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 120 (1), pp. 131-160 : 134-136

Zovax venus Bassi sp. n. Figs 1, 17, 18, 19, 32, 33

HOLOTYPE :: 1- ‘ ♀ ’; 2- ‘[ MOZAMBIQUE, Gaza Province, 24° 40’S, 33°31’E] Chibuto | 1919 | A.S. Moreira’; 3- ‘GS-3506-GB’; 4- ‘ HOLOTYPE | Zovax | venus Bassi’. Deposited in TMSA.

PARATYPES: BOTSWANA. – CB; 13; Maun , 10 m [i]l[es] N[orth], 19°51’S, 23° 24’E, 16.I.1978, M. J. Scoble legit . – CB;13; Maun , 957 m, 1-2. XII.2010, 19°56’S 23°31’E, lux, G. Bassi legit . – CB; 1♀; Chobe N [ational] P[ark]., Savuti Camp , 950 m, 30.XI.2010, lux, G. Bassi legit . – MALAWI. – TMSA and CB; 2♀♀; Lilongwe , XII.[19]‘75, J. Meyer legit. – MHNG and CB; 2♀♀; C[entral] Africa, Nsanje District, 125 km. S. Blantyre, Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve , 16°39’S 35°03E, 121 m, 30-31. XII.2008, Kovtunovich V. & Ustjuzhanin P. legit. – CB; 1♀; C[entral]. Africa, 40 km. S. Nkhata Bay, Kande , 11°56’S 34°07’E, 520 m, 5.I.2009, Kovtunovich V. & Ustjuzhanin P. legit; GS 5310 GB . – MOZAMBIQUE. – MHNG; 13; 120 km. SE Milange , 16°42’S 36°27’E, 370 m, 16.IV.2011, Kovtunovich V. & Ustjuzhanin P. legit; GS 5350 GB – NAMIBIA. – TMSA; 2♀♀; Andara , Okavango, 16.I.1956, B. de Winter legit . – ZIMBABWE. – TMSA and CB; 333, 8♀♀; Victoria Falls , Coll [ected by] Janse ; GS 3540 GB . – CB; 13, 1♀; Sawmills, Rhod [esia], 2 and 4.II.[19]’18, A. J . T. Janse legit.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the Roman goddess of beauty, on account of the really graceful coloration of this species.

DIAGNOSIS: Zovax venus (Fig. 1) has a unique wing pattern among African Prionapterygini : no other species shows similar blackish brown and white coloration. In the male genitalia the gnathos is not so delicate as in Z. whiteheadii (Fig. 20) and is not so strong as in Z. vangoghii (Fig. 21). Female genitalia (Figs 32, 33) are characterized by the sclerotized corpus bursae, corrugated and with long spines in its internal wall.

DESCRIPTION (Fig. 1): Wingspan: males 19-20 mm; females 19-24 mm. Labial palpi 3 x longer than widest diameter of eye, brown with medial transverse band whitish. Maxillary palpi white with medial band brown. Frons white and medially brown, rounded, clearly produced, with a moderate corneous point. Antennae: in male lightly serrate, bronze brown; in female simple, bronze brown. Ocelli poorly developed. Chaetosemata reduced. Head brown with white spot between antennae and white tuft behind chaetosemata. Patagium medially brown and white laterally. Tegulae white. Thorax brown. Abdomen bronze brown. Legs white with tarsomeres white annulated with brown; tibial spurs long and delicate. Forewings ground color brown; apex rounded, white; hook well defined between M2 and M3; costa brown in proximal 1/2, then white with double curved brown bands; midwing stripe brown, complete from base through cell up to termen at hook level; medial stripe white, well-developed, reaching termen; dorsal area brown; subterminal area with two brown fasciae with white in between, very sinuous; white above and below hook, brown at hook. Terminal line brown. Fringes from apex to hook white with tips of both short and long scales brown; hook made of two brown tufts and white medial tuft; from hook to tornus white suffused brown. Hindwings light brown: fringes white with short scales with brown apex. Sclerotizations of male abdominal segment VIII as shown in figure 19. Coremata (Fig. 17) with thin scales as long as valva.

FIGS 1-4

Adults of Zovax sp. and Mesolia spp. (1) Z. venus sp. n., female paratype, Malawi, wingspan 22 mm. (2) M. uniformella Janse, female, Namibia, wingspan 20 mm. (3) M. meyi sp. n., female paratype, Namibia, wingspan 20.5 mm. (4) M. meyi , male paratype, Botswana, wingspan 21 mm.

MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 18): Uncus fully developed, slightly down-curved, with rounded tip. Gnathos slightly longer than uncus, up-curved, with moderately pointed tip. Tegumen subtriangular, with more strongly sclerotized margins. Juxta subtriangular. Vinculum with arms broader distally and with triangular dorsal projection. Pseudosaccus minute. Valva moderately elongated and sclerotized, with cucullus rounded; costa sclerotized, with small apical projection; saccular base bulged and lightly sclerotized. Phallus stubby; vesica with thick wall, medio-distally sclerotized and strongly wrinkled, with three medium-sized and two small cornuti.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figs 32-33): Papillae anales subrectangular, coalescent with dorsal sclerite. Apophyses posteriores long and narrow, with bulged base. Abdominal segment VIII with subtriangular sclerotization and membranous sternite. Apophyses anteriores sclerotized, as long as apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae cup-shaped, membranous. Ductus bursae 0.75 as long as corpus bursae, sclerotized with thick folds. Corpus bursae suboval, strongly sclerotized and with many thorns of medium length. Ductus seminalis opening in wrinkled extension of proximal third of corpus bursae.

DISTRIBUTION: Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe.

Mesolia Ragonot, 1889

Mesolia Ragonot in Joannis & Ragonot, 1889: 282; type species: Mesolia pandavella Ragonot,

1889, by original designation. Deuterolia Dyar, 1914: 402; type species: Deuterolia nipis Dyar, 1914, by original designation. Eugrotea Fernald, 1896: 16; type species: Eugrotea dentella Fernald, 1896, by monotypy. Euparolia Dyar, 1914: 402; type species: Euparolia nipimidalis Dyar, 1940, by original

designation.

DIAGNOSIS: African species of this genus seem to be well characterized by the hooked and narrow forewings. Males always have flat and sclerotized coremata (Fig. 15), a crested uncus, a short and up-curved gnathos, and valvae without basal costal process. Female genitalia have sub-rectangular papillae, without dorsal sclerite, and a tiny sub-triangular 8th abdominal segment. Tergite of male abdominal segment VIII with strong subtriangular reinforcing sclerotization.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: The most closely related genera seem to be Talis Guenée and Zovax Błeszyński. The male genitalia of Talis have, when present, tufty coremata (e.g. in Talis quercella Denis & Schiffermüller , Fig. 16), and the uncus and gnathos like those of Mesolia . The male genitalia of Zovax have well developed uncus and gnathos and coremata with thin scales. The female genitalia of Talis differ from those of Mesolia in the more triangular papillae anales, the tubular 8th abdominal segment, and the corpus bursae not separated in two sections. The female genitalia of Zovax are most similar to those of Mesolia , differing by the presence of the dorsal sclerite in the papillae anales, the apophyses posteriores basally bulged, and the corpus bursae with a moderate lateral pouch.