Exilisia smithi Volynkin, 2020

Volynkin, Anton V., 2020, Two new Exilisia Toulgoët, 1958 from mainland Africa (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4768 (4), pp. 596-600 : 599-600

Exilisia smithi Volynkin , sp. nov. ( Figs 3–5 , 8, 10 )

Holotype ( Figs 3 , 8 ): ♂, “ Liberia, 585m, Lofa County, Wologizi Mts., Rosewood Camp , 8°06’14.9’’N 9°58’27.3’’W, 18.XI.–1.XII.2018 Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8w), Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. Leg. ANHRT:2018.43” / “ANHRTUK 00060197”, slide AV5111 ♂ Volynkin (Coll. ANHRT).

Paratypes (14 ♂, 6 ♀): 4 ♂, same collecting data as in the holotype, ANHRT accession numbers: 00060200, 00060198, 00060199, 00060204, slide AV5110 ♂ Volynkin; 3 ♂, 4 ♀, Liberia, 530m, Lofa County, Foya Proposed Pro- tected Area , 7°56’36’’N 10°16’36’’W, 10–19.XI.2017, MV Light Trap (125w), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simon- ics, G. & Smith, L., leg., ANHRT:2017.33, ANHRT accession numbers: 00020517, 00026496, 00020552, 00020553, 00037385, 00020550, 00020537, slides AV5145 ♀ and AV5164 ♀ Volynkin; 5 ♂, same collecting data but collected by Cold Cathode Light Bucket, ANHRT accession numbers: 00020492, 00020491, 00020490, 00025893, 00019666 ; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, Liberia, 611m, Lofa County, Wologizi Mts , base camp forest, 8°07’17’’N, 9°57’42’’W, 20.XI.-01.XII.2017, MV Light Trap (125w), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. & Smith, L., leg., ANHRT:2017.33, ANHRT accession numbers: 00020320, 00020318, 00020462, 00020463 (Coll. ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. Exilisia smithi ( Figs 3–5 ) can be easily distinguished externally from its relatives E. ngai ( Figs 1, 2 ), E. bipuncta ( Fig. 6 ) and E. prominentia (illustrated by Kühne 2007: figs 152, 153) by its shorter forewing, reduced transverse lines and large cell spots. The male genitalia of the new species ( Fig. 8 ) is most similar to that of E. ngai ( Fig. 7 ), but differs clearly by its basally narrower scaphium, broader and less setose fused transtillae, broader tip of saccus, slightly shorter and not twisted left subapical costal process, much larger, trigonal right subapical costal process (that is small, tuber-like in E. ngai ), dorso-distally directed left apical costal process (that is directed ventro-distally in E. ngai ), smaller, trigonal right apical costal process (that is larger, with an asymmetrical arrowhead-shaped tip in E. ngai ), straight distal saccular process with clube-like tip (that is shorter with twisted tip in E. ngai ), straight right distal saccular process with a broader tip (that is strongly curved dorsad in E. ngai ), less asymmetrical distal membranous lobes of valva, and the absence of right subapical saccular process. The female genitalia of E. smithi ( Fig. 10 ) differs from that of E. prominentia (illustrated by Kühne 2007: fig. 54) by its shorter and broader ductus bursae, much broader corpus bursae and larger appendix bursae.

Description. External morphology of adults ( Figs 3–5 ). Forewing length 8–8.5 mm in males and 9 mm in females. Male antenna weakly ciliate, female antenna filiform. Body monotonous hazel. Forewing narrow, with costa slightly arcuate. Forewing ground color hazel with fine dark brown suffusion. Forewing pattern reduced to two large dots in the cell medially and distally and a diffuse trigonal costal spot subapically. Cilia dark brown, with paler hazel spots opposite the veins. Hindwing hazel with dense greyish brown suffusion. Discal spot diffuse, greyish brown. Cilia pale hazel with admixture of slightly darker brown scales. Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 ). Uncus slender, slightly broadened medially, pointed apically. Tuba analis broad; scaphium broad, plate-like, heavily sclerotised, arrowhead-shaped; subscaphium broad, strongly setose. Tegumen short, narrow, its distal half fused. Juxta weakly sclerotised, rectangular, with weak arcuate ventral crest. Vinculum short, saccus with relatively broad rounded tip. Transtillae broad, fused, band-like. Valvae elongated, with almost parallel margins and strongly asymmetric processes. Left subapical costal process robust, long, blade-shaped, slightly curved, strongly setose; right subapical costal process short but robust, narrowly trigonal, setose. Left apical costal process short, trigonal with rounded tip, directed dorso-distally; right apical costal process short, broadly trigonal with rounded tip, directed dorsally. Distal membranous lobes of valvae large, the right one slightly broader than the left one. Sacculus moderately broad, with strongly setose dorsal margin. Left distal saccular process shorter than the right one; both processes robust, straight, with club-like swollen tips. Aedeagus long, narrow, slightly S-curved; vesica narrow, tubular, twisted subbasally, densely covered with small spinules. Female genitalia ( Fig. 10 ). Papilla analis trapezoidal with rounded corners. Apophyses thin, elongated, of equal length. Ostium bursae narrow. Ductus bursae long, narrow, dorso-ventrally flattened, sclerotised; its anterior half curved. Corpus bursae globular, its inner surfaсe densely covered with robust spinules on broad bases. Cervix bursae narrow, membranous, with two small clusters of spinules. Appendix bursae membranous, short, sack-like, originates posteriorly.

Distribution. The species is known so far only from Liberia.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Mr Richard Smith, founder of the African Natural History Research Trust, organiser of extensive entomological exploratory program in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Exilisia spp.: adults. 1, E. ngai, holotype ♂, Kenya (©NHMUK); 2, E. ngai, paratype ♂, Kenya (©NHMUK); 3, E. smithi, holotype ♂, Liberia (ANHRT); 4, E. smithi, paratype ♂, Liberia (ANHRT); 5, E. smithi, paratype ♀, Liberia (ANHRT); 6, E. bipuncta, lectotype ♂, S Africa (©NHMUK).

FIGURES 7–10. Exilisia spp.: male (7–9) and female (10) genitalia. 7, E. ngai, holotype, Kenya, slide NHMUK010315783 Volynkin (©NHMUK); 8, E. smithi, holotype, Liberia, slide AV5111 Volynkin; 9, E. bipuncta, lectotype, S Africa, slide BMNH(E) Arct. 494 (©NHMUK); 10, E. smithi, paratype, Liberia, slide AV5145 Volynkin.