Monstruncusarctia aurantiaca ( Holland, 1893 )

Dubаtolov, Vlаdimir V., 2017, Two new tiger-moth species from Afrotropics with reviews of genera Pericaliella and Monstruncusarctia (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea: Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4353 (3), pp. 577-583 : 581

Monstruncusarctia aurantiaca ( Holland, 1893)

( Fig. 3 )

Alpenus (?) aurantiaca Holland, 1893: 397 –398. Type locality: valley of the Ogové River [Gabon]. Alpenus multiscripta Holland, 1893: 398 . Type locality: valley of the Ogové River [Gabon].

Material examined. 1 ♂, West Аfrica, Guinea, Kindia [prov.?], rivulet Tabuna, 7.10.1982, leg. S. Murzin ( SZMN).

Diagnosis. Forewing length 14 mm; wings light brown, with transversal bands: a V-shaped narrower subbasal band, a V-shaped wider antemedial band (joining by its angle with the discal bracket), a curved and narrow postmedial band with a concavity between veins M1 and M2; apical stroke directed towards vein M2, and several marginal spots in internervular spaces, those between veins M1 and M3 being the largest; hindwings lighter than forewings, with single discal spot. Male genitalia ( Figs. 9, 11 ): Uncus long and straight, apically enlarged and bifurcated, with additional subapical hook-like arms directed proximally; cucullus of valves with apical enlargement of a crescent shape; distal angle of its external concavity acute, the basal one rounded; sacculus membranous, crescent-shaped, covered with short hair; saccus short and broad; aedeagus simple, lacking spines, straight or slightly curved; vesica bag-like, covered by small spiniculi.

Remarks. By wing pattern the type species is similar to the next species but the ground colour is more brownish, the antemedial band partly joined with a hind half of the discal bracket. The male genitalia structure is characteristic to the species: it has long and strongly curved lateral subapical processes of the uncus, a crescent-like cuculus apex with an acute distal angle; the sacculus is crescent-shaped.

Distribution. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Gabon ( Goodger & Watson 1995); Cameroon ( Dubatolov & Haynes 2008). So, the species distributed from West to Equatorial Аfrica.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Pericaliella and Monstruncusarctia spp., males. 1, P. melanodisca, Uganda, Kibale; 2, P. popoudinae sp. n., holotype, Rwanda,Butare; 3, M.aurantiaca, Guinea, Kindia, 4, M. anikini sp. n., Uganda, Kibale.

FIGURES 9–12. Monstruncusarctia, male genitalia. 9, 11, M. aurantiaca, Guinea, Kindia, 10, 12, M. anikini sp. n., Uganda, Kibale.9-10, general view, 11-12, aedeagus.