Morabia smithi, László & Hausmann, 2022

László, Gyula M. & Hausmann, Axel, 2022, Taxonomic review of the genus Morabia Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020 with descriptions of two new species and introducing five new generic combinations (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 5134 (2), pp. 215-237 : 226-229

Morabia smithi sp. n.

( Figs 11–12 , 30–31 )

Holotype. Male , “ Zambia, 1400m, Hillwood, Ikelenge (Miombo/Riverine forest mosaic), S11°16’02”, E24°18’59”, 23-30.XI.2019, Actinic Light Trap, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R. leg. ANHRT:2019.25”, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00132319, gen. slide No.: LG 5301, BOLD sample ID: ANHRT059-20 /ANHRTUK-00132319 ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. Zambia. 1 male, with the same data as in the holotype, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00122785 ; 2 males, same data but collected by LepiLED light trap, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00124029, 00124177 ; 1 male, same data but collected by fish bait, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00126516 ; 2 males, same site, but 7-10.XII.2019, fish bait, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L. leg., ANHRT :2019.25, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00132403, 00132400, gen. slide Nos.: LG 5327, LG 5328; 12 males, Chitunta Plain (Miombo / Dambo mosaic), 1396m, 11°29’12”S, 24°24’18”E, 29.xi.-4.xii.2019, Actinic and LepiLED Light Trap, banana and fish bait, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L. leg., ANHRT : 2019.25, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00124831, 00125081, 00125093, 00125152, 00125177, 00125843, 00125950, 00126045, 00152835-00152837, 00152840, gen. slide Nos.: LG 5329, LG 5330, BOLD sample ID: ANHRT060-20 /ANHRTUK-00152835 ( ANHRT).

Diagnosis. Morabia smithi sp. n. is reminiscent of M. brunnea but distinguished by its somewhat smaller size (forewing length is 15.0– 16.5 mm, that of M. brunnea is 17.0–18.0 mm), slightly narrower forewing, considerably more contrasting transverse lines and a somewhat narrower dark marginal area of the wing undersides. Despite the very similar external appearances of the two species, the differences in the male genitalia are surprisingly large: the new species has a much broader, medio-distally shallowly incised uncus giving it a bifid appearance; the very short, apically broadly rounded processi are covered sparsely in short, but relatively thick spines, whereas the simple, triangular uncus of M. brunnea is densely covered in fine setae. The dorsal processes (costal arms) of the valvae of the new species are markedly more robust than those of its congener. The valva of M. smithi is substantially broader at its base with a much more prominent medio-ventral dilation compared to that of M. brunnea . The distal setose section of the valva is considerably shorter in the new species, more or less spearhead-shaped with a straight costal and evenly arcuate, medially dilated ventral margin with a pointed apex, whereas the distal section of the valva of M. brunnea is finger-like, narrow along its entire length with parallel margins and a rounded apex. The vinculum of the new species is considerably narrower than that of M. brunnea . The differences between the two species are also well-expressed in the configuration of the aedeagus which is almost straight in M. smithi , whereas it is evenly arcuate along its entire length in the allied species. The cornutus vesicae of the new species is ca. 50% shorter and narrower than that of M. brunnea . Interestingly, as the DNA barcodes revealed, M. smithi stands closer genetically to the morphologically different M. politzari , from which it differs in the following features: the new species is larger (its forewing length is 15.0– 16.5 mm, that of M. politzari is 12.0– 14.5 mm), the wing coloration is somewhat darker with slightly more contrasting transverse lines, the underside is brighter yellowish with a continuous dark marginal band on both wings, whereas the underside of the wings of M. politzari bear distinct, large, black subapical patches similar to M. cryptica and M. nigripunctata . In the male genitalia, M. smithi has a wider, medio-distally shallowly incised, bifid uncus with short, rounded arms apically (it is triangular in M. politzari ), markedly longer, thicker, more curved costal arms, a much shorter and medially broader, apically pointed, more setose distal section of the valva (which are rounded apically in M. politzari ), and a substantially shorter and thinner cornutus of the vesica, compared to those of M. politzari .

The female is unknown.

Description. Adult. Male ( Figs 11–12 ). Forewing length 15.0– 16.5 mm. Antenna ciliate-fasciculate. Head relatively small, palp short, porrect, apically pointed, covered in black scales, compound eye relatively large, frons broad, quadrangular, upper half dark grey, lower half black. Collar, tegula and thorax dark brownish-grey, first abdominal segment dark grey, further segments dark brownish-grey with silvery grey suffusion dorsally, creamy yellow ventrally. Upperside of wings. Ground colour pale brownish-grey with a slight creamy tinge, transverse lines black. Forewing. Basal and subbasal lines deleted; antemedial line thick, evenly arcuate. Discal spot blurred, poorly visible, ovoid, oblique. Medial line narrow, more or less continuous, costal two-thirds zigzagged, ventral third straight. Postmedial line sharply defined, costal third narrow, almost straight, then curved ventrad and slightly dilated, medial section nearly straight, ventral quarter sinuous. Subterminal line diffuse, interrupted, costal half more sharply defined, zigzagged, ventral half shadow-like, sinuous. Terminal line sharply defined, relatively thick, gently sinuous between veins; cilia long, inner half dark brownish-grey, outer half somewhat paler, sparsely chequered with dark brown. Hindwing. Discal spot present, blurred, very small, ovoidal. Medial line broad, conspicuously dilated towards anal margin, nearly straight. Postmedial line dilated towards anal margin, dorsal section blurred, gradually more sharply defined towards anal margin, gently undulate. Subterminal line broad, diffuse, moderately undulate, terminal line thin, but sharply defined, sinuous; cilia as on forewing. Underside of wings. Ground colour bright yellow, forewing with a slight orange tinge subapically and a broad creamy-grey ventral band; blackish suffusion very sparse, concentrated along costal margin of both wings and antemedial area of forewing. Discal spots sharply defined, blackish, elongate ovoidal on forewings, almost round on hindwings; transverse lines untraceable. Terminal area of fore- and hindwings with a broad, dark grey, evenly arched marginal band, gradually fading towards tornus; cilia as on upperside.

Male genitalia ( Figs 30–31 ). Uncus short, trapezoidal, broad at base, apex incised medially forming two short, evenly rounded apical lobes sparsely covered with short, but relatively thick, acute cornuti, medial part of uncus finely setose. Gnathos very short and narrow, ribbon-like, inverse V-shaped without dilated medial plate. Tegumen very short and moderately broad; juxta weakly sclerotized, rounded shield-like. Vinculum relatively long moderately broad, saccus conspicuously long and broad, inverse trapezoidal. Valva very broad at base, basal half moderately sclerotized, scobinate, bearing a very long, conspicuously robust, evenly curved, apically pointed dorsal process covered in fine setae. Medial section of valva slightly dilated with evenly arcuate convex ventral margin, followed by a broad, deep depression ventrally. Apical section of valva short, densely setose with long setae, gradually tapered, somewhat spearhead shaped with evenly arcuate ventral margin, straight costal margin and pointed apex. Sacculus relatively short and broad, moderately sclerotized, very sparsely setose, without processi. Aedeagus long and narrow, almost straight, only very slightly curved at ostium ductus ejaculatorii and in its distal third, coecum relatively long, broadly rounded, apex with a long, distally dilated and rounded moderately sclerotized process; vesica armed with a single, long, gently curved, conspicuously thin, apically rounded, rod-like cornutus without basal hook.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic information ( Fig. 44 ). BIN: BOLD:ABX0432 (n=2 from Zambia), intraspecific variation 0.15%. Nearest neighbouring species: M. politzari , BIN-sharing at a genetic distance (minimum pairwise distance) of 1.1%, M. brunnea , at a distance of 2.45%. Minimum genetic distances of less than 2% in allopatric populations ( M. smithi versus M. politzari ) often are best classified as different subspecies, but in this case the marked differences in morphology well support species status for both taxa.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Mr Richard Smith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the African Natural History Research Trust, a prominent supporter of African entomological research and one of the collectors of the new species.

Distribution ( Fig. 43 ). Morabia smithi shares a partly sympatric distribution with M. brunnea with both species known exclusively from the Zambian plateau. The new species however, has only been recorded from the Ikelenge pedicle of north-west Zambia.

Figures

FIGURE 43. Distribution of the Morabia species.

FIGURE 44. Maximum likelihood tree of Morabia.

FIGURES 11–19. Adults, a: dorsal, b: ventral view. 11, Morabia smithi sp. n., HT, ♂, Zambia (ANHRT); 12, Ibidem, PT, ♂, Zambia (ANHRT); 13, M. distinctaria, ♂, Mauritius (ANHRT); 14, Ibidem, ♀, Mauritius (ANHRT); 15, M. hero, ♂, Madagas- car (ZSM); 16, Ibidem, ♀, Madagascar (NHMUK); 17, M. herbuloti, ♀, Reunion (ZSM); 18, M. pluto, ♂, Madagascar (ZSM); 19, Ibidem, ♀, Madagascar (ZSM).

FIGURES 29–34. Male genitalia, a: clasping apparatus, b: aedeagus. 29, Morabia brunnea, Zambia, slide No. LG 5287 (ANHRT); 30, M. smithi sp. n., HT, Zambia, slide No. LG 5301 (ANHRT); 31, Ibidem, PT, Zambia, slide No. LG 5329 (AN- HRT); 32, M. distinctaria, Mauritius, slide No. LG 5521 (ANHRT); 33, M. hero, Madagascar, slide No. G 21271 (ZSM); 34, M. pluto, Madagascar, slide No. NHMUK 010317353 (NHMUK).