Comibaena theodori Hausmann & Parisi, 2014

Hausmann, Axel, Parisi, Francesco & Sciarretta, Andrea, 2014, The geometrid moths of Ethiopia I: tribes Pseudoterpnini and Comibaenini (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 3768 (4), pp. 460-468 : 465-467

Comibaena theodori Hausmann & Parisi sp. nov.

( Figs 8, 9 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Ethiopia, Prov. Kaffa, 10 km n Bonga , 1550m 7°21’N 36°25’E, 29.IV.2008, leg. S. Naumann, H. Schnitzler, coll. ZSM (locality no. 10); gen.prp 19376. DNA Barcode specimen ID BC ZSM Lep 14842 . Paratypes: 1♀, Ethiopie, Choa, Debre-Zeit , 1800m, 21.III.1986, leg. F. Thiaucourt (locality no. 2), coll. Herbulot / ZSM ; 1♀, Äthiopien, Äthiopisches Hochland, Prov. Sidamo / Oromia, Yabello , 17 km Wildlife Sanctuary OSO, 1580m, (Dornbuschgebiet), 04°51.010”N, 38°14.783’E, 16. V .2012, leg. Dietl M. + S. & R. Beck , coll. ZSM (locality no. 17) ; 1♀, Äthiopien, Ostafrikanischer Graben, Prov. Gamu Goffa, Arba Minch , 12 km NNO 1620m, 06°08.311’N, 37°34.953’O, 23. V .2012, leg. Dietl M. + S. & R. Beck , coll. ZSM (locality no. 18) ; 1♀, E. Ethiopia, Hararge, Kara Jara [9.24° N 41.14° E], 2180m, 20.IV.2006, leg. R . Beck & Tamrat (locality no. 4). Other material: DAEF: 1♀, Ethiopia, near Abelti , Ghibe river, 1096m, 30.I.2012, coord. UTM 37P 338350E, 913109N, Sciarretta A., Parisi F. leg, gen.prp. R ; 1♂, Ethiopia, Wellega zone, Didessa river, 1280 m, 24.I.2012, coord. UTM 37P 215814E, 961832N, Sciarretta A., Parisi F. leg, gen.prp. N, not included in the type series because of the poor condition of these specimens (worn, almost without scales) and because of the unusually long process of sternum A 8 in the male (see below under ‘male genitalia’) .

Description. Adult ( Figs 8–9 ). Wingspan: ♂ ♀ 23–29 mm. Ground colour leaf green, ante- and postmedial lines fine, whitish. Medial area dilated towards forewing costa. Discal dots red brown, fine and sharp on all wings. Terminal line uninterrupted, red brown, slightly dilated at forewing tornus and hindwing apex. Fringe chequered pale yellow and red brown, the latter in triangles. Underside shiny pale green with postmedial fascia darker green, discal dots fine on all wings, fringe chequered as on upper side. Frons pale green, vertex darker green. ♂ palpi with mixed brown and white scales, length 1.5 mm, last segment smoothly scaled. ♂ antennae long bipectinate, length of branches up to 1.3 mm, approx. 10 times width of flagellum. ♂ hindtibia with four spurs and a terminal process, length of the latter 0.75 mm. Male genitalia ( Figs 10a–10c ): Uncus with lateral projections much longer than central, 0.5–0.6 mm deepest incision. Valva comparatively broad at centre. Saccus projections comparatively short, length 0.5–0.6 mm from central excavation. Aedeagus straight, length 2.25 mm. Sternum A8 with moderately long projection, length 0.3 mm in the holotype (but 0.95 mm in the specimen from Didessa river).

Differential diagnosis. African members of genus Comibaena often show interspecific differential features in coloration and wing pattern, though the differences in male genitalia are often small, e.g. in the rufitornus / leucospilata / esmeralda species-group. The specific differential traits in the habitus, however, are well correlated with COI-haplotypes at interspecific genetic distances of usually 5 to 8%. Anticipating a comprehensive revision of the African species of the genus Comibaena (probably raising the species number from actually 12 to more than 20) we describe a new Ethiopian species here, which is well differentiated from all other African species in male genitalia and DNA barcodes. The new species differs from C. rufitornus Prout, 1916 (dissections examined from Kenya, Cape Verde), C. leucospilata (Walker, 1863) ( South Africa, Natal) and C. esmeralda (Warren, 1898) ( Nigeria, Guinea) by a shorter projection of sternum A8 (0.3 mm rather than 0.5–0.9 mm) by the long lateral projections of uncus (0.55 mm rather than 0.35–0.50 mm) which are clearly exceeding the length of the central projections and by the comparatively short saccus projections. C. leucospilata from South Africa (Natal) very similar in habitus, on average with narrower medial area, length of ♂ antennal branches 1.1–1.2 mm, length of ♂ hindtibial process 0.5 mm. Genetically the nearest neighbour (6.2%) is an undescribed species from Kenya and Tanzania which strongly differs in habitus (transverse lines absent, discal spots weak, triangle pattern of terminal line and fringe absent) and genitalia (aedeagus much longer, with termino-lateral lobe, saccus projections and posterior spine on sternum A8 much longer). C. rufitornus (barcoded from Uganda, Yemen and Cape Verde, the last tentatively considered conspecific), C. leucospilata ( South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania) and C. esmeralda ( Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone) diverge from C. theodori sp.nov. by 6.8%, 7.5% and 6.5% respectively.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Theodor Beck, the father of the collector of two paratypes.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Comibaena theodori sp. nov., holotype, (a) male genitalia, gen. prp. ZSM G 19376, (b) aedeagus, (c) sternum A8 (scale bars = 1 mm).

FIGURES 1–9. The Geometrid moths of Ethiopia I: tribes Pseudoterpnini and Comibaenini (photos F. Parisi; all figured specimens from Ethiopia). 1. Pingasa rhadamaria signifrontaria (Mabille, 1893), female, wingspan: 35mm; 2. Pingasa lahayei (Oberthür, 1887), male, wingspan: 31mm; 3. Pingasa distensaria (Walker, 1860), male, wingspan: 31mm; 4. Pingasa abyssinaria (Guenée, 1858), male, wingspan: 38mm; 5. Pingasa pallidata de Joannis, 1912, male, wingspan: 31mm; 6. Pingasa ruginaria interrupta Warren, 1901, male, wingspan: 35mm; 7. Microbaena pulchra minor Hausmann, 1996, male, wingspan: 15mm; 8. Comibaena theodori sp. nov., male, holotype, wingspan: 25mm; 9. Comibaena theodori sp. nov., female, paratype, wingspan: 26mm.