Monopetalotaxis doleriformis ( Walker, 1856 )

Bartsch, Daniel, 2013, Revisionary checklist of the Southern African Sesiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) with description of new species, Zootaxa 3741 (1), pp. 1-54 : 24-25

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3741.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6B2E0F80-73A2-4F66-B1A6-2D9481EAAB74
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E587E7-FFD8-4412-FF4F-FE99FD4CDD93
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Monopetalotaxis doleriformis ( Walker, 1856 )
status

Treatment

Monopetalotaxis doleriformis ( Walker, 1856) View in CoL

Figs 55–60 View FIGURES 49–60 , 89 View FIGURES 84–91 , 97 View FIGURES 92–98 , 104 View FIGURES 99–106 , 119 View FIGURE 119 , 130 View FIGURES 130–131

= Monopetalotaxis wahlbergi Wallengren, 1859 View in CoL

= Aegeria taylori Druce, 1899 View in CoL

Literature. Walker 1856: 56 ( Aegeria ); Wallengren 1859: 135; Druce 1899: 204 ( Aegeria ); Hampson 1919: 58 ( Monopetalotaxis ); Dalla Torre & Strand 1925: 8 ( Monopetalotaxis ); Gaede 1929: 520 ( Monopetalotaxis ); Heppner & Duckworth 1981: 42 ( Monopetalotaxis ); Vári, Kroon & Krüger 2002: 67 ( Monopetalotaxis ); Pühringer & Kallies 2004: 45 ( Monopetalotaxis ).

Specimens examined. Type specimens. Aegeria doleriformis . Holotype: ♂ ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 49–60 ) “Port Natal” [ South Arica , Durban] ( BMNH).

Monopetalotaxis wahlbergi . Syntype: 1 ♂ ( Fig. 57 View FIGURES 49–60 ) “In Caffraria orientali” [ Southern Africa ] ( NRMS) .

Aegeria taylori . Syntype: 1 ♂ ( Fig. 56 View FIGURES 49–60 ) “ South Africa, Potchefsstroom, Taylor leg.” ( BMNH) .

Neither Wallengren (1859) nor Druce (1899) give concrete informations to the number of type specimens in the original descriptions of Monopetalotaxis wahlbergi and Aegeria taylori respectively. In each case only a single male specimen has been found in the BMNH, whererfore I refrain from the desigantion of lectotypes.

Additional specimens. 1 ♂, Transvaal, Lydenburg Distr. , Distant coll, 1911-383, 350006 ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀ ( Fig. 60 View FIGURES 49–60 ), Johannesburg , 18.Dec.1961, H. N. Empey (gen prep. Bartsch 2009 –24, Fig. 130 View FIGURES 130–131 ) ; 1 ♂ ( Figs 58–59 View FIGURES 49–60 ), Pretoria , 18.Jan.1931, H. K. Munro (gen prep. Bartsch 2009 –23, Fig. 119 View FIGURE 119 ) ; 1 ♂, Weenen , Feb.1903, G. Burn (gen prep. Bartsch 2009 –22, wing venation Fig. 89 View FIGURES 84–91 ) ( TMPS) ; 1 ♂, Marandelias SR., Jan.1961, P. Bomford ; 1 ♂, Zeerust Distr., Lucerne , 15.–25.Nov.1948, Capener ; 1 ♂, S Rhodesia [ Zimbabwe], Epworth Sby. , 25.Feb.1973 ; 1 ♀, Swaziland, Jilobi forest, Lubombo Mts. , 9.Mar.1996 ; 1 ♂, Eastern Cape, Beacon Bay , 28.Feb.1980 ; 1 ♀, ibid., 4.Nov.1989 ; 1 ♀, Swaziland, Malololia [? unreadable], 3.Nov.1996; S-Rhodesia, Epwarth Sby., 25.Feb.1973, N.J. Duke (coll. Duke, TMPS) ; 1 ♀, [ South Africa] Pietermaritzburg ( SDEI) ; 1 ♀, South Africa, Gauteng Province, Ezemvelo , 25°42’S, 29°00’E, 1350–1400 m, at flowers, 11.Dec.2007, leg. D. Bartsch GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂, South Africa, Limpopo Province, N Makopane, Farm Thabaphaswa, 1290 m, 24°03'12.09"S, 29°02'51.45"E, 25.Feb.2012, at pheromone, leg. D. Bartsch ( SMNS) GoogleMaps .

Redescription of the male ( Figs 55–59 View FIGURES 49–60 , 97 View FIGURES 92–98 , 104 View FIGURES 99–106 , 119 View FIGURE 119 ). Wingspan 21–28 mm, forewing length 9–12 mm, antenna 5.5– 7 mm, body 12–15 mm. Haustellum short, weakly sclerotized, most likely non-functional; labial palpus pale yellow, with narrow black stripe or some black scales laterally; frons whitish-yellow, somewhat rough with small, brownish black tuft of short, hair-like scales between antenna and eye; vertex covered with admixture of light grey, short and brownish black, hair-like scales; pericephalic scales dorsally brown with black tip, dorsolaterally yellow, laterally white; antenna orange brown, distally sparsely mottled with black, rami dorsally yellow; scapus ventrally with yellow, hair-like scales. Thorax brownish-black, posteriorly of patagia and between patagia and wingbase yellow, densely mottled with pale yellow, hair-like scales; patagia glossy black, anteriorly yellow, mottled with black and yellow hair-like scales; tegula posteriorly orange; scapular spot at wing base yellow; metathorax dorso-laterally with dense tufts of whitish-yellow, hair-like scales. Abdomen brownish black; tergite 2 yellow, anteriorly, posteriorly and laterally narrow black; other segments with yellow posterior bands: tergite 1 fine and often indistinct, 3 narrow, 4 very broad, 5–7 narrow; sternites 2–7 very broad; anal tuft brownish black to orange, dorso-medially yellow, laterally and ventrally brownish-grey, tip of valva with white scales. Legs brownish black, mottled with yellow, hair-like scales; femurae dorsally narrow orange; tarsi dorsally orange, ventrally yellow, interspersed with some black scales; fore leg with coxa yellow, tibia ventrally and tarsus dorsally orange, the latter ventrally yellow; mid- and hind leg with coxa more or less yellow; tibia and first hind tarsomere with tufts of long hair-like scales, which are laterally bright yellow, subdistally with brownish black ring and latero-distally with orange patch; scale tufts of first hind tarsomere orange-yellow to yellow. Forewing with costal area and fringes brownish-grey, subcosta marked by a red scale line, anal area and basal part of veins red, basal part of anal area black, other wing parts brownish-red, discal spot proximally black, distally red; hindwing with veins and margins brownish-red; fringes brownish-grey, at dorsum orange-yellow; under side of both wings with more prominent orange tinge, costal area of forewing yellowish.

Redescription of the female ( Figs 60 View FIGURES 49–60 , 130 View FIGURES 130–131 ). Similar to the male, but more robust, the yellow markings with bright orange tinge. Head with labial palpus yellow, without black scales; frons medially light grey, laterally white, dorsally yellow, between antenna and eye brownish black; scales of vertex distinctly shorter than in male, dark brownish black; pericephalic scales similar to male, dorso-laterally without yellow; antenna orange brown with some black scales at tip, scapus covered with dark grey and some interspersed yellow scales. Thorax brownish black, without hair-like scales; tegula anteriorly narrow yellow, posteriorly orange-red; scale tufts of meta-thorax yellow. Abdomen similar to the male; tergite 3 with some yellow scales medially, lacking yellow margin; anal tuft brownish black, dorso-medially broad yellow, laterally small orange. Colouration of legs and wings more intensive red, scale tufts of hind leg shorter, that of first hind tarsomere absent; shape of the transparent areas similar to the male f. wahlbergi .

Genitalia ( Figs 119 View FIGURE 119 , 130 View FIGURES 130–131 ). See genus description.

Variation. In the males are the dimension of the external transparent area and the apical area highly variable, the latter is minimally as broad as the discal spot and maximally as broad as the external transparent area. A female from Pietermaritzburg in SDEI is nearly completely orange-red, except for the brownish-black coloured tip of antenna, mesal part of hind tibia and distal margin of forewing discal spot. There are no significant differences between the genitalia of the most extreme forms of the males.

Diagnosis. Unmistakable, see genus description.