Afroracotis (Zebracotis) takanoi, László & Hausmann & Karisch, 2023

László, Gyula M., Hausmann, Axel & Karisch, Timm, 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the African taxa of the Racotis Moore, 1887 generic complex (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae, Boarmiini), Zootaxa 5308 (1), pp. 1-109 : 69-70

Afroracotis (Zebracotis) takanoi sp. n.

( Figs 116–119 , 201–204 , 281–283 , 337–338 )

Holotype. Male , “ SIERRA LEONE 1050m Loma Mountains Closed-canopy forest N09°10’35”, W11°05’25”, 7– 10.vi.2016 Light Trap leg. Takano, Miles & Goff ANHRT: 2017.18”, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00026261, gen. slide No.: LG 4810, DNA barcode id.: BC ZSM Lep 109607/ANHRTUK00026261 ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. Guinea. 1 male, 1 female, Geipa Camp, Forêt de Diecké , 435m, 7°26’7.06”N, 8°50’47.87”W, 05–14.iv.2019, Light Trap Blended Bulb (250W), Sáfián, Sz., Koivogui, S., leg., ANHRT : 2019.7, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00106217, 00106218, gen. slide Nos : LG 5445 (male), LG 5448 (female), DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: ANHRTUK00106217/ANLMN3672-21 ; 1 male, 690m, Guinée Forestière, Bossou Forest and Institut de Recherche Environmentale de Bossou ( Lowland Forest-Farmland ), 07°38’32”N, 08°30’30”W, 24–31.vi.2019, MV Light, Dérozier, V., Suah Dore, J., Koivagui, S., Miles, W., Sáfián, S., Warner, R. leg., ANHRT :2019.11, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00169432 (dissected) ( ANHRT). Ivory Coast. 1 male, Tai NP., Tai Research Station , 174m, 05°49’59.8”N, 07°20’32”W, 14–23.xi.2015, Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E. leg., unique id.: ANHRTUK 00073437, gen. slide No.: LG 4062, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 109639/ GWOUE428-20 ; 1 male, same site and collectors, but 5–10.vii.2015, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00107967 (dissected); 1 male, 1 female, same locality, but 05°50’00”N, 07°20’32”W, 25.iii.–17.iv.2017, MV light, Aristophanous, A., Aristophanous, M., Geiser, M., Moretto, P. leg, ANHRT : 2017.25, uniqur ids:ANHRTUK 00088209, 00005665, gen. slide No.: LG 4809 (female), DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 109605/GWOUE394-20 ( ANHRT) ; 1 female, Côte d’Ivoire, Forêt classée de Mabi, Code P 2, 11.x.1996, Other river side Sth, leg. Ugo Dall’ Asta ( RMCA) . Liberia. 2 males, Nimba county, Nimba Mts., ENNR, Cellcom Road , 750m, 7°33’3.78”N, 8°31’46.49”W, 16–28.xii.2018, Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8W), Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT : 2018.43, unique numbers: ANHRTUK 00060343, 00060353, gen. slide Nos.: LG 4982, LG 5002, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 109616/GWOUE405-20 ; 2 males, Nimba Mts., ENNR, Nimba county, Cellcom road, 1000–1100m, 7°32’45.88”N, 8°31’21.04”W, 16–28.xii.2018, Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8W), Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT : 2018.43, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00060372, 00060379, gen. slide Nos: LG 4978, LG 4996, DNA barcode/ BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 109619/GWOUE408-20 ; 2 males, 3 females, Krahn-Bassa Reserve, Sinoe County, Juboe River , 7.5km South West Pellokon Town, 140m, 5°39’4”N, 8°39’4”W, 14–20.i.2018, Blended Bulb (250W) and MV Light Trap, Geiser, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT : 2017.33, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00089684, 00090489, 00090579, 00090601, 00112172, gen. slide Nos : LG 5435 (male), LG 5438 (female), DNA barcode/ BOLD process ids: ANHRTUK00090489/ANLMN3673-21, ANHRTUK00112172/ANLMN3674-21 ; 3 males, Sinoe County, 6.5km NW of Jacksonville, Forest near Solve Problem Village , 103m, 5°26’25”N, 9°7’39.9”W, 23–27.i.2018, MV Light Trap, Geiser, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT:2017.33, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00090298, 00090370, 00090415 (all dissected) ( ANHRT) ; 2 males, Putu Range, Sideh Ridge , 400m, 05°39’55”N, 08°10’21”W, 13.xi.2012, leg. S. Sáfián, gen. slide No.: LG 5559 ( RCHS) .

Diagnosis. Forewing length 17–21 mm. Afroracotis takanoi sp. n. is distinguished from all taxa of the subgenus Zebracotis by its more uniformly rusty-brownish colouration lacking contrasting whitish or blackish patches and paler areas of the wings, although reliable identification requires genitalia dissection, especially in worn specimens. In the male genitalia, the configuration of the vesica is similar to those of A. ochsei and A. milesi , but the new species bears a short, ventro-basal, sack-like non-expandable diverticulum ( A. ochsei lacks a diverticulum, while it is larger, conical, expandable and situated medially in A. milesi ) and much longer, thicker and more numerous, straight distal cornuti (slightly curved in the allied species) projecting from the base of the vesica ejaculatorius. The female genitalia of A. takanoi are rather unique within the subgenus, characterized by the trapezoidal antrum (rather cup- or goblet-shaped in the other species), the absence of a tubular or conical, heavily sclerotised ductus bursae, the remarkably short, nearly sphaerical corpus bursae with a moderately sclerotised and finely rugose posterior section divided from the membranous part by a straight line. The bursa copulatrix possesses a large, very strongly sclerotised antero-lateral disc clearly divided from the sclerotised posterior section, which supposedly serves as a receptive surface of the robust cornuti during copulation.

Genetic information. This species has been assigned the BIN URI: BOLD:AEE7886. The intraspecific divergence of the species is in the range of 0.00–0.50% The nearest neighbour of A. takanoi is A. ochsei with a pairwise distance of 1.69–2.04%.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to the prominent entomologist Hitoshi Takano (ANHRT), specialist of Catharsius dung beetles, Afrotropical Rhopalocera, Saturniidae and Sphingidae and one of the collectors of this new species.

Distribution ( Map 6 ). Afroracotis takanoi is confined to the Guinea-Congolian lowland rainforests of West Africa with confirmed records from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Figures

MAP 6. Distribution of the subgenus Zebracotis 2.: A. (Z.) helicalis sp. n., milesi sp. n., ochsei sp. n., smithi sp. n. and takanoi sp. n.

FIGURES 101–120. Adults, dorsal view (all in coll. ANHRT, unless otherwise stated). 101. A. smithi sp. n., HT, ♁, Zambia; 102. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 103. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Zambia; 104. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Cameroon (ZSM); 105. A. milesi sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 106. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Cameroon; 107. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Cameroon; 108. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Zambia; 109. A. ochsei sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 110. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 111. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 112. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 113. A. helicalis sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 114. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 115. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 116. A. takanoi sp. n., HT, ♁, Sierra Leone; 117. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Guinea; 118. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Liberia; 119. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Liberia; 120. A. staudei sp. n., HT, ♁, Kenya (RCHS).

FIGURES 191–210. Adults, ventral view (all in coll. ANHRT, unless otherwise stated). 191. Afroracotis milesi sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 192. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Cameroon; 193. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Zambia; 194. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 195. A. ochsei sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 196. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 197. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 198. A. helicalis sp. n., HT, ♁, Gabon; 199. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Gabon; 200. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Gabon; 201. A. takanoi sp. n., HT, ♁, Sierra Leone; 202. Ibidem, PT, ♁, Guinea; 203. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Ivory Coast; 204. Ibidem, PT, ♀, Liberia; 205. A. staudei sp. n., HT, ♁, Kenya (RCHS); 206. Racotis boarmiaria, LT, ♁, India (NHMUK); 207. Chorocotis ugandaria, HT of Boarmia ugandaria, ♁, Uganda (NHMUK); 208. Ibidem, ♀, Cameroon (NHMUK); 209. Colocleora breijeri, ♁, RSA (RCDS); 210. C. incauta, ♁, RSA (NHMUK).

FIGURES 280–284. Male genitalia, a: clasping apparatus, b: aedeagus. 280. Afroracotis helicalis sp. n., PT, Gabon, slide No. LG 5399 (ANHRT); 281. A. takanoi sp. n., HT, Sierra Leone, slide No. LG 4810 (ANHRT); 282. Ibidem, PT, Guinea, slide No. LG 5445 (ANHRT); 283. Ibidem, PT, Liberia, slide No. LG 4982 (ANHRT); 284. A. staudei sp. n., HT, Kenya, slide No. LG 5540 (RCHS).

FIGURES 336–339. Female genitalia. 336. Afroracotis helicalis sp. n., PT, Gabon, slide No.: LG 5624 (ANHRT); 337. A. takanoi sp. n., PT, Liberia, slide No.: LG 5438 (ANHRT); 338. Ibidem, PT, Ivory Coast, slide No.: LG 4809 (ANHRT); 339. Chorocotis ugandaria, Cameroon, slide No.: NHMUK 010317818 (NHMUK).