Delorhachis nimbaensis Taberer, Fiebig, Giusti and László, 2023

Taberer, Tabitha R., Fiebig, Ralf, Giusti, Alessandro & László, Gyula M., 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Delorhachis Karsch 1896 (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae), Journal of Natural History 57 (1 - 4), pp. 54-129 : 97-98

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2022.2157346
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7634779
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FD879B-FFDE-FFB3-FF0D-8242BB55A34E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Delorhachis nimbaensis Taberer, Fiebig, Giusti and László
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Delorhachis nimbaensis Taberer, Fiebig, Giusti and László sp. nov. ( Figures 49–50 View Figures 46–57 ,

88, 12 4–125 View Figures 67–90 View Figures 1–15 View Figures 16–30 View Figures 31–45 View Figures 46–57 View Figures 58–66 View Figures 91–96 View Figures 97–102 View Figures 103–108 View Figures 109–114 View Figures 115–120 View Figures 121–126 , 151 View Figures 133–156 )

Holotype. Male, ′ LIBERIA 974 m | Nimba Mountains, Nimba West | Mount Gangra summit | 7°32′45.82̍N, 8°38′9.36″W | 17–25.iii.2017 250 W blended bulb | & bucket trap 8 W cold cathode | UV light | Sáfián, Sz. Simonics, G. Leg. | ANHRT:2018.24″ || ′ANHRTUK | 00224300̍| ′ Gen. slide No. | TT 105 | prep. by T. R. Taberer ̍ ( ANHRT).

Paratype. Liberia. 1 male, Grassfield , Nimba, September–October 1968, Forbes-Watson, A . leg ., gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317408 About NHMUK , QR code no . NHMUK 014200545 About NHMUK ( NHMUK) .

Description

External morphology. Male. Fore wing length 11.5–12 mm.Head,collar, tegula, and thorax brown, antenna bipectinate in basal fourth, otherwise filiform, yellow-brown. Tegula with one pale yellow rounded patch. Thorax dark chestnut brown dorsally, ventral side and legs yellowish-brown. Abdomen uniformly brown dorsally and yellowish brown ventrally. Fore wing short, broad, triangular, with rounded apex; ground colour chestnut brown, veins contrasting black in postmedial area. Medio-ventral fascia white, oval, directed inwards, margined with black on distal edge. Fringe long. Hind wing chestnut brown, with weakly defined dark brown veins postmedially. Underside of both wing sets pale brown without markings; fringe as ground colour.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia. Uncus medium-long, tapered, pointed apically. Tegumen broad. Gnathos large, very broad, rounded, shield-like, weakly sclerotised, distal section very finely setose with a shallow medial indent. Juxta short, rounded basally, with two short, ventral, ribbon-like distal processes; manica with a bunch of slightly curved moderately long pseudocornuti. Vinculum short, broad, rounded. Valva long, very narrow, distally with a pointed, curved dorso-apical process and a slightly longer, narrow, thin, pointed, curved ventral process. Phallus long, straight, with sclerotised, apically pointed ventral surface in its basal half. Vesica membranous without cornuti.

Diagnosis

Based on the configuration of the male genitalia, this new species and D. smithi form a species pair, distinguished from other members of the species group by the extremely long, narrow valva with elongate, thin, apical processes.

Delorhachis nimbaensis is distinguished externally from its sister species by its much darker ground colour. In terms of the male genitalia, D. nimbaensis has a longer, slightly broader gnathos, and a straighter valva with a markedly shorter dorso-apical process, as well as having a wider angle between the apical processes than in the related species.

Genetic information

No specimens of D. nimbaensis were DNA barcoded.

Etymology

Delorhachis nimbaensis is named after the Nimba Mountains, Liberia, where it is assumed to be endemic.

Distribution and habitat ( Figure 186 View Figure 186 )

This species is found only in the northern Nimba Mountains, Liberia, an area characterised by tropical moist montane forest.