Delorhachis pallidifascia 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 : 78-80

Delorhachis pallidifascia Taberer, Fiebig, Giusti and László sp. nov. ( Figures 19–21 ,

75 , 103–104 , 14 0, 161)

Holotype. Male , ′ Guinea 1400–1752 m | Guineé Forestiére , Monts Nimba | UNESCO World Heritage Site , | Mont Richard Molard camp and | ridge (High-Altitude | Grassland & Forest) | 07°36′19̍N, 08°25′30″W | 1–7.vii.2019. 250 W Blended | Light Trap. Derozier, V., Miles, W., | Safian, S. Leg. | ANHRT:2019.11″ || ′ANHRTUK | 00180756̍ || ′ Gen. slide No | TT 101 J | prep. by T. R. Taberer ̍ ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. Guinea. 5 males, Guineé Forestiére Monts Nimba United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO) World Heritage Site , Mont Richard Molard camp and ridge ( High-Altitude Grassland and Forest ), 1400–1752 m, 7.605°N, 8.425°W, 1–7 July 2019, Dérozier, V ., Miles, W ., Sáfián , Sz . leg., ANHRT:2019.11, gen. slide no. TT 046, DNA barcode ID/BOLD process ID ANHRTUK00143417/ANLMN7642-21, unique IDs: ANHRTUK 00143407, 00143417, 00180716, 00180734, 00180971; 3 males, 1 female, Dalaba, Foret de Goubel , 1413 m, 10.658°N, 12.262°W, 10–18 September 2019, Geiser, M ., Leno, N ., Koivagui, S., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L ., Sáfián , Sz . leg., ANHRT:2019.19, gen. slide no. LG 5719, DNA barcode ID/BOLD process ID ANHRTUK00139459/ANLMN7640-21, unique IDs: ANHRTUK 00139459, 00179441, 00179445, 00179455. Ivory Coast. 1 male, Mt Tonkoui Peak , 1171 m, 7.454°N, 7.637°W, 24–27 November 2014, Moretto, P . leg ., gen. slide no. TT 045, unique ID: ANHRTUK 00224297; 1 male, same site, 1–8 November 2015, Aristophanous, M ., Moretto, P ., Ruzzier, E. leg ., unique ID: ANHRTUK 00224298; 5 males, same site and collectors, 12–18 July 2015, unique IDs: ANHRTUK 00031854, 00031553, 00031557, 00032025, 00032505 ( ANHRT); 3 males, same site, 1–4 July 2014, Moretto, P . leg ., gen. slide nos. UE 6317, 6319 ( RCMS). Nigeria. 1 male, Agbaja , Kogi State, August – September 1913, Caton, D . leg . ( NHMUK). Togo. 3 males, Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, Mare aux crocodiles campsite ( Sudanian savannah/dry forest), 505 m, 8.749°N, 0.814°E, 26 August–7 September 2018, Aristophanous, M ., Geiser, M ., Moretto, P., Sanbena, B. leg., ANHRT:2018.31, gen. slide nos. TT 010, TT 047, TT 052, DNA barcode ID/BOLD process ID ANHRTUK00046289/ANLMN7643-21, unique IDs: ANHRTUK 00046289, 00090794, 00090893 ( ANHRT).

Description

External morphology. Male. Fore wing length 11–13.5 mm. Head, collar, tegula, and thorax vermillion, antenna bipectinate in basal fourth, otherwise filiform, colour as of head. Tegula with one cream or green rounded patch. Dorsal side of thorax with a central cream or green patch; ventral side pale beige without markings. Legs vermillion laterally, beige medially. Abdomen uniformly pale beige,first two abdominal segments with vermillion hair scales. Fore wing short, broad, triangular, with rounded apex; ground colour vermillion, veins contrasting black in postmedial area. Medio-ventral fascia cream, relatively small, rounded, margined with black on distal edge.Fringe long, slightly darker than ground colour. Hind wing uniformly pale ochreous with slightly darker, long fringe. Underside of both wings pale vermillion without markings; fringe same as ground colour.

Female. Fore wing length 14.5 mm. Body and wing colour as in male. Antenna filiform. Fore wing broad with outer margin more evenly arcuate than in males. Pale green medioventral fascia is markedly longer and somewhat narrower than in males, almost parallel with outer margin; costal area with cream patch postmedially. Hind wing uniform pale beige; fringe somewhat darker. Underside of wing paler than upper side, both fore- and hind wing uniformly pale vermillion without markings.

Male genitalia. Uncus medium-long, basally broad, moderately long, tapered, apically slightly pointed. Tegumen broad, elongate. Gnathos broad, rounded with a pointed apical process. Juxta rounded basally, with two short, ribbon-like latero-distal processes; manica with a bunch of moderately short, sclerotised, curved pseudocornuti. Vinculum very short and broad, rounded. Valva relatively short, slightly constricted medially, dilated into two processes distally, forming a longer, broad, pointed dorso-apical process, and a short, pointed ventral process. Phallus relatively short, medially bent and bearing a sclerotised, apically pointed ventral surface in its basal half. Vesica membranous without cornuti.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor short and narrow, papilla analis narrow-ovoid, sparsely setose. Apophysis posterioris long, thick, straight, medially tapered, apically pointed. Eighth tergite short, trapezoidal, poorly sclerotised; apophysis anterioris short and very thin, apically pointed. Ostium bursae wide with a relatively large, heavily sclerotised, more or less quadrangular antevaginal plate with two rounded lateral lobes and gently arched, undulate anterior margin. Ductus bursae short, membranous, distal two-thirds inflated, without cornuti; cervix bursae unmodified, membranous. Corpus bursae membranous, distal section tubular, slightly dilated and twisted anteriorly; proximal part of corpus bursae slightly ovoid with small signum bursae consisting of two medially fused, bell-shaped, finely scobinate plates.

Diagnosis

Based on external morphology, D. pallidifascia is the closest kin of D. kitale , although the fore wing fascia of the new species is lighter, cream coloured. In male genitalia, the gnathos is markedly broader and more sclerotised compared with D. kitale , the valva is slightly thicker with a wider ventral process, and the pseudocornuti are more uniform in shape in the new species.

Based on the configuration of the female genitalia, D. pallidifascia is most similar to D. chlorodaedala but readily distinguished by the quadrangular eighth tergite (it is trapezoidal in the related taxon) and the much less swollen ductus bursae lacking any loose cornuti. The signum bursae of the new species is formed of two medially fused bellshaped plates, whilst in D. chlorodaedala it consists of two semi-circular separated plates.

Genetic information

The new species is assigned the BIN URI: BOLD:AEJ8189 (n = 2). The intraspecific variation of D. pallidifascia is 0.15%. It was recovered in a sister clade to D. parvinota and D. meyi , and is closest genetically to D. parvinota , with a pairwise distance of 3.82–3.92%. Delorhachis pallidifascia differs from D. meyi by 4.15–4.31%, and from D. chlorodaedala by 5.93–6.45%.

Etymology

The species name is in reference to its pale (pallidus in Latin) green fore wing fascia.

Distribution and habitat ( Figures 172–174 , 184 )

This species has been found from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Togo, inhabiting areas predominantly characterised by a mosaic of Sudanian savannah and secondary grassland. This species̍ distribution is limited to west of the Cameroon Line.

Figures

Figure 184. Distribution map of the D. chlorodaedala species group (TL = type locality).

Figures 16–30. Adults. Figures 16–18. Delorhachis tommasoi sp. nov. 16: HT, [DRC], Weko, J (gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317446) (NHMUK); 17: PT, [DRC], Uele, J (gen. slide no. RF 2022.114) (RMCA); 18: PT, [DRC], Sankuru, J (gen. slide no. RF 2022.115) (RMCA); Figures 19–21. D. pallidifascia sp. nov. 19: HT, Guinea, Monts Nimba, J (gen. slide no. TT 101) (ANHRT); 20: PT, Guinea, Dalaba, ♀ (gen. slide no. LG 5719) (ANHRT); 21: PT, Togo, Fazao-Malfakassa NP, J (gen. slide no. TT 052) (ANHRT); Figures 22, 23. D. mariae. 22: HT, [DRC], Kivu, J (gen. slide RF 1863) (RBINS); 23: PT, [DRC],Kivu, J (RBINS); Figures 24–26. D. parvinota sp. nov. 24: HT, Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, J (gen. slide no. TT 100) (ANHRT); 25: PT, Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, J (ANHRT);26: PT, Liberia, Nimba Mts., ♀ (gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317447) (NHMUK); Figures 27–29. D. meyi sp. nov. 27: HT, Uganda, Kibale NP, J (gen. slide no. MfN 437) (MfN); 28: PT, Uganda, Mpanga Forest, J (gen. slide no. MfN 436) (MfN); 29: PT, Kenya, Kakamega Forest, ♀ (SMNS); Figure 30: D. wetzelae sp. nov.: HT, Tanzania, Ukami Berge, J (gen. slide no. RF 297.2019) (MfN). Scale bar: 1 cm.

Figures 67–90. Male fore wing pattern. Figures 67, 68: Delorhachis viridiplaga; Figure 69: D. charopa stat. rev.; Figure 70: D. ochsei sp. nov.; Figures 71, 72: D. chlorodaedala; Figure 73: D. kitale; Figure 74: D. tommasoi sp. nov.; Figure 75: D. pallidifascia sp. nov.; Figure 76: D. mariae; Figure 77: D. parvinota sp. nov.; Figures 78, 79: D. meyi sp. nov.; Figure 80: D. wetzelae sp. nov.; Figure 81: D. wetzelae shambaa ssp. nov.; Figure 82: D. kilosa; Figure 83: D. zambica sp. nov.; Figure 84: D. syntomoctena comb. nov.; Figure 85: D. manuelae sp. nov.; Figure 86: D. bakossii sp. nov.; Figure 87: D. smithi sp. nov.; Figure 88: D. nimbaensis sp. nov.; Figure 89: D. baaka sp. nov.; Figure 90: D. nigrivenosa.

Figures 103–108. Male genitalia. Figures 103, 104. Delorhachis pallidifascia sp. nov. 103: HT, Guinea, Monts Nimba, gen. slide no. TT 101 (ANHRT); 104: PT, Togo, Fazao-Malfakassa NP, gen. slide no. TT 010 (ANHRT); Figure 105. D. mariae, HT, [DRC], Kivu, gen. slide RF 1863 (RBINS); Figures 106–108. D. parvinota sp. nov. 106: HT, Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, gen. slide no. TT 100 (ANHRT); 107: PT, Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, gen. slide no. TT 082 (ANHRT); 108: PT, Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, gen. slide no. TT083 (ANHRT). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figures 1–15. Adults. Figures 1–3: Delorhachis viridiplaga. 1: ST, Togo, Misahöhe, J (gen. slide no. SAV-08-31) (MfN); 2: Nigeria, Port Harcourt, ♀ (gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317401) (NHMUK); 3: Cameroon, Bascho, J (gen. slide no. RF 299.2019) (MfN); Figures 4–6. D. charopa stat. rev. 4: ST, [DRC], Mawamba-Makala, J (gen. slide no. Lim-1324) (NHMUK); 5: [DRC], Kalambe, ♀ (gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317410) (NHMUK); 6: Cameroon, Mbalmayo Menguémé, J (gen. slide no. 36.636) (RCRF); Figures 7–9. D. ochsei sp. nov. 7: HT, Ghana, Ankasa NP, J (gen. slide no. RF 2021.884) (RCRF, later ZSM); 8: PT, Ghana, Ashanti, ♀ (gen. slide no. NHMUK 010317403) (NHMUK); 9: PT, Ghana, Kakum NP, J (gen. slide no. 31.150) (RCRF); Figures 10–12. D. chlorodaedala. 10: Zambia, Hillwood, J (gen. slide no. TT 044) (ANHRT); 11: HT, Angola, Benguela, ♀ (gen. slide no. Lim-1327) (NHMUK); 12: Zambia, Kapishya Hot Springs, J (gen. slide no. TT 009 (ANHRT). Figures 13–15: D. kitale. 13: HT, Kenya, Kitale, J (gen. slide no. Lim-1326) (NHMUK); 14: Kenya, Kitale, J (gen. slide no. NHMUK 10317405) (NHMUK); 15: Sudan, Kadugli, J (gen. slide no. RF 2021.838) (RCRF). Scale bar: 1 cm.

Figures 171–176. Habitat photos. Figure 171: Zambia, Jiwundu Swamp, habitat of Delorhachis chlorodaedala (© Will Miles). Figures 172, 173: Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui, type locality of D. parvinota and habitat of D. pallidifascia (© Violette Dérozier). Figure 174: Guinea, Monts Nimba, type locality of D. pallidifascia, D. parvinota was also observed there (© Violette Dérozier). Figure 175: Uganda, Kibale Forest, type locality of D. meyi (© Ralf Fiebig). Figure 176: Uganda, Mpanga Forest, habitat of D. meyi (© Michael Ochse).