Eutricha giustii, Takano & László, 2024

Takano, Hitoshi & László, Gyula M., 2024, The Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampoidea) of Maputo Special Reserve, Mozambique: a provisional checklist with descriptions of three new species and taxonomic notes, Zootaxa 5492 (2), pp. 231-259 : 235-236

Eutricha giustii sp. n.

( Figs 43–44 , 90a–c )

Holotype ♂ ( ANHRT):

“ MOZAMBIQUE 15m / Maputo Special Reserve, Ponta / Milibangalala ( Dune Grassland ) / 26°26’58.6”S, 32°55’29.8”E / 17-21.ii.2018 Actinic Light Trap / Laszlo, G., Mulvaney, J., / Smith, L., leg. / ANHRT:2018.2 // ANHRTUK / 00035169 // Gen. slide No. / LG 6228 ♂ / prep. by Gy.M. Laszlo [partially handwritten]”

Paratypes (26♂♂ in ANHRT and MHN) :

[3A]— 2♂♂; [3B]— 2♂♂; [3C]— 3♂♂; [3D]— 16♂♂; [3E]— 3♂♂.

Diagnosis. With its uniform fawn-coloured wings, Eutricha giustii sp. n. is a highly distinctive moth that cannot be readily confused with any other species in this or any other allied genera and it is a great surprise that such an insect had evaded discovery until now. All other members of the Pachypasa Walker, 1855 group revised by Zolotuhin & Gurkovich (2009) display well-defined fasciae upon darker ground-colours (ranging from brown through to slate-grey) on the forewings. The male genital configuration of the sympatric E. fulvida ( Fig. 91 ) differs markedly, expressed by the considerably broader tegumen, shorter membranous-setose socii, and markedly larger bilobate valves where the dorsal lobe has an additional triangular medioventral process; the ventral valval lobe has a much larger, semi-circular subbasal protrusion followed by a short, finely dentate ventromedial prominence continued in a gradually tapered, apically pointed distal section. Moreover, the base of the vinculum is markedly wider, the dorsal plate of saccus has sinuous margins and the cubile is noticeably longer with narrower, more heavily sclerotized caudolateral and much wider, sharply dentate, apically pointed caudal projections. Additionally, the phallus has a much longer and more pointed dilation of the coecum penis and a markedly longer and stouter carinal process.

Description. Forewing length: holotype male: 21 mm; paratype males: 20–22 mm.

Male. Upperside. Ground colour of head, thorax, forewing and abdomen fawn; hindwing pale fawn. Antenna bipectinate, brown. Veins densely packed with golden scales giving definition against ground colour. Forewing elongate, rounded at apex, outer margin very gently arcuate; paler distally. Costa and fringe bronze. Anal margin with a patch of dark brown scales medially. Postmedial fascia brown, narrow, indistinct, running broadly parallel to outer margin. Hindwing rounded, fringe bronze. Ground colour darker basally and towards tornus. Underside. Ground colour as on upperside but head and legs with a ferruginous tint. Forewing darker and more ferruginous in costal half, paler distally. Postmedial fascia absent, but indicated by boundary of pale distal area. Hindwing with dark ferruginous scaling basally and along costal margin. Abdomen. Eighth segment unmodified, sternite very short, somewhat trapezoidal, anterior margin with shallow medial depression, posterior margin straight; tergite elongate quadrangular with straight anterior and lateral margins and evenly convex posterior margin.

Male genitalia. Uncus heavily-reduced; socius strongly reduced, represented by short, rounded, membranous, sparsely setose bulge situated near dorsal base of valve; tegumen shorter than width of valve base, with very narrow lateral plates. Valve heavily sclerotized, broad at base, very short (as long as phallus), bilobate; dorsal lobe with concave costal and straight ventral margin, subapically gently curved, apically rounded; ventral lobe with straight dorsal margin and slightly concave ventral margin following a broadly dilated, evenly rounded subbasal section; apex pointed. Juxta heavily sclerotized, semi-circular, tightly fused with phallus. Vinculum strongly modified, dorsal plate inverted-triangular with slightly concave lateral margins; ventral plate (cubile) consisting of medially deeply split, posteriorly gradually dilated elongate plates with bifurcate distal end possessing a moderately sclerotized, subapically curved apically pointed lateral projection and a shorter, heavily sclerotized, posteriorly gradually tapered, apically truncate caudal projection. Phallus strongly sclerotized, coecum penis rounded triangular, carina well-developed, robust thorn-shaped. Vesica membranous, as wide as the distal end of the phallus and almost as long as phallus, without cornuti, abruptly constricted at base of rather thin vesica ejaculatorius.

Female unknown.

DNA divergences. The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AFG3313. Intraspecific PWD was 0.0% (n=2) and diverged from E. fulvida by 4.5–4.6% (n=3) and the MSR E. morosa by 4.3% (n=1).

Derivatio nominis. The new species is dedicated with great pleasure to Alessandro Giusti, Senior Curator of Lepidoptera, NHMUK , who by facilitating access to the Lasiocampidae under his care, has ensured the completeness of this paper. A noun in the genitive case.

Distribution. The new species is known only from its type locality and is almost certainly endemic to the MPA hotspot.

Figures

FIGURES 37–48. Adults (all in coll. ANHRT and collected in MSR). 37. Streblote polydora, ♀. 38. Cleopatrina phocea, ♂. 39. Eutricha morosa, ♂. 40. E. fulvida, ♂. 41. Id., ♀. 42. Id., ♂. 43. E. giustii sp. n., holotype ♂ (gen. slide No. LG 6228). 44. Id., paratype ♂. 45. Pallastica cf. pallens, ♂. 46. Id., ♂. 47. Stoermeriana aculeata, ♂. 48. Id., ♂.

FIGURES 90–91. Male genitalia (a: clasping apparatus, b: phallus) and eighth sternite (c) (all in coll. ANHRT). 90. Eutricha giustii sp. n., holotype, LG 6228. 91. E. fulvida, LG 6239.