Sesamia pennipuncta Moyal, 2011

Hévin, Noémie M. C., Kergoat, Gael J., Zilli, Alberto, Capdevielle-Dulac, Claire, Musyoka, Boaz K., Sezonlin, Michel, Conlong, Desmond, Van Den Berg, Johnnie, Ndemah, Rose, Le Gall, Philippe, Cugala, Domingos, Nyamukondiwa, Casper, Pallangyo, Beatrice, Njaku, Mohamedi, Goftishu, Muluken, Assefa, Yoseph, Kandonda, Onésime Mubenga, Bani, Grégoire, Molo, Richard, Chipabika, Gilson, Ong’amo, George, Clamens, Anne-Laure, Barbut, Jérôme & Le Ru, Bruno, 2024, Revisiting the taxonomy and molecular systematics of Sesamia stemborers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Apameini: Sesamiina): updated classification and comparative evaluation of species delimitation methods, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 82, pp. 447-501 : 447-501

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/asp.82.e113140
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:25470FD2-80E2-4849-A9EC-C97FB6514182
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11635643
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/51815304-038A-5A3E-B36F-8B6367749805
treatment provided by	Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny by Pensoft
scientific name	Sesamia pennipuncta Moyal, 2011
status

Treatment

Figures 8 H, S View Figure 8 ; 9 F View Figure 9 ; 11 View Figure 11 ; 12 I – L View Figure 12

Sesamia pennipuncta – Moyal (2011: 430).

Type material.

Holotype ♀, MOZAMBIQUE, Manica district, Rio Chiteo , 18 ° 58 ′ 11 ″ S, 32 ° 49 ′ 12 ″ E, 767 m a. s. l., IV. 2005, ex larvae in stems of Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone , gen. prep. MP 31, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps . — Paratype: MOZAMBIQUE: one ♂, Manica district, Vandula , 19 ° 00 ′ 54 ″ S, 33 ° 07 ′ 23 ″ E, 661 m a. s. l., IV. 2005, ex larvae in stems of Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone , gen. prep. MP 32, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps .

Other materials.

MOZAMBIQUE: one ♂, one ♀, Nampula district, Metuce , 15 ° 33 ′ 03 ″ S, 38 ° 06 ′ 28 ″ E, 409 m a. s. l., III. 2010, ex larvae in stems of C. purpureus , male gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 1, female gen. prep. JB 726, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps ; one ♂, one ♀, Nampula district, Milela River, 15 ° 44 ′ 45 ″ S, 37 ° 38 ′ 11 ″ E, 480 m a. s. l., III. 2010, ex larvae in stems of C. purpureus , female gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 2, male gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 265, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps ; one ♀, Manica district, Nyamwerera , 17 ° 46 ′ 34 ″ S, 33 ° 13 ′ 43 ″ E, 635 m a. s. l., IV. 2005, ex larvae in stems of C. purpureus , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps ; TANZANIA: three ♂, three ♀, Morogoro, Mahenge forest , 08 ° 55 ′ 30 ″ S, 36 ° 43 ′ 12 ″ E, 410 m a. s. l., V. 2010, ex larvae in stems of C. purpureus , male gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 239, female gen. prep. LE RU Bruno / 240, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

(See also the identification key of incerta subgroup, section 3.4. 2.). This species can be distinguished from the other known members of the incerta subgroup by the combination of the following characters of the male and female genitalia: tegumen with large flat peniculi; vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin and w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a large sized saccus, rounded; juxta large, the inferior plate triangle-shaped almost equilateral, with a slight bulge at the bottom, ending with a long and narrow, shortly bifid superior plate as long as the inferior one; phallus short and thin, almost straight in the middle; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 large, sclerotized, slightly trapezoidal, the posterior side swollen inwards, at least 1.4 times longer than wide; ostium bursae large, funnel-shaped, sclerotized, with rounded tip on each side; ductus bursae with two posterior sclerotized areas at least nine times longer than wide; ovipositor lobes at least 2.5 times longer than wide.

Redescription.

(Fig. 12 I, L View Figure 12 ). The species was described from two specimens in Moyal et al. (2011). We redescribe the species with additional material (five males, six females) collected in Mozambique and Tanzania. Wing patterns and colours similar in both sexes. Antenna ochraceous, shortly pectinate in the male, filiform in the female, flagellum adorned dorsally with ochraceous scales in both sexes; palpus ochraceous; eyes brown. Head and thorax covered with long ochraceous hairs. Abdomen light buff suffused with fuscous and brown scales. Legs dark ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales. Forewing ochraceous, slightly suffused with brown and fuscous scales; a longitudinal dark ochraceous fascia along lower margin of cell, partly within, partly without cell from base of cell to the subterminal line; outer margin adorned with more or less visible brown spots between the veins, fringe light ochraceous suffused with brown and fuscous scales, basal line of fringe light ochraceous. Hindwing white, very slightly suffused with brown scales in costal and apical areas, fringe concolor (white), suffused with fuscous scales in apex. Underside of forewing light ochraceous, heavily suffused with fuscous scales in costal and apical areas and below the cell, fringe light ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales, basal line light ochraceous. Underside of hindwing white suffused with brown and fuscous scales in costal and apical areas, fringe concolor (white), suffused with fuscous scales in apex. — Forewing length: male 28–30 mm (x ̅ = 29.3 mm, N = 6); female 29–35 mm (x ̅ = 32.0 mm, N = 6). — Male genitalia (Fig. 8 H, S View Figure 8 ). Tegumen with large flat peniculi; vinculum u-shaped at the outer margin and w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation, with a large saccus, rounded. Valve with sacculus and cucullus separate; costa short and narrow, heavily sclerotized, ending with a stout and long straight spine, with two apical teeth; sacculus heavily sclerotized rounded at base, a broad and short apical extension, curved inwards, strongly club-shaped, bearing numerous short and stout spines; cucullus weakly sclerotized, slightly clavate at apex, with scattered and papillated hairs; juxta large, the inferior plate triangle-shaped almost equilateral, with a slight bulge at the bottom, ending with a long and narrow, shortly bifid superior plate as long as the inferior one; uncus angled and stout at base, narrowed in distal part, pointed at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side; phallus short and thin, almost straight in the middle; lamina ventralis with an elongate carinal crest, produced into paired lateral lobes; vesica with a small semi-circular flat cornutus. — Female genitalia (Fig. 9 F View Figure 9 ). Apophyses anteriores with spatulate tips; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 large, sclerotized, slightly trapezoidal, the posterior side with a slight cup-shaped bulge, at least 1.4 times longer than wide; ostium bursae large, funnel-shaped, sclerotized, with rounded tip on each side; ductus bursae long and narrow, posteriorly very slightly sclerotized and with two sclerotized areas at least nine times longer than wide; corpus bursae pyriform, without signa; ovipositor lobes at least 2.5 times longer than wide with dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae, the ventral side of each lobe slightly curved; apophyses posteriores more slender than apophyses anteriores.

Distribution.

Mozambique and Tanzania. Known from localities in ‘ East African coastal Zanzibar-Ihambane’ (Mosaic # 16 a) and ‘ drier Zambezian miombo woodland (dominated by Brachystegia and Julbernardia ) ’ (Mosaic # 26) vegetation mosaics ( White 1983) (Fig. 12 View Figure 12 ) belonging to the Zambezian bioregion (sensu Linder et al. 2012).

Ecology.

Larvae were collected from young stems and shoots of C. purpureus growing along rivers or in wetlands inhabited by various Poales belonging to the following genera: Echinochloa , Megathyrsus , Panicum and Setaria .

Remarks.

This species is morphologically very close to S. lalaci sp. nov., S. lusese sp. nov. and S. msowero sp. nov., and its identification is impossible without a thorough examination of the genitalia.