Sesamia satauensis Le Ru, 2024

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

Sesamia satauensis Le Ru sp. nov.

Figures 13 I – L ; 14 C, F, I ; 15

Type material.

Holotype ♂, BOTSWANA, Chobe Province , Satau, 18 ° 17 ′ 00 ″ S, 26 ° 41 ′ 00 ″ E, 943 m a. s. l., III. 2015, ex larvae in stems of Vossia cuspidata Griff. , gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / 809, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; Paratype. BOTSWANA: one ♀, same locality and date as holotype, ex larvae in stems of Vossia cuspidata Griff. , gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / 812, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) .

Diagnosis.

(See also the identification key of nonagrioides subgroup, section 3.5. 2.). This species can be distinguished from the other known members of the nonagrioides 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 with a large sized rounded saccus; juxta large and conical, the inferior plate and sides rounded, the superior plate narrow and short, bifid terminally; uncus stout and short, the same width over the entire length, apex blunted; phallus short and thin; vesica with a small semi-circular flat cornutus; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 large, weakly sclerotized, almost subspherical, the anterior side concave, at least twice as long than wide; ostium bursae large, funnel-shaped, sclerotized, with blunt tip on each side; ductus bursae sclerotized with a small very narrow posterior sclerotized area, at least 10 times longer than wide.

Description.

(Fig. 13 I – L ). Wing patterns similar in both sexes but the males are darker. Antenna ochraceous, bipectinate in the male, filiform in the female, flagellum adorned dorsally with ochraceous scales in both sexes; palpus dark ochraceous in males, ochraceous in females; eyes dark brown. Head and thorax covered with long ochraceous hairs. Abdomen buff. Forelegs brown in males, otherwise ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales. Forewing ochraceous slightly suffused with brown and fuscous scales particularly in termen; three dark brown spots, on antemedial, one medial and one postmedial; a more or less visible longitudinal fuscous brown fascia along lower margin of cell, partly within, partly without cell from base of cell to the subterminal line; one subterminal line of more or less distinct brown spots on the veins; outer margin adorned with brown elongated spots between the veins, fringe ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales, basal line of fringe buff. Hindwing white, fringe concolor (white). Underside of forewing light ochraceous, suffused with brown and fuscous scales in costa, apex and termen, much more in the postmedial area, fringe ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales, in males; underside of forewing light ochraceous slightly suffused with brown and fuscous scales in costa, apex and termen, fringe light ochraceous suffused with fuscous scales, in females. Underside of hindwing white, fringe concolor (white). — Forewing length: male 28.0 mm (N = 1); female 31.0 mm (N = 1). — Male genitalia (Fig. 14 C, F ). 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 rounded saccus. Valve with sacculus and cucullus separate; costa short and narrow, heavily sclerotized, ending with a stout and short straight spine; sacculus heavily sclerotized rounded at base, a broad and short apical extension, curved inwards, club-shaped, bearing numerous short and stout spines; cucullus longer than sacculus, weakly sclerotized, slightly clavate at apex, with scattered and papillated hairs; juxta large and conical, the inferior plate and sides rounded, the superior plate narrow and short, bifid terminally; uncus angled, stout and short, the same width over the entire length, tapering to a fine point, apex blunted, tufted with long hairs on upper side; phallus short and thin, a bit curved 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. 14 I ). Apophyses anteriores with spatulate tips; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 large, sclerotized, almost spherical, the anterior side convex, at least 1.2 times longer than wide; ostium bursae large, funnel-shaped, sclerotized, with blunt tip on each side; ductus bursae long and narrow, with a small narrow, slightly sclerotized posterior area, at least 10 times longer than wide; corpus bursae pyriform, without signa; ovipositor lobes at least 2.6 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.

Etymology.

Named after Satau, a small village in Chobe Province in Botswana; treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Republic of Botswana. Known from one locality only in ‘ Colophospermum mopane (Benth.) Leonard woodland and scrub woodland’ (Mosaic # 28) vegetation mosaic ( White 1983) (Fig. 15 ) belonging to the Zambezian bioregion (sensu Linder et al. 2012).

Ecology.

Larvae were collected from young stems and shoots of Vossia cuspidata (Roxb.) Griff ( Poaceae ) (Table S 5) growing in wetlands with various Poales belonging to the following genera: Cyperus , Echinochloa , Phragmites , Setaria , Sporobolus and Typha .

Figures

Figure 13. Adults of the nonagrioides subgroup (S. libode sp. nov., S. roumeti, S. satauensis sp. nov.). S. libode sp. nov.: A male upper side; B male underside; C female upper side; D female underside; S. roumeti: E male upper side; F male underside; G female upper side; H female underside; S. satauensis sp. nov.: I male upper side; J male underside; K female upper side; L female underside. Scale bar = 9 mm.

Figure 14. Male and female genitalia of members of the nonagrioides subgroup; S. libode sp. nov.: A male apparatus; D phallus; G female apparatus; S. roumeti: B male apparatus; E phallus; H female apparatus; S. satauensis sp. nov.: C male apparatus; F phallus; I female apparatus. Scale bar = 1 mm for male apparati and 0.5 mm for phalli; 9 mm for female apparati.

Figure 15. Distribution map of sampled specimens of the nonagrioides subgroup.