Sesamia mapalense 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 mapalense Le Ru sp. nov.

Figures 2 O – R ; 3 E, L ; 4 D ; 5 B ; 6

Type material.

Holotype ♂, KENYA, Nyanza Province , Kijauri, 00 ° 46 ′ 20 ″ S, 35 ° 04 ′ 51 ″ E, 1858 m a. s. l., V. 2006, ex larvae in stems of Panicum mapalense Pilg. , gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / G 42, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; Paratypes: KENYA: eight ♂, 10 ♀, same locality as holotype, I. 2005 - V. 2006 - X. 2015, ex larvae in stems of P. mapalense , males gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / G 248-250 - 509, female gen. Prep. LE RU Bruno / G 249, (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) ; one ♀, Nyanza Province, Kissii 2 / Sare , 00 ° 54 ′ 47 ″ S, 34 ° 31 ′ 44 ″ E, 1583 m a. s. l., VII. 2004, ex larvae in stems of P. mapalense , (B. Le Ru leg.) ( MNHN) .

Diagnosis.

(See also the identification key of calamistis species subgroup, section 3.3. 2.). This species can be distinguished from the other known members of the calamistis subgroup by the combination of the following characters of the male and female genitalia: vinculum with a small saccus, u-shaped at the outer margin, w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation; apical extension of the sacculus slightly shorter than the cucullus; juxta large and trapezoidal, the inferior plate v-shaped, the sides pointed, the superior plate narrow and short; phallus short and thick, vesica without cornutus; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 at least three times longer than wide; ostium bursae very small, transverse, with two lobes bean shaped, sclerotized; ductus bursae short and broad, entirely membranous.

Description.

(Fig. 2 O – R ). Antenna ochraceous suffused with brown scales, shortly bipectinate in the male, filiform in the female, flagellum adorned dorsally with brown scales in males and light ochraceous scales in females; palpus from light to dark ochraceous; eyes brown. Wing patterns similar in both sexes, thorax brown in males, buff in females; head and thorax covered with long hairs. Legs of males brown, forelegs fuscous otherwise light buff suffused with fuscous scales in females. Forewing dark ochraceous heavily suffused with brown scales in males, light buff suffused with ochraceous and brown scales in females; no transverse markings, a line of dark brown markings below the cell, another one along the upper margin of the cell; orbicular spot indistinct, reniform spot visible; a more or less visible longitudinal fascia, brown in males, ochraceous in females, between lower and upper margins of cell, from base of cell to the termen; a curved subterminal series of brown markings on the veins; outer margin adorned with brown spots between the veins; fringe concolor (dark ochraceous) with a basal buff line. Hindwing light buff heavily suffused with brown scales, fringe concolor (light buff) with a basal buff line in males; light buff suffused with fuscous scales, fringe concolor (light buff) with a basal buff line, in females. Underside of forewing uniformly brown, suffused with ochraceous scales in costa, fringe concolor (brown), in males; light buff heavily and uniformly suffused with brown scales, suffused with ochraceous scales in costa, fringe concolor (light buff), in females. Underside of hindwing uniformly brown, suffused with ochraceous scales in costa, fringe concolor (brown) in males; light buff heavily suffused with brown scales, fringe concolor (light buff) in females; abdomen buff suffused with fuscous scales in both sexes. — Forewing length: male 17–19 mm (x ̅ = 18.0 mm, N = 8); female 19–22 mm (x ̅ = 20.5 mm, N = 11). — Male genitalia (Fig. 3 E, L ). Tegumen with large peniculi; vinculum with a small saccus, u-shaped at the outer margin, w-shaped at the inner margin without indentation. Valve with sacculus and cucullus separate; costa short and narrow, heavily sclerotized, ending with a long straight spine, with an apical tooth; sacculus heavily sclerotized rounded at base, a narrow and elongated apical extension slightly shorter than the cucullus, apical extension adorned with rows of short stout spines, thick and blunt at apex; cucullus long, weakly sclerotized, clavate at apex, with scattered and papillated hairs. Juxta large and trapezoidal, the inferior plate v-shaped, the sides pointed, the superior plate narrow and short, bifid; uncus angled and stout at base, narrowed in distal part, pointed at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side; phallus short and thick, dilated at base; lamina ventralis with an elongate carinal crest, produced into paired lateral lobes; vesica without cornutus. — Female genitalia (Fig. 4 D ). Apophyses anteriores with spatulate tips; ventrolateral plates of female segment A 8 slightly sclerotized, elongated, at least three times longer than wide; ostium bursae very small, transverse, with two lobes bean-shaped, sclerotized; ductus bursae short and broad, entirely membranous; ductus seminalis from the basal part of the corpus bursae; corpus bursae as long as ductus bursae, without signa; ovipositor lobes at least twice as long than wide with dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae, the ventral side of each lobe almost straight, tooth-shaped; apophyses posteriors more slender than apophyses anteriores. — L 5 instar larva (Fig. 5 B ). Length, 35–40 mm, breadth, 4.0 mm; head smooth, red brown, prothoracic shield salmon beige; body with ground colour salmon pink, pinacula and caudal plate salmon beige. Young larvae are very similar in appearance to mature ones.

Etymology.

Named after mapalense the host plant specific name, treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Kenya. Only known from two localities belonging to the ‘ lowland rain forest and secondary grassland’ (Mosaic # 11 a) vegetation mosaic ( White 1983) (Fig. 6 ) belonging to the Congolian bioregion (sensu Linder et al. 2012).

Ecology.

Larvae were collected from young stems and shoots of Panicum mapalense Pilg. growing in wetlands inhabited by various species of Poaceae belonging to the following genera: Cymbopogon Spreng. , Hyparrhenia Andersson ex Four., Digitaria , Panicum and Sporobolus .

Figures

Figure 2. Adults of the calamistis subgroup (S. calamistis, S. kabirara sp. nov., S. kalale sp. nov., S. madagascariensis, S. mapalense sp. nov., S. monodi, S. oriaula and S. teke sp. nov.). S. calamistis: A male upper side; B male underside; C female upper side; D female underside; S. kabirara sp. nov.: E male upper side; F male underside, G female upper side; H female underside; S. kalale sp. nov.: I male upper side; J male underside; S. madagascariensis: K male upper side; L male underside, M female upper side; N female underside; S. mapalense sp. nov.: O male upper side; P male underside, Q female upper side; R female underside; S. monodi: S male upper side; T male underside; U original label type from MNHN; S. oriaula: V male upper side; W male underside; X female upper side; Y female underside; S. teke sp. nov.: Z female upper side; AA female underside. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figure 3. Male genitalia of members of the calamistis subgroup, with the vesica inside the phallus. S. calamistis: A apparatus; H phallus; S. kabirara sp. nov.: B apparatus; I phallus; S. kalale sp. nov.: C apparatus; J phallus; S. madagascariensis: D apparatus; K phallus; S. mapalense: E apparatus; L phallus; S. monodi: F apparatus; M phallus (poorly prepared, damaged); S. oriaula: G apparatus; N phallus. Scale bar = 1 mm for apparatus and 0.5 mm for phalli.

Figure 4. Female genitalia of members of the calamistis subgroup. A S. calamistis; B S. kabirara sp. nov.; C S. madagascariensis; D S. mapalense sp. nov.; E S. oriaula; F S. teke sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 5. Last instar larvae of members of the calamistis, incerta and nonagrioides subgroups. A S. calamistis; B S. mapalense sp. nov.; C S. oriaula; D S. epunctifera; E S. firmata; F S. incerta; G S. kamba sp. nov.; H S. penniseti; I S. roumeti. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figure 6. Distribution map of sampled specimens of the calamistis subgroup, with the exception of S. calamistis specimens.