Geritola pacifica Sáfián & Libert, 2015

Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2020, Description of the previously unknown sexes in four West African Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) with new data on their distribution, Zootaxa 4834 (2), pp. 219-230 : 222

Geritola pacifica Sáfián & Libert, 2015

( FIGS 4A,B ; 5 )

Sáfián, Sz., Collins, S.C. & Libert, M. (2015): 287–288.

lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 63593D6A-D6D2-425A-8607-B3AB08CD9471

Illustrated specimen data. ♀ LIBERIA, Lofa County, Foya Proposed Protected Area, Kailahun camp 7°56’35.80”N, 10°16’36.22”W, 530m, General collecting, 10-19.XI.2017, Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. Leg. Gen. prep.: SAFI00392 ). ANHRT : 2017: 33

ANHRT unique number: ANHRTUK00037703.

Description and identification. Forewing length: 21.1 mm. Wingspan: 37.3 mm. The general appearence of the female is like G. nitidica Libert & Collins, 1999 and G. wardi Sáfián & Collins, 2015 with a black upperside with the forewing basal half overlaid by peachy blue scaling, which is restricted to the area between veins 1 and 6 on the hindwing. The underside is also very similar with virtually no markings except a fine, greyish marginal line and a submarginal row of grey chevrons. Similarly to the male, the basal two-thirds of vein 1 is thickened on the forewing, also in G. nitidica , whereas in G. wardi the thickened part of vein 1 is shorter than half the total length. The blue area extends to the margin in spaces 2 and 3 on the hindwing of G. pacifica female, whereas it is broader in G. wardi , reaching the margin between veins 1 and 4. The blue on the hindwing of G. nitidica is restricted to the basal and median area, leaving a broad black margin around it.

New records. G. paficica was originally known only from lowland localities. The locus typicus is hyper-wet forest in the Gola National Forest (now Gola Forest National Park) on the Sierra Leonean border, where the type was collected with Parasiomera alfa at Camp Alpha. A second male specimen was collected by Robert Tropek in similar habitat in the Sapo National Park ( Sáfián et al. 2015a). During an ANHRT-organized expedition, several males were collected displaing on a hilltop in the Foya Forest (Foya Proposed Protected Area) just north of the Gola Forest. These two lowland forest areas form a single large forest block of hyper-wet forest in Western Liberia. A small series of females was also collected at the same locality. Further male specimens were collected approximately 40 km north-east of the Foya locality in the Wologizi Mountains. A few were observed displaying on tree-trunks on hilltops at 830- 860 m. At this altitude, Liberian forests usually harbour a few upland elements, and two presumably upland specialists, P. mano Sáfián, 2015 and the only known female of C. wingae Sáfián, 2015 were also collected on the hilltops, sympatrically with G. pacifica .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Geritola females: G. pacifica (Liberia, Kailahun camp, Foya Proposed Protected Area) upperside—A, underside— B; G. nitidica (Cameroon, Ebogo) upperside—C, underside—D; G. wardi paratype (Uganda, Mabira Forest) upperside—E, underside—F.

FIGURE 5. Known localities of G. pacifica.