Acrapex parvaclara Berio, 1973

Bruno Le Ru, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Boaz K. Musyoka, Beatrice Pallangyo, Mohamedi Njaku & Onésime Mubenga, 2017, Phylogenetic analysis and systematics of the Acrapex unicolora Hampson species complex (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Apameini), with the description of Fve new species from the Afrotropics, European Journal of Taxonomy 270, pp. 1-36 : 21-24

Acrapex parvaclara Berio, 1973

Figs 2G, O , 3F , 8A–D

Acrapex parvaclara Berio, 1973: 150 –152, fg. 33.

Acrapex parvaclara – Poole 1989: 20 (catalogue).

Diagnosis

Male easily separated from males of other species of the group by the small rounded protuberance on each side of the apex of the juxta and by the small curved, hand-shaped vesica ( Fig. 2G, O ); female easily separated from females of other species of the group by the strongly sclerotized antrum, with a large, broad ventral plate, slightly bilobate, widening to the front, the anterior part shaped like a thin lip, the posterior part concave ( Fig. 3F ).

Material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: ♂, North Kivu, Ngesho, Sep. 1937, J. Ghesquière leg. (MRAC, gen. prep. Berio N 3755).

Paratypes

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 2 ♂♂, Sankuru, Dimbelenge, Apr. 1951, Dr Fontaine leg. (MNHN); 1 ♂, Sankuru, Lac Hukauda, Nov. 1951, Dr Fontaine leg. (MNHN); 1 ♂, Kindu, Dr Russo leg. (MNHN); 1 ♂, Katanga, Kimbai, Dec. 1925, Ch. Seydel leg. (MCSN).

Other material

CAMEROON: 1 ♀, Northwest Region, Babessi, 06°01.926' N, 10°33.112' E, 1203 m a.s.l., Dec. 2013, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G636); 1 ♂, Northwest Region, Ndop, 05°58.670' N, 10°24.410' E, 1182 m a.s.l., 4 Dec. 2013, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G605).

UGANDA: 1 ♂, Kalinzu Forest, T.H.E. Jackson leg., B.M.E Afr. Exp. B.M. 1985-203 (BMNH, Noctuidae genitalia slide 2466); 1 ♀, South Buganda Region, Katonga, 00°01.577' S, 32°00.958' E, 1151 m a.s.l., 28 May 2014, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G715); 3 ♀♀, Western Region, Itojo, 00°50.546' N, 30°13.131' E, 1070 m a.s.l., 22 May 2014, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G713); 1 ♀, Western Region, Kanga-Bukama, 00°12.898' S, 30°05.624' E, 1277 m a.s.l., 21 May 2014, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G712).

ZAMBIA: 2 ♂♂, Luapula Province, Kavumba, 11°29.074' S, 29°25.757' E, 1193 m a.s.l., 22 Mar. 2012, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G157).

Redescription ( Fig. 8A–D )

Both sexes look similar; however, the general shape of the female fore wing is more elongated at the apex than in the male and fore wings are also paler in females; antennae ochreous, fliform in female, slightly ciliate in male; fagellum fuscous, adorned dorsally with black scales, palpus fuscous, eyes brown. Head and base of thorax fuscous, thorax ochreous; legs ochreous, ringed with white; abdomen fuscous, suffused with grey scales.

FORE WING. Ground colour ochreous, suffused with fuscous, black and white scales, more heavily along veins and costal area; reniform indicated by few white scales, surrounded by some black scales; row of black elongated spots on veins in front of reniform; longitudinal fuscous median fascia along lower external margin of cell, ending obliquely at apex; veins below cell adorned with fuscous scales; row of black elongated spots between veins on margin; fringe white, slightly suffused with fuscous. Underside of fore wing with ground colour ochreous, strongly suffused with fuscous and some brown scales, more heavily on costa and close to termen.

HIND WING. Ground colour white in female, white ochreous in male, suffused with fuscous scales; veins slightly irrorated with fuscous scales, costa and apex more heavily suffused with fuscous scales; fringe white, suffused with fuscous. Underside of hind wing white, suffused with fuscous scales, but much more heavily on costa and apex; veins slightly irrorated, with fuscous scales.

22 MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 2G, O ). Uncus long, widening in distal third, tapering in truncate apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side. Tegumen with medium-sized rounded penniculi, vinculum pointed, with medium-sized triangular saccus, valves short and broad, cucullus rounded and tufted with medium-sized hairs, coastal margin slightly broadened on inner side and produced into strong, tooth-shaped spine, sclerotized at apex, pointed and slightly curved inwardly; juxta large, plate-like, base slightly fattened, without sclerotization, with long and widening bilobate neck, ending on each side with small, rounded protuberance. Aedeagus short, slightly curved, with two lateral areas adorned with short setae; curved, hand-shaped vesica with basal tuft of needle-shaped cornutus, pointed obliquely downward.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 3F ). Corpus bursae long and globular, without signum; ductus bursae very short, with strongly sclerotised funnel-shaped connection with ostium; antrum strongly sclerotized, with large, broad ventral plate, slightly bilobate, widening to the front, anterior part shaped like thin lip, posterior part concave; dorsal plate small, weakly sclerotized. Ovipositor lobes relatively short (2 times as long as wide), with bluntly pointed apex, dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae.

Bionomics

Biology unknown. The moths were caught in a light trap in grasslands near woodlands.

Distribution

Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Zambia. Known from several localities at medium altitude between 1000 and 1200 m a.s.l. Moths were found in a mosaic of lowland rainforest and secondary grassland (Mosaic #11) and from a mosaic of Zambezian dry evergreen forest and wetter miombo woodland (Mosaic #21) ( White 1983) ( Fig. 4 ), belonging to the Congolian and to the Zambezian bioregion respectively ( Linder et al. 2012) ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Male genitalia of species of Acrapex. – A, I. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). – B, J. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. – C, K. A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov. – D, L. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. – E, M. A. malagasy Viette, 1967. – F, N. A. mediopuncta (Bowden, 1956). – G, O. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. – H, P. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 3. Female genitalia of species of Acrapex. A. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). B. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. C. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. D. A. mediopuncta (Bowden, 1956). E. A. miscantha le Ru sp. nov. F. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. G. A. simillima le Ru sp. nov. H. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 4. Distribution map of sampled specimens of Acrapex Hampson, 1891.

Fig. 5. Major bioregions, modifed after Linder et al. (2012).

Fig. 8. Adults of species of Acrapex. – A – D. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. A. ♂, upper side. B. ♂, under side. C. ♀, upper side. D. ♀, under side. – E – F. A. simillima le Ru sp. nov. E. ♀, upper side. F. ♀, under side. – G – J. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). G. ♂, upper side. H. ♂, under side. I. ♀, upper side. J. ♀, under side. Scale bars = 10 mm.