Acrapex kafula Le Ru, 2017

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 : 11-13

Acrapex kafula Le Ru sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B727D00A-7E31-4B44-9B33-E6DC82D548B2

Figs 1G–J , 2B, J , 3B

Diagnosis

Male easily separated from males of other species of the group by the shovel-shaped uncus (at the apex) and the distal part of the aedeagus (grooved-shaped), with the vesica having a basal tuft of needleshaped cornutus, pointed downward ( Fig. 2B, J ). Female easily separated from females of other species of the group by the very short ductus bursae, with a strongly sclerotised funnel-shaped connection with the ostium; antrum sclerotized, with a large, broad ventral plate, slightly bilobate, widening to the front, the anterior part shaped like a thin lip and more sclerotized than the posterior part, slightly concave ( Fig. 3B ).

Etymology

Named after the village of Kafulo in Zambia.

Type material

Holotype

ZAMBIA: ♂, Western Province, Kafulo, 14°08.726' S, 23°27.638' E, 1056 m a.s.l., 20 Mar. 2012, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G595).

Paratypes

CAMEROON: 1 ♀, Central Region, Sanaga River, 04°22.387' N, 11°15.162' E, 388 m a.s.l., Dec. 2013, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G603).

KENYA: 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Nyanza Province, edge of Ruma Park, 00°36.293' S, 34°16.046' E, 1221 m a.s.l., 14 Nov. 2012, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G511-G513-G529); 1 ♂, Central Province, Ruiru Aukland, 01°05.063' S, 36°55.621' E, 1595 m a.s.l., Jun. 2011 (MNHN).

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 1 ♂, Plateau Region, Lefni River, 02°54.501' S, 15°37.776' E, 320 m a.s.l., 13 Apr. 2013, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G584).

TANZANIA: 1 ♂, Iringa Region, Lukumburu, 09°40.048' S, 35°16.892' E, 1299 m a.s.l., 17 Apr. 2015, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G799).

UGANDA: 2 ♂♂, 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/G714).

ZAMBIA: 1 ♂, same date and locality as holotype, ex. light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G178); 1 ♀, same date and locality as holotype, ex light trap (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G165).

Description

Both sexes look similar; however, general shape of female fore wing more elongated at apex than in male and fore wings paler in females ( Fig. 1G–J ); antennae bright fuscous dorsally and ochreous ventrally, fliform in female and slightly ciliate in male; fagellum adorned dorsally with black scales, palpus cupreous brown, eyes fuscous. Head and base of thorax brown, thorax becoming gradually fuscous; legs brown-ringed with buff, buff on inner surface; abdomen fuscous, irrorated with buff scales.

FORE WING. Ground colour ochreous in both sexes, suffused with fuscous scales, more heavily along veins and costal area, particularly in males; reniform indicated by a few white scales, preceded by some brown scales; longitudinal brown median fascia along lower external margin of cell, ending obliquely at apex; veins below cell adorned with white, fuscous and brown scales; postmedial row of white spots on veins; row of black elongated spots between veins on margin; fringe whitish externally, fuscous suffused with brown internally. Underside of fore wing with ground colour fuscous, densely suffused with brown scales.

HIND WING. Ground colour white, veins slightly irrorated, with fuscous scales, costa and apex more heavily suffused with fuscous scales; hind wing of males much more suffused with fuscous scales than in females; fringe white, suffused with fuscous and adorned with narrow fuscous line. Underside of hind wing white, suffused with fuscous scales but much more heavily on costa and apex; veins slightly irrorated, with fuscous scales.

WINGSPAN. 18–22 mm (6 ♂♂); 21–25 mm (5 ♀♀).

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 2B, J ). Uncus long, widening in distal third, shovel-shaped at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side. Tegumen with medium-sized rounded penniculi, vinculum pointed, with mediumsized 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, strongly sclerotized at apex, pointed and slightly curved inwardly; juxta large, plate-like, without sclerotisation. Aedeagus short, slightly curved, with two lateral areas adorned with short setae; hand-shaped vesica with basal tuft of needle-shaped cornutus, pointed downward.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 3B ). Corpus bursae elongated ovoid and globular without signa; ductus bursae very short, with strongly sclerotised, funnel-shaped connection with ostium; antrum sclerotized, with large, broad ventral plate, slightly bilobate, widening to the front, anterior part shaped like a thin lip, more sclerotized than posterior part, slightly concave; dorsal plate small, weakly sclerotized. Ovipositor lobes relatively short (2.2 times as long as wide), with pointed apex, dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae.

Bionomics

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

Distribution

Cameroon,Kenya,theRepublicoftheCongo,Tanzania,UgandaandZambia.Mothswerefoundinamosaic of lowland rainforest and secondary grassland (Mosaic #11), in a mosaic of Zambezian dry evergreen forest and wetter miombo woodland (Mosaic #21), in a mosaic of East African evergreen bushland and secondaryAcacia wooded grassland (Mosaic #45) and in undiffentiated montane vegetation (Mosaic #19) ( White 1983) ( Fig. 4 ), belonging to the Congolian and Zambezian bioregions ( Linder et al. 2012) ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Adults of species of Acrapex. – A – F. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). A. ♂, upper side. B. ♂, under side. C. ♂, original labels from BMNH. D. ♀, original labels from BMNH. E. Upper side. F. Under side. – G – J. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. G. ♂, upper side. H. ♂, under side. I. ♀, upper side. J. ♀, under side. Scale bars = 3 mm.

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).