Rhynchobombyx nasuta Aurivillius, 1909

Prozorov, Alexey M., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Mapilanga, Jean Joseph, Volkova, Julia S., Yakovlev, Roman V., Traore, Mohamed M., Saldaitis, Aidas & Müller, Günter C., 2021, Seven new species of Rhynchobombyx Aurivillius, 1909 from Congolian lowland forests (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 49, pp. 35-53 : 36-39

Rhynchobombyx nasuta Aurivillius, 1909

( Figs 1–11 , 47, 49–52 )

Rhynchobombyx nasuta Aurivillius, 1909 , Arkiv för Zoologi 5(5): 26. Type locality: [ DRC, Tshuapa Prov., Lomela River, Gombe-Isongo] Gombi. Lectotype male (RBINS), here designated.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE ♂, DRC, [Tshuapa Prov., Lomela River, Gombe-Isongo] Gombi , 13.XII.1906, leg. M. Waelbroeck, genitalia slide GU 2008-10 ( RBINS) ; PARALECTOTYPE ♂, [ DRC?] “Congo”, [unintelligibly], [18]91, genitalia slide RMprep 9968 ( SNHM) . Additional material examined. 29♂, DRC, [Kasaï Prov.] Kasaï- Occidental Prov., NE Ilebo and Kasai River , X–XII.1997, genitalia slide 0639–0640 ( CGM / BUM) ; 4♂, DRC, Mai-Ndombe Prov., Ekongo camp, 02°45’23.09”S, 20°18’55.37”E, XI.2017, leg. A. & T. Prozorovs, V. Kravchenko et al. ( CGM / BUM) ; 1♂, 1♀, Congo, [Cuvette-Ouest Dept.], Odzala Nat. Park , 400–500 m, 0°23’N, 14°50’E, 29.I–3.III.1997, leg. V. Siniaev, S. Murzin, genitalia slide 17.473 ( ZSM / MWM) ; ♂, Angola, Benguela Prov., rd. Londengo–Sumbe, ca. 80 km S Sumbe, 10 km rd. to Bumba , 280 m, 11°47’33.1”S, 14°02’17.4”E, 18.XI.2017, leg. S. Naumann, E. Ott & H. Sulak, genitalia slide 0629 ( CGM / BUM) .

Diagnosis. Forewing coloration brown and orange, not uniform like Rh. gavinfilippone , Rh. avadomenicarocchio , Rh. anthonychristophereaton , generally lighter than Rh. julianjameseaton , but adults are darker ( Fig. 8 ) reminiscent of the lighter ones of Rh. julianjameseaton ( Fig. 25 ), although vesica doesn’t bear cornutus. Medial lines not smooth like in Rh. arijakefriend or Rh. madisonellafriend but crenulated.

Taxonomic notes. Aurivillius described the species after two males: one from Brussels museum, another from Émile Seeldrayers’ collection. The first one deposited in RBINS was studied and labeled a lectotype by Vadim Zolotuhin and Alexander Gurkovich back in 2008 and consequently suggested to be a valid lectotype ( De Prins & De Prins, 2011 –2021), although no formal publication of the nomenclatorial act was followed. The male is clearly a syntype, it bears the label location of “Gombi | 13–12–06” and a collector “Waelbroeck,” both were mentioned in the original description. So , here we designate it a lectotype of Rh. nasuta , figure the specimen ( Fig. 3 ), labels ( Fig. 1 ) and its genitalia ( Fig. 9 ). The second syntype male, deposited in SNHM, was studied by Zolotuhin and Gurkovich as well, herein we designate it a paralectotype and figure it as well ( Figs 2, 5 ).

We did not find the location of “Congogebiet: Gombi,” so we tried to investigate the details. Interestingly enough we found spelling “Gombi” only in Aurivillius’ article: for Rh. nasuta collected on “13–12–06” and Pachypasa nigrescens Aurivillius, 1909 collected on “13–12–03.” The variation “Gombe” or “Gombé” together with “Lomela” as M. Waelbroeck’s collecting area appeared in 6 other publications ( Cameron, 1912; Lestage, 1918; Schouteden, 1918; Schouteden, 1920; Strand, 1912b and Strand, 1918). Lomela is a tributary of the Busira River, both belong to the Congo basin – “Congogebiet” mentioned in the original description. Busira was also listed many times as Waelbroeck’s collecting area (for example in Schouteden, 1918). Surcouf mentioned that Waelbroeck was “on the steamer ‘Président Urban’ in Bussira on October 15 th, 1905 ” ( Surcouf, 1911), and he was in Gombe not long before on October 6 th, 1905 ( Strand, 1912b). We suggest that Gombi is only a misspelling of Gombe which is somewhere along Lomela. The only “Gombe” we found is Gombe- Isongo about 125 km away from the Lomela’s mouth to Busira ( Fig. 49 ), assuming it is the correct area, we therefore designate it as the type locality for Rh. nasuta and Ch. nigrescens .

Even though the characteristics of the typical Rh. nasuta are clear to us, we prefer to postpone the species detailed redescription for the forthcoming article when the relationship of dark forms from Angola ( Fig. 8 ) and the DRC is clarified and more rarely occurring females are studied. We also would like to additionally describe the genus characters like chorionic sculpture of egg and chaetotaxy of first instar larva recently collected in DRC, head, legs and wing venation with discussion of the genus position within Lasiocampidae .

Figures

Figures 1–8. Labels and adults of Rh. nasuta. 1. Lectotype labels (RBINS). 2. Paralectotype labels (SNHM). 3. Male lectotype, DRC, Tshuapa Prov., genitalia slide GU 2008-10 (RBINS). 4. DRC, Kasaï Prov., genitalia slide 0640 (CGM/BUM). 5. Male paralectotype, “Congo,” genitalia slide RMprep 9968 (SNHM). 6. Male, Congo, Cuvette-Ouest Dept., genitalia slide 0638 (CGM/BUM). 7. Female, Congo, Cuvette-Ouest Dept., genitalia slide 17.473 (ZSM/MWM). 8. Male, Angola, Benguela Prov., genitalia slide 0629 (CGM/BUM).

Figures 9–11. Genitalia of Rh. nasuta. 9. Male lectotype, DRC, Tshuapa Prov., genitalia slide GU 2008-10 (RBINS). 10. Male, Angola, Benguela Prov., genitalia slide 0629 (CGM/BUM). 11. Female, Congo, Cuvette-Ouest Dept., genitalia slide 17.473 (ZSM/MWM).

Figures 47–52. Collecting areas of Rhynchobombyx spp. 47. Congo, Cuvette-Ouest Dept., Odzala-Kakoua Nat. Park, 400–500 m, 0°23’N, 14°50’E. 48. DRC, Haut-Uele Prov., Isiro. 49. DRC, Tshuapa Prov., Lomela River, Gombe- Isongo. 50. DRC, Mai-Ndombe Prov., Ekongo camp, 02°45’23.09”S, 20°18’55.37”E. 51. DRC, Kasaï Prov., NE Ilebo and Kasai River. 52. Angola, Benguela Prov., rd. Londengo–Sumbe, ca. 80 km S Sumbe, 10 km rd. to Bumba, 280 m, 11°47’33.1”S, 14°02’17.4”E. Available from: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1meQVkKsMY8Qvp5cJBC2dwi_clX6l-cOD&usp=sharing [Accessed 10.XII.2021].

Figures 23–25. Adults of Rh. julianjameseaton, all DRC, Kasaï Prov. 23. Male holotype, genitalia slide 0620 (CGM/BUM). 24. Female paratype, genitalia slide 0624 (CGM/BUM). 25. Male paratype, genitalia slide 0623 (CGM/BUM).