Gonotrichidia braedan, Prozorov & Revay & Yakovlev & Volkova & Murphy & Prozorova & Saldaitis & Petrányi & Sulak & Traore & Müller, 2023

Prozorov, Alexey M., Revay, Edita E., Yakovlev, Roman V., Volkova, Julia S., Murphy, Raymond J., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Saldaitis, Aidas, Petrányi, Gergely, Sulak, Harald, Traore, Mohamed M. & Müller, Günter C., 2023, Two new species for Gonotrichidia from West and East Africa (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 70, pp. 60-69 : 62-66

Gonotrichidia braedan sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:01C67F87-982E-4094-A4CD-4AEABE0F79A4

( Figs 6–8 , 16 , 18 , 20 )

Holotype: ♂, Malawi , Nyika National Park, 17 km from Thazima Gate, 10.73 S, 33.63 E, 1700 m, 8.VIII.2004, leg. R. J. Murphy, GS 29715 ( CGM / USTTB) . Paratypes. Malawi: ♀, Nyika National Park, 18 km from Thazima Gate , 10.7283 S, 33.655 E, 1930 m, 7.I.2012, leg. R. J. Murphy, GS 29716 ( CGM / USTTB) ; ♂, Malawi, Nyika National Park , 20 km N Thazima Gate, 1930 m, 7.I.2009, leg. V. Anikin ( CVZ / CJV) ; ♂, Mzimba District, 6 km ENE Mzuzu , 30.I.1989, leg. J. Rawlins & S. Thompson ( CMNH) ; ♂, Mzimba, Viphya Mountains on Luwawa Rd. , 28.I.2001, leg. R. J. Murphy (DMNH, ex J. G. Joannou coll.) . Zambia: ♂, Northern Province, Mutinondo, wet Miombo , 12.3919 S, 31.3233 E, 1390 m, 28.XII.2010, leg. J. Lenz ( ZSM) . Tanzania: ♂, Mpanda District, 37 km S Uvinza , 1550 m, 18.VIII.1989, leg. Bjørnstad ( NHMO) .

Description. Male ( Figs 6, 8 ). Flagellum covered with speckled black and fawn scales. Head and thorax fawn, abdomen beige. Forewing. Forewing length: 20–21 mm. Elongated, somewhat triangular with bunt apex. Background color speckled fawn and beige. Blackish pattern consists of discal dot, unbroken transversal ante- and postmedial lines, and fragmented vague external line. Fringe speckled blackish and fawn. Hindwing. Somewhat oval with smooth outer margin. Background color beige, costal field and distal half veins fawn. Fringe speckled beige and fawn with blackish scales near tornal angle. Genitalia ( Fig. 16 ). Vinculum triangular with widely rounded distal apex, laterobasally bears a pair of socii. Socii tubercle-like, sparsely covered with setae. Cucullus finger-shaped with bent pointed apex. Sacculus compact, somewhat c-shaped, sparsely covered with setae. Juxta small, stem-like, ventrobasally fused with aedeagus. Aedeagus c-shaped with blunt apex. Vesica small, conical, medially sclerotized. Vinculum ventrally elongated forming cup-like saccus with two distal apexes. The eighth sternite somewhat trapezoid with a pair of small sclerotized mediodistal dents, concavity with sclerotized outer margin between them, and basal apodemes. Female ( Fig. 7 ). Flagellum covered with speckled black and brown scales. Head and thorax brown, abdomen fawn. Forewing. Forewing length: 28 mm. Elongated, somewhat triangular, with blunt apex. Background color speckled fawn and brown. Pattern similar to male but faded. Fringe speckled brown and dark brown. Hindwing. Somewhat ovaloid with smooth outer margin. Background color speckled fawn and beige, basally lighter. Fringe fawn, darker near tornal angle. Genitalia ( Fig. 18 ). Papillae anales oval, densely covered with setae. Posterior and anterior apophyses equal in size. Antevaginal plate absent. Postvaginal plate small, somewhat v-shaped, medially wrinkled. Ostium amorphous. Ductus bursae short, wrinkled. Corpus bursae medium-sized, oval.

Diagnosis. Adult males of G. braedan sp. n. are overall paler, have dark flagellum, better pronounced pattern on forewings (especially, external line), beige hindwings ( Figs 6, 8 ), apically broad apex of tegumen, two distal apexes of saccus, unpronounced cornuti on vesica, highly sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Fig. 16 ); while adult males of G. modestissima are overall darker, have pale flagellum, rather faded pattern on forewings, brown hindwings ( Figs 1–4 ), apically narrow apex of tegumen, one distal apex of saccus, cornuti on vesica, regularly sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Figs 11–14 ). Adult female of G. braedan sp. n. is overall lighter, lacks concavity on anal margin of forewings ( Fig. 7 ), has medially sclerotized postvaginal plate with rounded lateral lobes ( Fig. 18 ); while adult female of G. modestissima is overall darker, has concavity on forewings ( Fig. 5 ), has medially membranous postvaginal plate with trapezoid lateral lobes ( Fig. 17 ). Gonotrichidia braedan sp. n. is spread in East Africa ( Fig. 20 ); while G. modestissima is only known from DRC ( Fig. 20 ).

Adult males of G. braedan sp. n. are overall larger with more rounded forewings and pronounced external line on forewing ( Figs 6, 8 ), have apically broader tegumen, saccus with two apexes and highly sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Fig. 16 ); while adult males of G. eponine sp. n. are overall smaller with more triangular forewings and unpronounced external line on forewings ( Figs 9–10 ), have apically narrower tegumen, saccus with one apex and regularly sclerotized sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Fig. 15 ). Gonotrichidia braedan sp. n. is spread in East Africa ( Fig. 20 ); while G. eponine sp. n. is only known from Ivory Coast ( Fig. 19 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 20 ). Central Zambezian wet miombo woodlands in Tanzania, Central Zambezian wet miombo woodlands in Malawi and Zambia.

Biology. Adults were collected in January, August and December from an altitude of 1390–1930 m. Preimaginal stages unknown.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Braedan Taormina (Nesconset, USA).

Figures

Figures 1–10. Adults of Gonotrichidia spp. 1–5. G. modestissima, DRC. 1–3, 5. ♂ and ♀, Ekongo, GS 0607, 0606, 0605, 0785 (CGM/USTTB). 4. HT ♂, between Mbandaka and Kisangani (MSNM). 6–8. G. braedan sp. n., Malawi. 6– 7. HT ♂ and PT ♀, Nyika National Park (CGM/USTTB). 8. PT ♂, 6 km ENE Mzuzu (CMNH). 9–10. G. eponine sp. n., Ivory Coast, Danane (CGM/USTTB). 9. HT ♂. 10. PT ♂. Scale bar – 1 cm.

Figures 11–16. ♂ genitalia of Gonotrichidia spp. (CGM/USTTB). 11–14. G. modestissima, DRC, Ekongo. 11. GS 0582. 12. GS 0605. 13. GS 0607. 14. GS 0606. 15. G. eponine sp. n., PT, Ivory Coast, Danane, GS 29717. 16. G. braedan sp. n., Malawi, Nyika National Park, GS 29715. Scale bars for genitalia and magnified apical part of aedeagus – 1 mm.

Figures 17–18. ♀ genitalia of Gonotrichidia spp. (CGM/USTTB). 17. G. modestissima, DRC, Ekongo, GS 0785. 18. G. braedan sp. n., PT, Malawi, Nyika National Park, GS 29716. Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 19–20. Distribution maps of Gonotrichidia spp. 19. G. eponine sp. n. 20. G. modestissima (white) and G. braedan sp. n. (green).