Lithosiccia juvenis

Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Lithosiccia, a new genus with four new species from mainland Africa (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 65, pp. 24-39 : 27-28

Lithosiccia juvenis ( Holland, 1893), comb. n.

( Figs 2–5 , 20–22 , 32 )

Nudaria juvenis Holland, 1893, Psyche , 6: 412 (Type locality: [ Gabon] “Valley of the Ogové River ”) .

Type material examined. Photographs of the lectotype (hereby designated) ( Fig. 2 ): male without abdomen, “ Nudaria juvenis | ♂ Type. Holl. | Ogové Valley” / “ Comacla | juvenis, Holl. | Fide Hampson” / rink label “Holo Type No. | -255- | Carn.Mus.Ent.” / “202” / “ Nudaria juvenis Holl. | ♂ Holotype. Abdomen | removed by H. Clench 1954 | over” / “Specimen with | abdomen lost | or damaged.” / QR-code label with unique number “ CMNH-IZ | 724,303” ( CMNH).

Additional material examined. GUINEA: 1 male, 1 female, 540–600m, 619km ESE of Conakry, Nzérékoré Region , Prefecture Lola, Ziela env., x.2017, 7 42'N, 8˚21'W, Local collectors leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV6919 (male), AV6706 (female) ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, Konakry [Conakry], Macenta Prefecture , Ziama Forest, 550m, Mt. Nimba, November 2016, G. Petrányi, V. D. Kravchenko & G.C. Müller leg. ( GMF-B) ; CAMEROON: 1 male, Johann-Albrechts Höhe [Barombi] Station, L. Conradt [leg.], 1896 / Ex Oberthür Coll., Brit. Mus. 1927-3 / Closely similar in pattern to juvensis Holland, though smaller in wingspan, det. D.S. Fletcher 1956, unique number: NHMUK 010917795 , gen. prep. No. : NHMUK010315785 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK).

Notes. (1) Nudaria juvenis was described based on a male but without the exact number of specimens being mentioned ( Holland 1893). In order to stabilise the nomenclature, the specimen labelled as “ Holotype ” and preserved in the CMNH collection is hereby designated as the lectotype. (2) The lectotype of Lithosiccia juvenis lacks the abdomen therefore its male genitalia structure remains unknown. Nevertheless, a short series of externally similar specimens from Guinea and Cameroon was found in various collections and, despite being smaller than the holotype, they are provisionally assigned to L. juvenis in the present paper. However, these specimens may represent a distinct, yet undescribed species but additional material from Gabon similar to the holotype is necessary for clarification.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 8.5 mm in the male holotype, 7.0–8.0 mm in the non-type males and 8.0 mm in the female. Lithosiccia juvenis is externally reminiscent of L. takanoi and the detailed comparison of the adults and the male genitalia of these species is provided below in the diagnosis of L. takanoi . As the female of L. takanoi is unknown, the female genitalia of L. juvenis were compared with L. smithi instead (see below in the diagnosis of L. smithi ).

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence between the two DNA barcoded specimens is 0.00%. The pairwise distance between L. juvenis and the most similar L. takanoi is 4.11%.

Distribution. The species is currently known from Gabon ( Holland 1893), western Cameroon, and south-eastern Guinea.

Figures

Figures 2–10. Lithosiccia spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 2 in CMNH (photo by V. Verdecia); 3 in GMF- B; 4, 7 and 8 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 5, 6, 9 and 10 in ANHRT.

Figures 20–22. Lithosiccia juvenis: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 20 in ANHRT; 21 in GMF- B; 22 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 32–35. Lithosiccia spp. (32, 33), Palaeosiccia punctata (34), and Siccia caffra (35): female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 32 and 34 in ANHRT; 33 in GMF-B; 35 in MfN.