Siccia mikongo, Volynkin, 2023

Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Siccia Walker (= Aemene Walker, syn. n.) in the Afrotropics with descriptions of seventy-three new species, three new subspecies, and a check-list of Asiatic taxa of the genus (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 64, pp. 1-184 : 29

Siccia mikongo sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9DF65800-D8A0-4153-A0EE-8456B37392FC

( Figs 47, 48 , 309, 310 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 47 , 309 ): male, “ Gabon 430m | Mikongo (Rougier) , Monts | de Cristal (Secondary forest) | 0°29'47''N, 11°10'42''E | 28.vii.–12.viii.2019 LepiLED | Light Trap. Albert, J-L., | Aristophanous, M., | Bie Mba, J., Dérozier, V., | Moretto, P. Leg. | ANHRT:2019.17” / “ANHRTUK | 00107451” (DNA barcode iD) / “Slide | AV6548 ♂ | A. Volynkin ” ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. GABON: 2 males, the same data as holotype, LepiLEd & Actinic Light Traps, gen. prep. Nos.: AV6667, AV6735 ( ANHRT) ; REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 5 males, 365m, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , Mondika camp, 02°21'50.63''N 16°16'25.82''E, 07–14.ii.2023, actinic & LepiLED light traps, Bakala, N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 372m, Sangha Prov. , Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Mbeli camp ( Gilbertiodendron forest), 02°14'23.8''N, 16°23'52.1''E, 1–10.x.2022, Actinic Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Fouka, B., Kirk-Spriggs, A., Takano, H. leg. ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, 372m, Nouabale-Ndoki National Park , Mbeli camp, 02°14'23.8''N, 16°23'52.1''E, 14–20.ii.2023, actinic light trap, Bakala, N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. ( ANHRT) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 8.0– 8.5 mm in males. The new species is externally very similar to the sympatric S. evrys and the allopatric S. kuehnei and reliable identification requires the examination of the genitalia structures. In the male genital capsule, S. mikongo is distinguished from the aforementioned species by the shorter ventral process of the cucullus, and the markedly longer and broader distal saccular process. The vesica structure of the new species is most similar to S. anserina but differs in the thinner cornuti. Compared to S. mikongo and S. kuehnei , the vesica of S. mikongo lacks the ventral diverticulum, and bears more numerous and considerably thinner cornuti. The comparison with another closely similar species, S. araios is provided below in the diagnosis of that species.

The female is unknown.

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence between the two DNA barcoded specimens is 0.00%. The pairwise distance between S. mikongo and the similar S. araios is in the range of 4.12–4.45%. The new species diverges from two other morphologically similar species, S. kuehnei and S. evrys by 4.78–6.48% and 6.16–7.02%, respectively.

Distribution. The new species is currently known from Gabon and Republic of the Congo.

Etymology. The specific epithet is homonymic of the type locality of the new species. The name is a noun in the nominative singular in apposition.

Figures

Figures 45–62. Siccia spp., adults. Depositories of the specimens: 45–52, 54–60 and 62 in ANHRT; 53 and 61 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 309–312. Siccia spp., male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in ANHRT.