Metarctia (Hebena) lateritia (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855)

(Figs adults 1a–o, 13a–c, 23a–c, 33–34; genitalia 40a–e, 52a–c; habitats 61–65, 69–71, 77–82)

Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855, Sammlung neuer oder wenig bekannter aussereuropäische Schmetterlinge. Heterocera (Nachtfalter) (1) 1: 72, fig. 274. Holotype not stated, probably lost (Przybyłowicz & Kühne 2008). Type locality [South Africa, Cape] Cap.

Hebena venosa Walker, 1856, List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum, Part VII. Lepidoptera Heterocera, 7: 1723. Holotype female. Type locality [South Africa] Port Natal (coll. OUMNH).

Type material examined. Neotype designation of Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 . The authors of this paper could not trace the holotype of Automolis lateritia during their visits to several large European museums, neither was it reported from the SMNS (Häuser et al. 2003), a well-known depository of numerous Herrich-Schäffer types. Following the suggestions of Przybyłowicz & Kühne (2008) and Przybyłowicz (2009) we consider the holotype of the species lost and in order to stabilise the nomenclature of the senior taxon of the species-complex, designate a neotype as follows:

Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

Neotype, male, designated herein “ RSA Provinc Mpumalanga Barberton Nature Reserve Berghuisi 2, 5 km S v. Barberton S 25°48’27” / E 31°02’50” 1130 m ü.NN 14–16.xi.2014 LF leg. R. & S. Fiebig ”, gen. slide No.: GP 36.749, DNA barcode id.: BC ZSM Lep 111882, BOLD process id: GWOUH486-21 (coll. ZSM).

Hebena venosa Walker, 1856

Holotype, female [with handwritten] “Natal” / “venosa n.” / “There cannot be a shadow of a doubt that Anace rubra + Hebena venosa are ♂ + ♀ of one species” / [partly handwritten] “Type Lep.: No. 128 Hebena venosa Walker Hope Dept. Oxford ”, gen. slide No.: LG 5496 (coll. OUMNH).