taxonID	type	description	language	source
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	description	(Figs 5 – 6, 11)	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: ♂, TANZANIA, Kigoma District: Tubira Forest, [- 5.10276, 30.67479, 1070 m], 8. vi. 1989, leg. A. Bjørnstad; GS NHMO 4495 (NHMO). Paratypes: 2 ♂, same data as HT, but 4. viii. 1989 (NHMO, CGM / USTTB).	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	description	Description. Male (Figs 5 – 6). Antennae, head and thorax speckled cream-colored and brown; abdomen straw. Forewing. Forewing length: 20 – 21 mm. Somewhat oval with rounded apex and slightly wavy outer margin. Costa orange; tornal spot orangish brown; antemedial and external fields speckled orangish and brown or straw and brown; medial field speckled straw and orangish. Medial lines vague brown, crenulate; discal dot black. Fringe speckled orangish and brown. Hindwing. Somewhat trapezoid with pronounced apices on Rs and CuA 2 and slightly wavy outer margin. Medial area orangish brown; anal area straw; marginal area speckled with light pinkish, straw and brown scales; veins distally covered with pale scales. Medial lines dark brown, faint; discal dot black with straw contour. Genitalia (Fig. 11). Tegumen a narrow band, dorsally and laterally bears two pairs of socii. Dorsal socii very small, semioval; lateral socii knob-like; both pairs covered with setae. Cucullus elongated, finger-shaped, slightly s-shaped; apex rounder. Sacculus compact, semispherical, covered with setae. Vinculum a narrow band, ventromedially bears saccus. Saccus short, distally rounded. Juxta basally fused with aedeagus. Lobes of juxta elongated, somewhat triangle, apically slightly bent, apex blunt. Aedeagus cylinder-like. Vesica not everted, however clearly divided into two diverticula, each bears one-two big cornuti and around 30 medium and small-sized cornuti. Eight sternite somewhat trapezoid, laterodistally bears a pair of claw-like dents. Female remains unknown.	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Adult males of S. niniae Prozorov & Aarvik sp. n. differ from: 1) Sonitha adedapo with lighter orangish coloration, lacking light colored subcostal and submarginal areas on forewings, less pronounced postmedial lines on hindwings (compare Figs 5 – 6 and 1); stronger bent cucullus, unswollen lobes of juxta, smaller 8 th sternite (compare Figs 11 and 8); parapatric distribution. 2) Sonitha bekombo with lighter coloration, lacking light colored subcostal and submarginal areas on forewings, less pronounced postmedial lines on hindwings (compare Figs 5 – 6 and 2); smaller dorsal socii, elongated and less sclerotized tips of cucullus, unswollen lobes of juxta, saccus with two apices, thicker distal dents on 8 th sternite (compare Figs 11 and 9); parapatric distribution; 3) Sonitha ekongo with lighter coloration, lacking light colored subcostal and submarginal areas on forewings, less pronounced postmedial lines on hindwings (compare Figs 5 – 6 and 3); narrower tips of cucullus, larger lobes of juxta, smaller 8 th sternite with larger distal dents (compare Figs 11 and 10); parapatric distribution; and 4) Sonitha chocolatina with lighter coloration, lacking light colored subcostal and submarginal areas on forewings, less pronounced postmedial lines on hindwings (compare Figs 5 – 6 and 4); stronger bent cucullus with narrower tips, unswollen lobes of juxta, smaller 8 th sternite (compare Figs 11 and 7); parapatric distribution.	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Zambezian Regional Centre of endemism (White, 1983) in Tanzania.	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	biology_ecology	Biology. Adults were collected in June and August from an altitude of 1070 meters a. s. l. Preimaginal stages unknown.	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
253EE87DBC07FFE01782F9E0FC744D4D.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The new species in named in honor of Nini C. R. Aarvik who has supported the research on African moths and made wonderful water colour illustrations of African Lepidoptera of the family Tortricidae. Notes on the type locality, Tubira Forest in western Tanzania The new species seems to be restricted to the Tubira forest. The forest lies within the Zambezian Regional Centre of endemism (although near its northern limit; White, 1983) but does not seem to occur in pure miombo habitats. Despite extensive collecting by A. Bjørnstad in surrounding miombo (Brachystegia-Julbernardia woodlands) localities in Mpanda, Kigoma, Kasulu, Kibondo and Biharamulo Districts, the new species was never found there. Tubira Forest is a dry evergreen to semi-evergreen ground water forest situated between the Uvinza-Kigoma / Ujiji railway line and the parallell running short cut road from Kidawe to Uvinza at approx. 6 ° 02 ’ S 30 ° 08 ’ E. It lies near Lugufu within the large Mkuti Forest Reserve in Mahembe Tarafa of Kigoma District at an elevation of 1080 – 1100 m a. s. l. approximately 40 km E of Kidawe. The forest is rather patchy in nature, each patch with rather sharply defined borders towards the surrounding miombo, clearly a fire-induced boundary. The accumulated area of the forest patches constitutes between 0.5 and 1.0 km ². The ground water level is high; perennial seepage is evident in many places and plinthite formation on soil surface is common. The tree canopy is generally around 30 m high with some lianas, but little epiphytes. Common species are Erythrophlaeum suaveolens, Trema orientalis, Craibia grandiflora, Albizia cf. grandiflora (vernacular name: “ ikabamba ”), Agelaea ugandensis. The outer fringes (towards the surrounding miombo woodland) are dominated by Pterocarpus chrysothrix, Markhamia obtusifolia, Dombeya burgessiae, Azanza garckeana, Diplorrhynchus condylocarpon, Vitex doniana, Bauhinia petersiana, Isoberlinia angolensis. The above is based on field notes during visits to the forest in February 1989 – July 1991. Information from personnel based in the area at a later period have indicated that the Tubira Forest and surrounding areas have been strongly influenced by the large Lugufu refugee camp established in 1997 to cater for approximately 90 000 refugees of mostly Congolese origin. It is probable that the Tubira Forest is no longer intact. Acknowledgments We thank Geir Søli (NHMO) for photographing genitalia of the new species. We are grateful to † Vasiliy D. Kravchenko (Tel Aviv University, Israel) for preliminary work in the Ekongo camp in March and April of 2017: setting up most traps, training local workers, and taking care of material under harsh conditions. We express our gratitude to the LuiKotale Bonobo Project leaders Barbara Fruth and Gottfried Hohmann for their help with the general curating of the insect collection from the project in Ekongo. A heartfelt thank you to LuiKotale and Ekongo camp managers Roman Keller and Alexis Louat who helped to organize, manage and maintain the daily work efforts in the camp. We appreciate the irreplaceable help of the Bekombo village people with collecting, sorting, packing, and transporting insects from Ekongo as well as with the daily routine in the camp. A portion of the presented work was done by Alexey Prozorov with the financial support of the Thomas-Witt-Stiftung and University of Oslo.	en	Prozorov, Alexey M., Bjørnstad, Anders, Aarvik, Leif, Saldaitis, Aidas, Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Müller, Günter C. (2024): Sonitha niniae - a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini). Ecologica Montenegrina 78: 211-223, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.78.19, URL: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.78.19
