Camerunia smithi, Takano, 2025

Takano, Hitoshi, 2025, Taxonomic revision of Camerunia Aurivillius, 1893 and allied genera (Lepidoptera: Eupterotidae: Janinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 1022, pp. 134-175 : 153-155

Camerunia smithi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 1, 20–21, 42–43, 51, 56

Diagnosis

This distinctive species can only be confused with C. orphne , sharing with it the dark brown basal marking on the forewing but the latter is a larger insect, and the forewing discal marking forms a bar along the medial vein. Moreover, these two species are found in allopatry on either side of Rift Valley and thus there is unlikely to be any confusion in specimens with well-documented provenance. The male genitalia of C. smithi sp. nov. are of the Camerunia bimaculata / subrosea type, but those of C. bimaculata / subrosea differ from that of the new species in the gently curved lateral processes of the tegumen (angled in C. smithi ), the smaller but more spinulose gnathos, the apices of the valves hooked ventrad (straight in C. smithi ) and the longer, narrower saccus.

Etymology

The new species is dedicated with great pleasure to Richard Smith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, ANHRT, for his outstanding and continued support of and contribution to African entomology through the institution he founded.

Type material

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♂ ( Fig. 20); “TANZANIE: Morogoro Re- / gion, Kaguru Mts., 1870m., / 06°22.367’S., 036°55.820’E., / 7-XI-2013 ( Ph. Darge) // Ex. Coll. Ph. Darge / ANHRT:2019.20 // ANHRTUK / 00207258 ”; ANHRT.

Paratypes

TANZANIA • 6 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; ANHRT .

Description

Male ( Figs 20–21, 51) FOREWING LENGTH. 29–32 mm.

Ground colour of body dark chocolate-brown. Vertex and thorax sparsely irrorated with white scales. Antenna bipectinate, dark brown. First abdominal segment with dense tuft of white scales anteriorly; first two segments darker than ground colour, irrorated with white scales. Remaining segments with tufts of longer ciliate scales medially forming crest which runs along abdomen. Eighth sternite with deep concavity posteriorly, and heavy sclerotisation latero-anteriorly; its surface evenly covered in fine punctures and heavily setose posteriorly. Anal tuft irrorated with white scales. Forewing triangular, rounded at apex, outer margin gently arcuate, almost straight; ground colour pale straw. Basal marking, dark chocolate, almost half length of cell; its outer margin arcuate, slightly sinuate, with white fascia on the inner edge of border. Costa with dark spot between basal marking and discal marking. Discal marking black, comprising three fine spots on outer edge of medial, one each at junctures of veins M1–M3, spot at M2 being smallest and longitudinally elongate. Postmedial fascia, dark brown, bilineate, arcuate, evenly crenulate, outer of two more indistinct; fasciae arising almost perpendicularly from dark brown spot on costa, sharply curving inward at vein M2 and terminating almost perpendicularly along anal margin. Space CuA1 and dorsal portion of CuA2 with well-defined darker brown marking filling space between postmedial fasciae. Submarginal fasciae dark brown, bilineate, crenulate, broadly running in parallel with postmedial fascia; inner of two arising from small dark brown marking on costa with two longitudinal dark brown markings proximad along veins M3 and CuA1; outer arising from three well-defined dark brown markings with rounded margins distad, sometimes conjoined proximad, forming subapical patch. Subterminal fascia dark brown, crenulate, following outer margin. Subterminal area with olive brown triangular patch, its inner margin arising at apex, widening proximad as far as subterminal fascia in space M2 and terminating along termen around vein CuA1. Fringe olive brown with pale straw-coloured scales forming dots at termination points of veins.

HINDWING. Outer margin arcuate; ground colour pale yellow. Postmedial fascia dark brown, bilineate, arcuate and angled at vein M2, weakly crenulate, outer of two indistinct, terminating at dark brown spot along anal margin. Submarginal fascia dark brown, bilineate, running in parallel with postmedial fascia, the inner crenulate and indistinct, the outer composed of dark brown lunules between veins, terminating at dark brown spot along anal margin. Subterminal fascia dark brown, crenulate. Termen highlighted with olive-brown scales. Fringe as on forewing but irrorated with yellow scales.

UNDERSIDE. Ground colour of body and wings yellow, legs brown. Forewing markings showing through from upperside, but only postmedial fascia and submarginal triangular patch weakly marked. Hindwing veins and termen well-defined with dark brown scaling. Postmedial, submarginal and subterminal fasciae as on upperside but better defined.

MALE GENITALIA ( Figs 42–43). Uncus reduced, fused with tegumen. Tegumen broad with pair of long, cylindrical, apically pointed lateral projections, medially hooked inward; its inner surface heavily setose. Gnathos bilobed, with small, dense cluster of spines, either side of midline. Valve triangular and cleft (about half way along valve). Costa blunt at apex with tiny spine ventrally. Sacculus well-defined, tapering into curved distal process rounded at apex. Juxta trapezoid, proximally V-shaped, lateral margins gently tapering dorsad, distally V-shaped. Vinculum V-shaped. Saccus triangular, short (as long as gnathos), rounded at apex. Phallus slightly longer than valve, curved at coecum but otherwise straight; coecum rounded; carina weakly scobinate. Vesica with sparse scobination.

Female

Unknown.

Variation

Based on the short series of males, the extent of the discal markings varies slightly, the smallest longitudinally elongate spot missing in some individuals.

Larval foodplant

Unknown.

Molecular characterisation

The new species has been assigned the BIN BOLD:AFF5559. The intraspecific PWD was 0.0% (n = 2) diverging from its nearest neighbour, C. flava by 8.8–9.4% (n = 9).

Distribution ( Fig. 56)

The new species is known only from the seven male specimens from the type locality in Mamiwa-Kisara Forest Reserve, Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania, and it is almost certainly restricted to this forest block. The Ukagurus form part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, well-known for their exceptional biodiversity and single-locality endemics. The Mamiwa-Kisara Forest Reserve constitutes the largest tract of montane forest in the Ukagurus, which is home to numerous endemic species, although habitat degradation has recently been reported at this site ( Lawson et al. 2023). Recent discoveries of narrow-ranged bombycoid species in this chain of mountains include Temnora smithi Takano, 2022 , known only from a small patch of montane forest in the Mahenge Mountains (Takano 2022).