Meganaclia sippia ( Plötz, 1880 )

Ignatev, Nikolai, László, Gyula M., Paśnik, Anna, Fric, Zděnek Faltýnek, Sulak, Harald & Müller, Günter C., 2023, Five new species of the genus Meganaclia Aurivillius, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomini), Zootaxa 5296 (3), pp. 457-474 : 458-460

Meganaclia sippia ( Plötz, 1880)

( Figs 1 , 15 , 21 , 32 , 38 )

Naclia sippia Plötz, 1880 , Plötz C. 1880. Verzeichniss der vom Prof. Dr. R. Buchholz in West–Afrika gesammelten Schmetterlinge. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 41: 76–88, 298–307. Type locality: [ Cameroon] Cameroons Gebirge [mountain]. Syntypes, 4♁ (coll. ZIMG).

Type material examined. Lectotype (designated herein). ♁, “ Cameroon Mountains, W Africa, leg. R. Buchholz “, gen. slide No. P 316 ( ZIMG).

Additional material examined. DRC. 1♁, Coll. Mus. Congo, Sankuru : Katako–Kombe, 12.x.1952, Dr M. Fontaine, gen. slide No. P 317 ( RMCA) .

Liberia. 1♁, Grand Gedeh, County, Putu Range , 19–31.xii.2011, leg. Sáfián, Sz., Zakar, E., gen. slide No. S 476 ( ISEA PAS) .

Sierra Leone. 1♁, Malema District , Mogbaima near Moro River, 18–22.i.2011, leg. Sáfián, Sz., gen. slide No. S 477 ( ISEA PAS) .

Diagnosis. The habitus of male adult M. sippia is highly reminiscent of M. grehani sp. n. due to the similarly pale brownish-grey colouration and large hindwing spots, but clearly differs from it by the lighter coloration of the antenna. Nevertheless, examination of the male genital morphology is required for the reliable identification of the species. In the male genitalia, M. sippia differs from all other taxa of the genus by the longest dorsal and ventral projections of the C-shaped uncus lacking sclerotized dorsal appendages ( Fig. 15 ) but bearing two short, membranous humps covered sparsely by short setae. The sclerotized costal margin of the valva is narrower than in other species of the genus, gently concave in basal two-thirds (it is straight, convex or undulate in the other congeners), its distal third abruptly tapered and curved ventrad ending in a pointed apex, whereas the distal tapered section of the valva costa is considerably longer in the other Meganaclia species. The sacculus of M. sippia has the shortest, and least sclerotized, broad-based triangular plate in the genus ( Figs 21 , 32 ).

In 1955 Kiriakoff described the female genitalia structures of M. sippia collected in Sankuru, Katako-Kombe. However, neither the simplified description nor the extremely schematic drawing given in the paper are informative enough for using them for the identification of females of M. sippia , and rather are appropriate only for characterizing the female reproductive organs of the genus in general.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Comparison of the forewing shapes. Left—Meganaclia josephi sp. n.; right—Meganaclia johannae sp. n.

FIGURES 1–11. Adults of Meganaclia Aurivillius, 1892 species. 1. Meganaclia sippia, lectotype ♁ of Naclia sippia Pl̂tz, 1880 Cameroon (ZIMG); 2. M. smithi sp. n., holotype ♁, Uganda (ANHRT); 3. M. smithi sp. n., paratype ♀, Uganda (SMNS); 4. M. grehani sp. n., holotype ♁, Guinea (MWW); 5. M. grehani sp. n., paratype ♀, Guinea (CHS); 6. M. josephi sp. n., holotype ♁, Guinea (MWW); 7. M. josephi sp. n., paratype ♀, Liberia (ANHRT); 8. M. johannae sp. n., holotype ♁, Guinea (MWW); 9. M. johannae sp. n., paratype ♀, Guinea (CHS); 10. M. gaerberfesti sp. n., holotype ♁, Republic of Congo (MWW); 11. M. gaerberfesti sp. n., paratype ♀, Republic of Congo (MWW).

FIGURES 15–17. Configuration of uncus of Meganaclia spp, lateral (left) and dorsal view (right). 15. M. sippia lectotype, gen. slide No. P316, (ventral membranous part of uncus is damaged or decayed). Cameroon Mountains (ZIMG); 16. M. smithi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. LG 6005, Uganda (ANHRT); 17. M. grehani sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.682, Guinea (MWW). FIGURES 18–20. Configuration of uncus of Meganaclia spp, lateral (left) and dorsal view (right). 18. M. josephi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.764, Guinea (MWW); 19. M. johannae sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.678, Guinea (MWW); 20. M. gaerberfesti sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.679, Republic of Congo (MWW).

FIGURES 21–26. Configuration of valva of Meganaclia spp. 21. M. sippia lectotype, gen. slide No. P316 Cameroon Mountains (ZIMG); 22. M. smithi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. LG 6005, Uganda (ANHRT); 23. M. grehani sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.682, Guinea (MWW); 24. M. josephi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.764, Guinea (MWW); 25. M. johannae sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.678, Guinea (MWW); 26. M. gaerberfesti sp. n. holotype, GP № 34.679 Congo (MWW).

FIGURES 27–32. Male genitalia of Meganaclia spp. 27. M. smithi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. LG 6005, Uganda (ANHRT); 28. M. grehani sp. n. paratype, gen. slide No. GP 34.692, Guinea (CHS); 29. M. josephi sp. n. holotype, gen. slide No. GP 34.764, Guinea (MWW); 30. M. johannae sp. n. paratype, gen. slide No. GP 34.763, Guinea (CHS); 31. M. gaerberfesti sp. n. paratype, gen. slide No. GP 34.676, Republic of Congo (MWW); 32. M. sippia, gen. slide No. S476, Liberia (ISEA PAS).