Muiralevu africanus (Muir, 1926), 1981

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 56-57

Muiralevu africanus (Muir, 1926)

Levu africana Muir, 1926a: 233

Muiralevu africanus (Muir) Zelazny, 1981: 233

( Figs. 23, 179)

Redescription. Forewings 2.1 times longer than wide, length in male 4.0– 5.1 mm (mean = 4.7, n= 26). Colour stramineous; margins of facial carinae in front of eyes light brown; abdomen stramineous. Forewings colourless with light infuscation around first subcostal sector and along apical cross-veins; veins stramineous, but anterior apical cross-veins light brown; a short part of costal margin, and apical parts of last two subcostal sectors light orange. Hindwings colourless. Facial carinae foliaceous, contiguous until lower level of eyes; proboscis just reaching posttrochanter; subantennal processes and lateral carinae of pronotum well developed. Forewings with Sc+R fork well before middle of wing, at base of first subcostal sector; Ms1 branches at apex of basal median cell; Ms1a connected to M by a cross-vein, forming a rhomboid cell; bases of Ms1b and Cu1 connected by a cross-vein. Hindwings with tip of R branched. Male pygofer with a pair of prominent, pointed lateral projections. Genital styles rounded; proximal dorsal process short, slightly pointed, distal dorsal process elongated. Stem of aedeagus with numerous small teeth on the ventral side. Near junction with apical part, two short (holotype) or medium long, slender and pointed outer processes (A and B in Fig. 179) arising from the stem. Most of the apical portion membranous; its base with two inner processes; the right one (C in Fig. 179) serrated (its width variable), the left one (D in Fig. 179) slender and pointed; at the end of the apical part two additional long processes, the right one (F in Fig. 179) of variable width may have an additional small tooth near the tip (as in holotype).

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective ( africanus , -a, -um = African).

Type material. Lectotype ♂ (here designated) (forewing 4.0 mm), SIERRA LEONE, labels: 1 ) Holotype 2) Sierra Leone / 1924/ E. Hargreaves 3) Pres. by/ Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1925-194 4) Levu africana / ♂ Muir ( BMNH) .

Note. Muir described this species from 1 male and 1 female from " SIERRA LEONE: Kennema". The male is here designated as lectotype .

Other material examined. SIERRA LEONE: 1 ♀ (paralectotype of L. africana, BMNH ); Njala 10.viii.28, 1 ♂, E. Hargreaves ( BMNH) ; CAMEROON: Mungo River, IV.1983, 1 ♂; Kumba , 20. VI .1973, 1 ♂, Linnavuori ; Johann Albrechtshöhe, 1 ♂, L. Conradt S .; NIGERIA: Benin, NW State, 1.IV.1975, 4 ♂, J. T . Medler; Udo FR, NW State, 11.IV.1975, 1 ♂, J. T . Medler ; Agbabu, W. State, 7. III ., 3. V .1973 , 3 ♂, J. T. Medler; Icora, W. State, 1.IV.1975, 1 ♂, J. T . Medler; Umuahta, EC State, 10.IV.75, 2 ♂, J. T . Medler; Onya, SE State, 1.IV.1975, 12 ♂, J. T . Medler ; Ile- Ife, 15. VII .1969, 1 ♂, J. T . Medler (all IRSNB) .

Distribution. Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria.

Diagnosis. All known species of Muiralevu from West Africa are similar in external appearance. Muiralevu africanus (Muir) can be recognized by the male aedeagus bearing numerous fine teeth on the ventral side of the stem, 4 spines/processes around the junction of the stem and the apical part, and two terminal processes. However, it shows some variation in the structure of the male aedeagus, in particular in the width of 2 of its processes (which are labelled C and F in Fig. 179).