Camaegeria auripicta Strand, 1914

Bartsch, Daniel & Berg, Jutta, 2012, New species and review of the Afrotropical clearwing moth genus Camaegeria Strand, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Synanthedonini), Zootaxa 3181, pp. 28-46 : 31

Camaegeria auripicta Strand, 1914

Figs. 5–7 , 31 , 32

Strand, 1914: 48. Holotype Ƥ ( Fig. 5–6 ): Dschang in Kamerun [= Cameroon, Western Province, Dschang] (SDEI). Dalla Torre & Strand 1925: 117, Gaede 1929: 522, Heppner & Duckworth 1981: 41, Pühringer & Kallies 2004: 33.

Redescription. Alar expanse 19–25 mm, forewing 8–10 mm, antenna 5.5–6.5 mm, body length 8–11 mm. Fresh specimens black with greenish shine on thorax and blue-violet on abdomen ( Strand 1914). With time this gloss becomes a dull blackish-brown. Head with labial palp dorsally and laterally blackish-brown, ventrally and mesally yellow; frons dark grey with indistinct iridescent gloss, adjacent to the eye whitish; vertex black; antenna dorsally black, ventrally reddish-brown; pericephalic scales black, ventro-laterally white. Thorax and abdomen blackishbrown, dorso-medially with diffuse stripe of orange scales; patagia blackish-brown, laterally pale orange-yellow; prothorax laterally and mesothorax below wing base pale orange-yellow; tergites 1–4 laterally with a narrow orange-yellow stripe; last tergite dorsally orange. Legs blackish-brown; forecoxa laterally whitish, foretibia and - tarsus ventrally yellow; tibia of other legs dorso-distally somewhat rough scaled, medially and distally with distinctly rough, white and yellow mixed scales; mid- and hindleg with coxa medially whitish, femur, proximal half of tibia and first tarsomere mesally yellow; mid- and hindtarsus ventrally whitish yellow interspersed with black; spurs whitish, ventrally black. Wings hyaline, margins narrow, together with veins, discal spots and fringes black, the latter at anal angle whitish, underneath proximally dusted with yellow scales. The male genitalia with a valva with straight and parallel dorsal and ventral margins, rather narrowly rounded apex, bald area at about 1/3 and phallus as long as valva; saccus broad, apically truncated; exophallus without distal tooth.

Variability. Only insignificant differences in size and colouration are apparent. The males are generally smaller and somewhat darker with less extensive yellowish colouration. A female specimen from Basho, Cameroon has the orange-yellow lateral abdominal stripe broader and an additional orange-yellow lateral spot on tergite 6.

Diagnosis. From similar congeners C. auripicta can be distinguished by the prominent pale yellow dorsomedial stripe on the pro- and mesothorax and the first few tergites. See also the diagnosis under the previous species.

Remarks. The holotype is a female, not a male as stated in the original description.

Further specimens examined: 1 3, 1 ♀ ( Fig. 7 ), N.W. Kamerun, Bascho, [ Cameroon, Basho] 7.Mar. [19]06, Arnold Schultze [leg.] (Bartsch Lepid. prep. No. 2009–08; 2009–09) ( Figs. 31 , 32 ); 1 3, S. Kamerun, Bipindi, G. Zenker S. (MNHB).

Figures

FIGURE 31. Camaegeria auripicta Strand, 1914 wing venation.

FIGURE 32. Camaegeria auripicta Strand, 1914 genitalia.

FIGURES 1 – 12. Specimens of Camaegeria Strand, 1914. Scale bar: 10 mm. 1 – 4. C. aristura (Meyrick, 1931): 3 holotype (1); 3, holotype of Aegeria leptomorpha Meyrick, 1931 (2); 3, syntype of Aegeria hadassa Meyrick, 1932 (3); Ƥ, syntype of A. hadassa Meyrick, 1932 (4). 5 – 7. C. auripicta Strand, 1914: Ƥ holotype upperside (5), underside (6); 3, Cameroon, Basho (7). 8 – 9. C. monogama (Meyrick, 1932): Ƥ holotype (8), Ƥ, holotype of Macrotarsipus lioscelis Meyrick, 1935 (9). 10. C. exochiformis (Walker, 1856), Ƥ holotype. 11 – 12. C. sophax (Druce, 1899), Ƥ holotype, upperside (11), lateral view (12).