Acrapex malagasy Viette, 1967

Bruno Le Ru, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Boaz K. Musyoka, Beatrice Pallangyo, Mohamedi Njaku & Onésime Mubenga, 2017, Phylogenetic analysis and systematics of the Acrapex unicolora Hampson species complex (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Apameini), with the description of Fve new species from the Afrotropics, European Journal of Taxonomy 270, pp. 1-36 : 17-18

Acrapex malagasy Viette, 1967

Figs 2E, M , 6G–I

Acrapex malagasy Viette, 1967: 712 –714, fgs 552a–b, 553.

Acrapex malagasy – Poole 1989: 20 (catalogue).

Diagnosis

Easily separated from other species of the group by the large, plate-like juxta, with the base slightly fattened, without sclerotization, with a long and widening neck, ending on each side in a rounded apex, on both sides tufted with small-sized hairs ( Fig. 2E ).

Material examined

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: ♂, Plateau de l’Imerina, Tananarive, Parc de Tsimbazaza, 1200 m a.s.l., 10 Oct. 1951 (MNHN, gen. prep. 4426). Several specimens are recorded by Viette (1967).

Paratype

MADAGASCAR: 2 ♂♂, same locality and date as holotype (MNHN); 3 ♂♂, same locality as holotype, 8 Nov. 1954, P. Viette leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. 4438).

Description

The description of the external features of the holotype by Viette (1967) was accurate ( Fig. 6G–H ).

WINGSPAN. 17–20 mm (♂♂) according to Viette (1967); however, only one specimen is preserved in MNHN.

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 2E, M ). (After Viette 1967) Additional description: juxta large, plate-like, base slightly fattened, without sclerotization, with long and widening neck, ending on each side in rounded apex, on both sides tufted with small-sized hairs; aedeagus short, stout, not curved, with two lateral areas adorned with short setae; hand-shaped vesica with tuft of needle-shaped cornutus, pointed obliquely downward.

Bionomics

Biology unknown.

Distribution

Madagascar. Only known from the type locality. The record is from secondary grassland replacing upland and montane forest (Mosaic #18) ( White 1983) ( Fig. 4 ), belonging to the Sudanian bioregion ( Linder et al. 2012) ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Male genitalia of species of Acrapex. – A, I. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). – B, J. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. – C, K. A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov. – D, L. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. – E, M. A. malagasy Viette, 1967. – F, N. A. mediopuncta (Bowden, 1956). – G, O. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. – H, P. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. Distribution map of sampled specimens of Acrapex Hampson, 1891.

Fig. 5. Major bioregions, modifed after Linder et al. (2012).

Fig. 6. Adults of species of Acrapex. – A – B. A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov. A. ♂, upper side. B. ♂, under side. – C – F. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. C. ♂, upper side. D. ♂, under side. E. ♀, upper side. F. ♀, under side. – G – I. A. malagasy Viette, 1967. G. ♂, upper side. H. ♂, under side. I. ♂, original labels from MNHH. Scale bars = 10 mm.