Asuroides atricraspeda (Hampson, 1914) Hampson, 1914

Durante, Antonio, 2008, Asuroides, a new genus of lithosiine moths (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), Zootaxa 1713, pp. 53-68 : 58-59

Asuroides atricraspeda (Hampson, 1914) , new combination

(Figs. 4, 5, 19, 20, 23)

Asura atricraspeda Hampson, 1914 , Cat. Lepid. Phalaenae Br. Mus. Suppl. vol. I: 766.

Material analyzed: ɗ type, Gold Coast, Bibianaha [ Republic of Ghana], g. sl. Arct. 5646 BMNH, in BMNH, and hereby designated as LECTOTYPE; 2 ΨΨ paralectotypes, same data as lectotype, in BMNH; ɗ, Nigeria, g. sl. Arct. 5734 BMNH, in BMNH; ɗ, Cameroon, g. sl. Arct. 5732 BMNH, in BMNH; Ψ, Ghana, g. sl. Arct. 5746 BMNH, in BMNH.

Forewing: wingspan 18–25 mm; upperside ground colour orange yellow (female lighter than male); pattern brown-grey (less prominent in females); basal area with large dot, costa heavily tinged with black; basal and median bands more thickened and closer than in other Asuroides species; basal band arising from distal end of black costal streak, bending at level of cell and anal vein, being convex distally; median band arising a little before half costa, directed distally for a short distance, then forming acute angle and bending towards the basal band (meeting this at cell level), then bending distally to join the postmedian band between the second cubital and the anal vein, then extending proximally to inner margin and fusing with basal band; postmedian band arising beyond the median band on costa, shaped like trembling question mark, and with base joining the median band and subsequently extending towards the inner margin; submarginal band following the shape of postmedian band, and consisting of six quite roundish streaks, the two streaks on M1 and M3 lengthened distally; C-shaped patch at the end of the cell present; underside lighter than upperside; fringes brown-grey.

Hindwing: upperside ground colour straw-yellow; underside like upperside; fringes straw-yellow with some black at apex.

Body: head, thorax and abdomen same color as forewing ground, thorax sterna slightly lighter; head with dark dot on vertex; female antennae filiform (missing on males); labial palpi yellow, porrect, not extending beyond the frons; tegulae and thorax pattern not examined; legs orange yellow, with distal part of femur and distal and proximal parts of tibia dark; few dark scales on the distal segment of tarsus and pretarsus; tibial spurs 0-2-2; male with small dimple-shaped coremata between VII and VIII sternum; female abdominal segments VII and VIII membranous, pheromone dorsal gland with rather narrow, shallow lobes and total gland length comparable to length of posterior apophyses

Genitalia: ɗ: uncus quite long and larger than other Asuroides species, curved at median region and pointed distally; tegumen and vinculum strong; saccus not deep; juxta trapezoidal; papilla-shaped valvellae in dorso-lateral position; distal margin of valva least wavy in the genus, and notably the inferior apex process (ventral) is roundish and wider than all congeneric species; aedeagus with bilobed vesica, with single large cornutus; Ψ: on the basis of the image of BMNH 5476, the ductus bursae appears stiff in its caudal portion, which is frustum-of-cone shaped (antrum?), and membranous for a long distance up to the membranous corpus bursae, which appear suboval and without signa; the cervix appears to be absent.

Remarks: this species resembles A. dimidiata and A. retromaculata in general coloration, but can be separated from both by the thicker basal and median bands on the forewing; it differs from A. retromaculata in being unmaculated on the hindwing; and it differs from A. calimerae which has yellow fringes. The ductus bursae of A. atracraspeda is long, not curved at the anterior end as in A. calimerae ; and the rigid posterior end is larger and shorter than in A. calimerae . The species occurs in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congo (ex French Congo), Democratic Republic of the Congo (ex Belgian Congo), Uganda, Angola. Specimens from the Republic of South Africa are A. rubea . Note that the cornutus in the male lectotype is more curved and smaller than in the specimens examined from Nigeria and Cameroon (Fig. 20).