Udea meruensis Mally, 2022

Mally, Richard, Aarvik, Leif, Karisch, Timm, Lees, David C. & Malm, Tobias, 2022, Revision of Afrotropical Udea Guenee in Duponchel, 1845, with description of five new species of the U. ferrugalis (Huebner, 1796) group (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Spilomelinae), Nota Lepidopterologica 45, pp. 315-353 : 315

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/nl.45.94938
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A8BBBDA3-D0C0-48B2-B8C4-69E37531B762
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E998A6DB-23D4-4E51-934A-760CF583BE26
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:E998A6DB-23D4-4E51-934A-760CF583BE26
treatment provided by	Nota Lepidopterologica by Pensoft
scientific name	Udea meruensis Mally
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Udea meruensis Mally sp. nov.

Figs 7 View Figures 6–10 , 17 View Figures 11–20 , 26 View Figures 24–26

Type locality.

Tanzania, Arumeru District, Mt. Meru Forest Reserve, 9km NNE of Olmotonyi, 2500 m, 3°15'57.5"S, 36°42'43.6"E.

Material examined.

Holotype: Tanzania • 1 ♂; Arumeru District , Mount Meru Forest Reserve, 9 km NNE Olmotonyi; 3°15.9583'S, 36°42.7267'E; 2500 m a. S. L.; 8 Feb. 1992; L. Aarvik leg.; DNA voucher ZMBN Lep 143; Mally genitalia dissection no. 951; unique specimen identifier NHMO 612836; NHMO GoogleMaps . • Paratype: 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; Mally genitalia dissection no. 1189; unique specimen identifier NHMO 612837; NHMO GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Udea meruensis is darker in forewing maculation than the other Afrotropical Udea species, although U. delineatalis (Fig. 4 View Figures 1–5 ) is almost as dark, but its hindwings with a prominent distal discoidal stigma, a clear postmedian line and a distinct broad brown band from apex to tornus distinguish it from the new species. In the male genitalia, U. meruensis is distinguished from U. kirinyaga (Fig. 24 View Figures 24–26 ) by the more V-shaped saccus, the shorter, more rounded juxta, and the stout, thumb-shaped main cornutus in the phallus. Udea ferrugalis (Fig. 22 View Figures 21–23 ) is distinguished from U. meruensis (Fig. 26 View Figures 24–26 ) by the larger juxta apically adorned on each side with a strongly sclerotised pointed projection. The species is distinguished from the Eurasian U. accolalis by the fibulae, which are shorter and more straight in U. accolalis (see e.g., Slamka 2013, pl. 21).

Description of adults.

Head: Dorsally greyish-brown, ventrally beige, relatively flat compared to other Udea species; labial palps porrect, somewhat ascending, broadly triangular, extending forward more than one eye diameter, dorsal and outer side with banded light- and dark-brown scales, ventral and inner side as well as outer side’s base of first meron and a narrow ventral area on second meron beige; maxillary palps well developed, long enough to touch each other at apex, base beige, remainder light and dark brown; haustellum fully developed, basally with beige scales; frons rectangular, flatly rounded, with mix of light and darker brown scales; compound eyes large, hemispherical; antennae ochre-brown, scapus short, pedicellus large, somewhat swollen, flagellum in male anteroventrally with short dense ciliation, and on opposite side with very sparse single chaetae as long as flagellum diameter; vertex in centre and behind ocelli with tuft of long brown scales and a collar of long, narrow spatula brown scales. Thorax: Prothorax, anterior mesothorax and base of tegulae brown, posterior mesothorax, metathorax, distal part of tegulae as well as legs lighter brown to beige, forelegs with front of femur brownish. Midleg with outer tibial spur half as long as inner one, hindlegs with outer spur about 2/3 length of inner in both spur pairs. Wings: (Fig. 7 View Figures 6–10 ) Forewing length of male 10 mm. Forewings with brown ground colour. Faint greyish antemedian line leaving costa at 1/5 obliquely outward, after 1/3 abruptly directed straight towards anal margin. Discoidal stigmata dark brown, proximal one simple circular, distal one a short zigzag line. Postmedian line greyish-brown, leaving costa at 2/3 straight inwards towards distal end of distal discoidal stigma, then very faintly bending towards centre of wing until acute-angled tip below discoidal stigmata, then progressing distad and bending towards anal margin, which it meets approximately in line with distal discoidal stigma. Subterminal line a broad brown band evenly arching from subapex to subtornus; apex of costa with two brown markings, one in apex and one slightly more proximal on costa. Veins on outer margin marked with brown dots. Brownish fringe. Hindwing ground colour cream. Clear brown proximal discoidal stigma, indistinct distal discoidal stigma with a faint postmedian line connecting it to costa. Light brown outer margin, broad at apex, narrowing towards tornus. Outer margin and fringe as in forewing, with mark vein markings. Wings ventral sides as dorsal sides, but somewhat darker and maculation more contrasted, with area proximal of postmedian line dark brown versus lighter brown area distal of it, and subtornal area cream; postmedian line in hindwing continued below distal discoidal stigma as line of dark brown dots trailing off towards anal area. Abdomen: Brown like forewing ground colour, posterior end of segments with fringe of cream-coloured scales. Tympanal organs (Fig. 17 View Figures 11–20 ) with lobulus well developed, more than twice as long as broad. Male genitalia: (Fig. 26 View Figures 24–26 ) Ovate uncus head with stiff bifid, anteriad directed chaetae on dorsal surface, neck slender, elongate, base of uncus broadly attached to tegumen; tegumen roughly rectangular, ventrally somewhat widened; transtilla arms elongate triangular, dorsal margin folded over; V-shaped vinculum leading into a roundly V-shaped saccus with a median keel and a blunt ventral tip; juxta large, plate-like, roughly pentagonal, with a longitudinal membranous “notch” in ventral half; valvae long, elongate, slender, narrowest at ca. 2/3 of costa from costa base; costa straight, apex rounded, ventral valva margin straight in apical valva half, elongate sacculus slightly bulging out, ventral sacculus margin with broad triangular protuberance that is in close connection with fibula base; fibula emerging near costa base from a triangular base, forming a slender ventrad, fang-like structure bending towards distal sacculus, almost reaching ventral valva margin. Phallus slender, anterior end rounded, slightly widening towards posterior end; vesica with short, stout thumb-shaped cornutus with an obliquely cut base, and with a broad field of numerous tiny cornuti posteriad of cornutus (in uneverted vesica). Female genitalia: Unknown.

Distribution.

So far only known from the type locality, Mount Meru in Tanzania.

Etymology.

This species is named after Mount Meru, the type locality.

Genetic data.

The DNA of the holotype was extracted and is stored as Lepidoptera DNA sample no. 143 in the DNA collection of the ZMBN. 633 base pairs of the mitochondrial COI gene (GenBank accession number ON206731) have been sequenced from that DNA sample to be included in the phylogenetic analysis. Due to the age of the type material at the time of description, the nuclear wingless gene was not successfully sequenced as the DNA is probably too fragmented to be sequenced with the conventional primers and Sanger sequencing. A search against the COI full database on BOLD resulted in the closest match of 96.3% similarity with an unidentified Udea specimen from W-Bulgaria (Sample ID BIOUG15079-B07), and the next-closest match of 96.24% with a specimen of U. ferrugalis .