Cinctosesia, Bartsch, 2018

Bartsch, Daniel, 2018, Taxonomic changes in Synanthedonini from Madagascar, with description of two new genera and species (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), Zootaxa 4433 (1), pp. 174-186 : 180

Cinctosesia gen. nov.

Type species: Cinctosesia polistiformis sp. nov., designated here.

Etymology. Latin cinctus (= waist, belt), Cinctosesia is of feminine gender.

Description. Medium sized (wingspan 23–31 mm) with distinct paper-wasp-like appearance. Head with welldeveloped and possibly functional proboscis; labial palpi large, strongly upturned; first and third palpomeres nearly of equal length, about two thirds of second palpomere; basal two palpomeres with long, rough scales ventrally; frons with somewhat rough, vertex with smooth scales; antennae short, nearly half the length of forewing, clavate, ciliate in male. Thorax, legs and abdomen smoothly scaled, without long, hair-like scales; coxa of foreleg long and narrow; hindleg nearly as long as abdomen; spurs of all legs with outer spur less than half as long as inner one. Abdomen long, strongly wasp-waisted due to the lateral and ventral constriction of segments 2–4; analtuft developed, but scales pressed against abdomen, which therefore appears pointed. Wings long and narrow with large transparent areas; wing venation of forewing with veins R1–R3 closely approximated, parallel; R4 and R5 with long common stalk, well separated from R3; CuA1 and CuA2 arise close together, parallel; hindwing with M2 from costad 2/5 of cross vein; M3 and CuA1 from common point or minutely stalked; discal spot of forewing narrow; discal spot of hindwing very small, triangular, extending to M2.

Male genitalia. Tegumen-uncus-complex long and narrow; scopula androconialis well-developed; gnathos well-developed, forming an ovoid, distally horizontally truncated plate, medial crista absent; valva somewhat rectangular shaped; inner surface nearly completely covert with bifurcate setae; crista sacculi indistinct, flat and broad, forming a double arched fold toward apex of valva, not separated from setaceous area, very densely covert with bifurcate setae; juxta strongly protruded; vinculum with short saccus; phallus (aedeagus) long and slender; vesica with single, small cornutus.

Diagnosis. Cinctosesia cannot be confused with any other genus within African Synanthedonini . Two characters are here considered generic autapomorphies: 1) remarkable paper-wasp-like mimicry; 2) strongly waspwaisted abdomen with constricted segments 2–4 (more pronounced in older specimens). Other taxa with waisted abdomen (e.g. Lolibaja Gorbunov & Gurko, 2017 and Tipulamima Holland, 1893 partim) have the waist less pronounced and only segments 1–2 narrowed. Additionally, the latter taxa differ from Cinctosesia by the length of their hindlegs, which are considerably longer than the abdomen (shorter than abdomen in Cinctosesia ) and in the genitalia structure: tegumen shorter; uncus stronger with scopula androconialis shorter; crista sacculi with distal portion down curved toward ventral margin and base of valva (distal portion toward apex of valva in Cinctosesia ); phallus shorter and broader, basally not bulbous-like enlarged; Tipulamima differs further by an apical hook of the valva. The most distinct external characteristics of Cinctosesia are: antennae short and strong, around half the length of forewing (clearly longer, two thirds to three-fourths of forewing in most Synanthedonini ); smoothly scaled body (thorax, legs and first abdominal tergites with hair-like scales in most Synanthedonini ); narrow wings, veins R1 and R2 not fused distally (distally fused or rarely completely coincident in many Synanthedonini ). In male genitalia, the valva is distinct with crista sacculi and setaceous area fused, apex barely tapering (more or less pointed in most Synanthedonini ), inner surface nearly completely covered with sensory hairs (with bald area dorsodistally of crista sacculi in most Synanthedonini ), and the vesica with only a single cornutus (with numerous short spines in many Synanthedonini , e.g. Synanthedon ).