Afrasura discocellularis (Strand, 1912) Strand, 1912

Durante, Antonio, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Asura Walker, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), with the description of a new genus, Zootaxa 2280, pp. 27-52 : 37-41

Afrasura discocellularis (Strand, 1912) comb. n., stat. rev.

( Figs. 10, 11 , 47, 48 , 60 )

Asura discocellularis Strand, 1912 , Arch. Naturg. LXXVIII 9: 100.

Type locality. Cameroun, Bibundi (holotype Ƥ not examined).

Distribution. Ivory Coast; Ghana; Cameroun.

Material examined. Ivory Coast: 3 Arct. g.sl. n. 311 e 5733 BMNH. Ghana: 3 Arct. g.sl. n. 5747 BMNH. Cameroun: ƤƤ Arct. g.sl. n. 5843, 5854, 5855 BMNH.

Diagnosis. Male genitalia with the two distal endings of the valva slender, but supravalvar larger, less sclerotized and longer then that on the ala valvae (which is sub-cylindrical and with a pointed end); in indecisa the ending of the ala valvae is longer then the supravalvar; the supravalvar ending in discocellularis grows thin dorsally, in indecisa thin ventrally ( Fig. 48 ). Saccus roundish, medium sized for the genus (deeper in indecisa ). Vesica with a large area covered by thorns and with medium sized cornutus, nearly half the aedeagus length, slightly bent (in indecisa the cornutus is slender, as long as three fifth of the aedeagus; the vesica has only a small cluster of thorns and the aedeagus has a large cluster of small thorns at its distal end). Coremata absent (present in indecisa ). Dorsal female pheromone glands longer than posterior apophyses; the two lobes that form them and the posterior opening are larger than in indecisa . Female A7 large, frustum cone-shaped, membranous, small pleural pouches between A7 and A6. Female genitalia with antrum larger than deep; ductus practically absent, as it is fused with the cervix; cervix bag-shaped, well sclerotized, almost half the size of the corpus bursae, with clusters of thorns inside, two of which are comb-like. Corpus bursae ovoid, membranous, with a round dimple-shaped signum covered by small thorns.

Remarks. The examined female specimens had been already classified by means of genitalia dissection as A. discocellularis by D. S. Fletcher in 1955, as indicated on their labels. Kühne (2005) synonymized discocellularis with indecisa but did not provide details. Note that the examined male genitalia and attributed in this work to discocellularis do not coincide with those of the type of indecisa , although these are similar.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Adults of Afrasura. 1 – 3, A. indecisa indecisa. 4 – 5, A. indecisa orientalis. 6 – 8, as yet unplaced Afrasura species from within the BMNH series of Miltochrista craigii (see text for elaboration). 9, A. crenulata. 10 – 11, A. discocellularis. 12, A. discreta.

FIGURES 41 – 52. Genitalia of Afrasura. 41 – 42, A. indecisa indecisa (A: type genitalia; B: coremata). 43, A. indecisa orientalis. 44 – 45, as yet unplaced Afrasura species from within the BMNH series of Miltochrista craigii (see text for elaboration). 46, A. crenulata. 47, A. discocellularis. 48, distal end of valva of A. discocellularis (left) and A. indecisa (right). 49, A. emma (right: coremata). 50, A. hieroglyphica (A, B: type; C, D: Arct. g. sl. 5736 BMNH). 51, A. hyporhoda (A: tegumen-vinculum complex; B: distal end of right valva; C: coremata; D: aedeagus). 52, A. ichorina.

FIGURES 53 – 64. Genitalia of Afrasura. Males of Afrasura: 53, A. neavi (lateral view). 54, A. numida (A: distal margin of supravalva; B: cornutus). 55, A. peripherica hilara (lateral view). 56, A. rivulosa (A, B: A. r. rivulosa; C: valva of A. r. ethiopica). 57, A. cervicalis. Females of Afrasura: 58, A. indecisa indecisa. 59, as yet unplaced Afrasura species from within the BMNH series of Miltochrista craigii (see text for elaboration). 60, A. discocellularis. 61, A. discreta (right: signum). 62, A. dubitabilis (right: appendix and sclerotizations). 63, A. hieroglyphica. 64, A. ichorina (right: signum).