Meharia hackeri Saldaitis, Ivinskis & Yakovlev

Borth, Robert, Ivinskis, Povilas, Saldaitis, Aidas & Yakovlev, Roman, 2011, Cossidae of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen), ZooKeys 122, pp. 45-69 : 48-49

Meharia hackeri Saldaitis, Ivinskis & Yakovlev sp. n. Figs 9, 10, 13, 14

Type material.

Holotype ♀ (Fig. 9), NE Socotra Island, Wadi Difarroha, North side, 19 January 2010. leg. A. Saldaitis (deposited in MWM/ZSM); (slide No PI 2011/1) Paratypes: 3 ♀ (Fig. 10), S Socotra Island, Wadi Difarroha, South side, 15 January 2010. leg. A. Saldaitis; (coll. ASV; MWM/ZSM); (slide No BJ 1523).

Diagnosis.

The new species differs from the related species Meharia acuta Wiltshire, 1982 (Figs 8, 12) by forewing pattern, DNA and distribution. In Meharia acuta , the basal spot at the costal wing margin is missing. Meharia hackeri has a straight basal fascia at the costal wing margin for ¼ the length of forewing and a narrow white fascia, with a wide interruption antemedially and a narrow interruption tornally, running along the entire inner margin. Meharia acuta has no such fascia, but has a wide subterminal band. DNA barcodes clearly separate Meharia hackeri from Meharia acuta . Three identical sequences of Meharia hackeri were compared to those of a single Meharia acuta specimen resulting in a significant 7.48% variation.

Meharia acuta is distributed in the Arabic peninsula, Meharia hackeri is endemic to Socotra Island.

Description.

Female: Forewing costal margin length of holotype 10 mm, wingspan 21 mm; forewing length of paratypes 11 mm, wingspan 22 mm; antennae slightly longer than half the length of forewing; bipectinate, color white, black at base; head and tegular yellowish-white; labial palpi yellowish brown, white at base; ground colour of forewings yellowish-brown with white longitudinal fascia forming wing pattern, basal fascia in the costal area straight, running to ¼ the length of forewing, curved fascia extending medially from inner margin to ⅔ the length of forewing, its extension ends at terminal wing margin, medially the fascia and its interrupted portion in terminal area bordered by dark brown scales with black inserts; narrow white fascia, widely i nterrupted antemedially and narrowly interrupted tornally, runs along the entire inner margin, cilia yellowish-white, ventral forewing brown; hindwing greyish-yellow, cilia light brown, ventral hindwing brown.

Male genitalia: unknown.

Female genitalia (Figs 13, 14): Papilla analis triangular, covered with short, thin, very long setae; apophysis posterioris about the same length as papilla analis; apophysis anterioris very short, broad, with V-shaped sclerotisation apically; ostium concave; antrum weakly sclerotised basally with a loop forming very narrow ductus bursae; corpus bursae not sclerotised, shaped like a small sac.

Bionomics and distribution.

Known only from the central part of Socotra Island. Meharia hackeri is likely endemic to Socotra Island. All specimens were collected in mid-January; Meharia hackeri females were attracted to light and appear to have a very local distribution as the species was discovered only in Difarroha Valley (Fig. 31). The new species was collected in the central part of the country in an oasis-type valley dominated by various tree and shrub species such as: Jatropha unicostata , Lycium socotranum , Gnidia socotrana , Buxus hildebrandtii , Croton socotranus , Punica protopunica , Ficus vasta , Euphorbia socotrana , Jathropha unicostata , Mitolepis intricata , Aloe perryi , Adenium obesum ( Miller and Cope 1996). It flies with several other Socotra Archipelago endemic moths such as Meharia yakovlevi Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2010, ( Cossidae ), Pelosia sokotrensis (Hampson, 1900), ( Arctiidae ), Cerocala socotrensis Hampson, 1899, Agrotis brachypecten Hampson, 1899, Plecoptera butkevicii Hacker & Saldaitis, 2010, Acantholipes canofusca Hacker & Saldaitis, 2010, Stenosticta wiltshirei Hacker, Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2010 ( Noctuidae ).

Etymology.

The new species name is dedicated to Hermann Hacker, a prominent German lepidopterist, who has contributed much to the investigation of macro-moths of the Arabian peninsula and Africa.