Acrapex kiakouama Le Ru, 2017

Bruno Le Ru, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Boaz K. Musyoka, Beatrice Pallangyo, Mohamedi Njaku & Onésime Mubenga, 2017, Phylogenetic analysis and systematics of the Acrapex unicolora Hampson species complex (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Apameini), with the description of Fve new species from the Afrotropics, European Journal of Taxonomy 270, pp. 1-36 : 16-17

Acrapex kiakouama Le Ru sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5FD4E344-68BA-423B-AF86-347CAD502914

Figs 2D, L , 3C , 6C–F

Diagnosis

Male easily separated from males of other species of the group by the uncus being shovel-shaped at the apex and by the large, plate-like juxta, with a narrow pyriform base and a long and widening, slightly sclerotised neck ( Fig. 2D ); female easily separated from females of other species of the group by having the antrum strongly sclerotized, with a large, broad ventral plate, bilobate, widening to the front, anterior part shaped like a feshy lip, the posterior part concave ( Fig 3C ).

Etymology

Named after Kiakouama, the technician who collected this species in the Republic of the Congo.

Type material

Holotype

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: ♂, Kouilou Department, Lac Nanga, 04°56.090' S, 11°56.713' E, 2 m a.s.l., 17 Apr. 2013, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G843).

Paratypes

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 4 ♂♂, same date and locality as holotype, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G533-G537-G781); 4 ♀♀, same date and locality as holotype, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN, gen. prep. LERU Bruno/G536); 1 ♂, Kouilou Province, Lac Loubi, 04°53.573' S, 11°55.535' E, 4 m a.s.l., 16 Apr. 2013, ex light trap, B. Le Ru leg. (MNHN).

Description

Both sexes look similar; however, the general shape of the female fore wing is more elongated at the apex than in the male and is paler ( Fig. 6C–F ); antennae bright ochreous dorsally and ochreous ventrally, fliform in female and slightly ciliate in male; fagellum adorned dorsally with grey scales, palpus ochreous grey, eyes fuscous brown. Head and base of thorax bright brown, thorax ochreous; legs ochreous, ringed with grey white; abdomen grey.

FORE WING. Ground colour bright ochreous in both sexes, suffused with fuscous and brown scales, more heavily along veins and costal area, particularly in male; reniform indicated by few white scales, surrounded by some brown scales; longitudinal brown median fascia along lower external margin of cell, ending obliquely at apex; veins below cell adorned with white and fuscous scales; row of black elongated spots between veins on margin; fringe grey externally, ochreous suffused with fuscous internally. Underside of fore wing with ground colour ochreous, densely suffused with brown scales.

HIND WING. Ground colour pale ochreous in male, more whitish in female; veins slightly irrorated, with fuscous scales, costa and apex more heavily suffused with fuscous scales; hind wing of male much more suffused with fuscous scales than that of female; fringe pale ochreous, suffused with fuscous and adorned with narrow fuscous line. Underside of hind wing pale ochreous in male, more whitish in female, suffused with brown scales but much more heavily on costa and apex; veins slightly irrorated with pale fuscous scales.

WINGSPAN. 16–18 mm (4 ♂♂); 20–23 mm (7 ♀♀).

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 2D, K ). Uncus long, widening in distal third, shovel-shaped at apex, tufted with long hairs on upper side. Tegumen with medium-sized rounded penniculi, vinculum pointed, with medium-sized triangular saccus, valves short and broad, cucullus rounded and tufted, with medium-sized hairs, coastal margin slightly broadened on the inner side and produced into strong tooth-shaped spine, strongly sclerotized at apex, pointed and curved inwardly; juxta large, plate-like, base pyriform, without sclerotization, with long and widening, slightly sclerotized neck. Aedeagus short, slightly curved, with two lateral areas adorned with short setae; hand-shaped vesica with basal tuft of needle-shaped cornutus, pointed obliquely downward.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 3C ). Corpus bursae long and globular, without signa; ductus bursae very short, with strongly sclerotized funnel-shaped connection with ostium; antrum strongly sclerotized, with large, broad ventral plate, bilobate, widening to the front, anterior part shaped like a feshy lip, posterior part concave; dorsal plate small, weakly sclerotized. Ovipositor lobes relatively short (2 times as long as wide), with pointed apex, dorsal surface bearing numerous short and stout setae.

Bionomics

Biology unknown. The moths were caught in a light trap in grasslands near marshes.

Distribution

Republic of the Congo. Known from two close localities only in the Kouilou region, south coast of Pointe Noire. Moths were found in a mosaic of lowland rain forest and secondary grassland (Mosaic #11A) ( White 1983) ( Fig. 4 ), belonging to the Congolian bioregion ( Linder et al. 2012) ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Male genitalia of species of Acrapex. – A, I. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). – B, J. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. – C, K. A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov. – D, L. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. – E, M. A. malagasy Viette, 1967. – F, N. A. mediopuncta (Bowden, 1956). – G, O. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. – H, P. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 3. Female genitalia of species of Acrapex. A. A. cuprescens (Hampson, 1910). B. A. kafula le Ru sp. nov. C. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. D. A. mediopuncta (Bowden, 1956). E. A. miscantha le Ru sp. nov. F. A. parvaclara Berio, 1973. G. A. simillima le Ru sp. nov. H. A. unicolora (Hampson, 1910). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 4. Distribution map of sampled specimens of Acrapex Hampson, 1891.

Fig. 5. Major bioregions, modifed after Linder et al. (2012).

Fig. 6. Adults of species of Acrapex. – A – B. A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov. A. ♂, upper side. B. ♂, under side. – C – F. A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov. C. ♂, upper side. D. ♂, under side. E. ♀, upper side. F. ♀, under side. – G – I. A. malagasy Viette, 1967. G. ♂, upper side. H. ♂, under side. I. ♂, original labels from MNHH. Scale bars = 10 mm.