Asuroides rubea Durante

Durante, Antonio, 2008, Asuroides, a new genus of lithosiine moths (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), Zootaxa 1713, pp. 53-68 : 65-67

Asuroides rubea Durante , new species

(Figs. 11, 12, 13, 21, 29)

Material analyzed: ɗ holotype, Johannesburg [ Republic of South Africa], 6000 ft, 1-1899, g. sl. Arct. 5868 BMNH, in BMNH; Ψ paratype, South Africa, Johannesburg, 14-1-1938, g. sl. Arct. 5869 BMNH, in BMNH; ɗ, same locality as paratype, 24-7-1940 [abdomen almost completely missing], in BMNH.

Forewing: wingspan 20–22 mm (female 24 mm); upperside ground color brick red; pattern brown-grey; basal area marked as in A. dimidiata , but dot on radial vein clearly separated from costal fascia, and with posterior dot behind cubital vein more discernible; basal band presenting deep distal concavity (similar to A. retromaculata ), bend at anal vein level creating more acute angle than in other Asuroides , inner edge with yellow scales; initial part of the median band arising from costa, turning abruptly proximally (cf. the more typical distally), meeting basal band in discal cell and continuing almost perpendicular to inner margin, toward the postmedian band, with which it joins at CuA2 vein; median band ending at inner margin in proximal direction, with slight arch; streak at anal vein joins median and basal bands; postmedian band arising on costa close to median band, and with typical question-mark-shape of the genus; submarginal band following shape of postmedian band, formed by a whole line, inner dots and streaks indistinct except for two on M1 and M3; Cshaped patch present at distal end of cell; costa brown-grey in male, except yellow between postmedian and submarginal bands (costa uniformly grey in female); yellow scales sparsely distributed after basal band; underside ochreous yellow, with pink dusting on anterior half of discal and postdiscal areas that does not touch costa, which has a similar coloration to upperside; pattern limited to costal and subcostal portion of the postmedian and submarginal bands (submarginal band reaches CuA 2 in female); fringes brown-grey.

Hindwing: upperside ochreous yellow; underside like upperside; fringes yellow.

Body: head, thorax and abdomen same color as hindwings; head with grey dot on vertex; antennae ciliated, yellow (female filiform); labial palpi yellow, porrect, not extending beyond frons; tegulae with two grey dots; thorax with two dots on mesoscutum and one on mesoscutellum; legs ochreous yellow with distal portion of femur and distal and proximal portions of tibia deep grey (character not readily discernible on hind legs); tibial spurs 0-2-2; male with VIII abdominal segment about half as long as VII; male with VIII tergum cephalic edge thickened, with two small apodemes turned cephalad; male coremata small, depth about one fourth of VII sternum, and with slim internal androconial scales; female with VII sternum about one and half times as long as that of VI; female with VII tergum trapezoidal, twice as long as VI; female with pleural invaginations between VII and VI segment, dorsal pheromone gland bilobate, with lobes arranged in semilunar shape, slightly longer than posterior apophyses.

PLATE 5. Figures 23–30. Asuroides species, female genitalia. 23, Asuroides atricraspeda (Hampson) , Gold Coast [ Republic of Ghana], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5746 BMNH; 24, Asuroides dimidiata Durante , holotype, W. Kiwu [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5865 BMNH; 25, Asuroides calimerae Durante , holotype, Senegal, genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5860 BMNH; 26, Asuroides fasciata Durante , holotype, Congo Française [ Republic of the Congo], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5872 BMNH; 27, Asuroides retromaculata Durante , paratype, French Guinea [ Republic of Guinea], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5863 BMNH; 28, Asuroides rosea Durante , holotype, Nyassaland [ Republic of Malawi], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5866 BMNH; 29, Asuroides rubea Durante , paratype, South Africa, genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5869 BMNH; 30, Asuroides similis Durante , paratype, Kibwezi [ Republic of Kenya], genitalia Ψ, g. sl. Arct. 5858 BMNH.

Genitalia: ɗ: general structure similar to that of type species; juxta, well sclerotized, pentagonal; valvellae hemiellipsoidal, displaced dorso-laterally; processus distalis plicae not perceptible; valvar distal edge with two finger-like processes; aedeagus sclerotized along distal half; vesica bilobate with thick cluster of spines only on largest lobe; Ψ: ostium almost as large as the whole caudal margin of VII segment; lamella postvaginalis large, membranous, sub-rectangular; ductus bursae is caudally cylindrical, thereafter growing thin, irregular, funnel-shaped, well sclerotized, as deep as caudal diameter; cervix reniform not sclerotized, but solid, joining ductus bursae dorsally; ductus seminalis arising from ductus bursae in latero-caudal direction at right, corpus bursae arising cephalad, membranous, ovoidal, without signa.

Etymology: the name comes from rubeus (reddish), descriptive of the forewing ground colour. Remarks: this Asuroides is separable from other species in the genus by the brick red forewing ground color, as well as genitalic characters (e.g., vesica containing spines only on the largest lobe).