Asuroides sagenaria (Wallengren, 1860) Wallengren, 1860

Durante, Antonio, 2008, Asuroides, a new genus of lithosiine moths (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), Zootaxa 1713, pp. 53-68 : 56-58

Asuroides sagenaria (Wallengren, 1860) , new combination

(Figs. 1, 2, 18)

Setina sagenaria Wallengren, 1860 , Wien. Ent. Mon., IV: 46.

Asura sagenaria Wallengren, 1860 ; Hampson, 1900, Cat. Lep. Phal. B. M., II: 445.

Barsine natalensis Walker, 1864 , List Het. Br. Mus. XXXI: 250, is synonymized with sagenaria by Hampson (1900), but its type is damaged and it is not possible to examine the genitalia (Fig. 3).

Material analyzed: ɗ type, Caffraria [ Republic of South Africa], no date, in NHRS; ɗ, Natal [ Republic of South Africa], no date, g. sl. Arct. 5861 BMNH, in BMNH; ɗ, Zululand [ Republic of South Africa], no date, g. sl. Arct. 5862 BMNH, in BMNH.

Forewing: ɗ: wingspan 23–25 mm; upperside ground colour ochreous yellow; pattern brown-grey; basal area with proximal dot on subcosta and longitudinal patch posteriorly and distally to it; basal band bending at level of cell and anal vein (1A+2A), being convex distally; median band arising at about half costa, directed distally for short distance, then forming acute angle and bending toward basal band (meeting this at cell level), then again distally joining post-median band between second cubital and anal vein, from there extending proximally to inner margin; post-median band arising slightly beyond median band on the costa, shaped like a question mark with the base joined to the median, thereafter extending towards the inner margin with slight distal inclination; sub-marginal band same shape as postmedian, consisting of eight streaks joined transversally, two streaks on M1 and M3 often lengthen distally to join the termen; a C-shaped patch with distal concavity at distal end of cell; costa dark basally, at the beginning of the median and sub-median bands, and at least along its distal third, otherwise yellow; underside ground color same as upperside, wing pattern covering only the anterior portions of the postmedian and submarginal bands; fringes brown-grey.

PLATE 1. Figures 1–8. Asuroides and related species, adults. 1, Asuroides sagenaria (Wallengren) , ♂ type, Caffraria [ Republic of South Africa]; 2, Asuroides sagenaria (Wallengren) , ♂, Natal [ Republic of South Africa]; 3, Barsine natalensis Walker , ♂ type, Natal [ Republic of South Africa]; 4, Asuroides atricraspeda (Hampson) , ♂ lectotype, Gold Coast [ Republic of Ghana]; 5, Asuroides atricraspeda (Hampson) , Ψ paralectotype, Gold Coast [ Republic of Ghana]; 6, Asuroides dimidiata Durante , Ψ holotype, W. Kiwu [ Democratic Republic of the Congo]; 7, Asuroides calimerae Durante , Ψ holotype, Senegal; 8, Asuroides fasciata Durante , Ψ holotype, Congo Française [ Republic of the Congo].

Hindwing: ground colour above and below as in forewing; brown-grey on fringes limited to the apex, the remainder being ochreous yellow.

Body: head, thorax and abdomen same colour as ground color of wings, thorax sterna slightly lighter; head with dark dot on vertex; antennae yellow, serrate; labial palpi yellow, porrect, not extending beyond the frons; tegulae with two dark dots; thorax with one dot on mesoscutellum (some dark scales also present on mesoscutum); legs ochreous yellow, distal part of femur and distal and proximal parts of tibia brown grey; few scales of the distal segment of tarsus and the pretarsus are dark; tibial spurs 0-2-2; cephalic margin of eighth abdominal sternum thickened, large, U-shaped; coremata joined to it, modest sized, no larger than one third of the seventh sternum and half as deep as it; some androconia inside.

Genitalia: ɗ: uncus fairly long, thin, curved caudally at its distal fourth; ending with small sclerotized point; tegumen and vinculum robust, particularly the latter that forms a shallow saccus; paratergal sclerites (sensu Tikhomirov 1979) fairly slender; manica penis strengthened ventrally by subtriangular juxta and laterally by two long, thin valvellae; ala valvae (sacculus) swollen, turgid, with its distal two fifth slender; supravalva with medium-costal swelling (processus distalis plicae) covered by about twenty bristles; distal valvar edge with characteristic undulation of which the ventral protrusion is the most distinct; aedeagus tubular, lightly bent in lateral aspect, lightly sclerotized dorsally on its distal portion; vesica bilobate, shorter lobe covered by a dozen spines, longer lobe by about fifty spines as strong as the first group and of varying size.

Remarks: the similar ground color of both fore- and hindwings differentiates A. sagenaria from the other species in the group, except for A. similis . However, the ground color is lighter in A. similis than in A. sagenaria . The more or less regularly undulated valval distal margin, and biolobate vesica with cluster of thorns are both diagnostic. The female is unknown. Based on the male genitalia and wing pattern, A. sagenaria should be transferred from Asura .