Prasinocyma magica, Hausmann, Axel, Sciarretta, Andrea & Parisi, Francesco, 2016

Hausmann, Axel, Sciarretta, Andrea & Parisi, Francesco, 2016, The Geometrinae of Ethiopia II: Tribus Hemistolini, genus Prasinocyma (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 4065 (1), pp. 1-63 : 24-25

Prasinocyma magica sp. n.

( Figs 23 , 64 )

Holotype. ♂, Äthiopien [ Ethiopia, Southern Nations], Ostafrikanischer Graben [East African Rift valley], Mago Nationalpark, 1217m, 06°47.365’ N, 36°27.475’O, 2.VII.2014, Beck, R. & G. Riedel ( BC ZSM Lep 84759; gen.prp. 16003).

Description. Adult ( Fig. 23 ). Wingspan. Male 26 mm. Ground colour leaf green, strongly irrorated with white strigulae. Forewing costa whitish. Forewing without spot at the inner termen. On fore- and hindwings discal dot present, small, black, sharply bordered. All wings with small, fine terminal dots. Hindwing termen round at M3. Length of male palpi 1.0 times diameter of eye, ochre. Frons pale brown. Antennae bipectinate in male, branches ochre. Male frenulum present. Male hindtibia with pencil and four spurs.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 64 ). Uncus very short. Socii non prominent. Juxta sclerotized, elongate, posterior margin spinulose. valve distally truncate, subterminal ventral lobe conspicuous. Sacculus elongate, terminally with long sclerotation, dorsally strongly covered with bristles. Aedeagus comparatively short, length 1.5 mm, curved, with two lateral sclerites, one sclerite slightly dentate. Sternum A8 poorly sclerotized, with two shallow, rounded projections.

Differential diagnosis. Despite the existence of BIN-sharers (see genetic data below) from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, none of the species mentioned in Janse (1930) nor the examined type specimens in the NHM share the shape of male genitalia of this species. P. vermicularia with much longer uncus and widely headed spinose harpe. P. germinaria with spinose harpe bent dorsad at base of valve, projections of sternum A8 truncate. P. batesi distans with green frons, hindwing with double cell spot, in male genitalia harpe forceps-shaped and without bristles, projections of sternum A8 sclerotized, small, close to each other.

Genetic data. BIN: BOLD:ABA7613. BIN-sharing specimens from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe in four sub-clusters at 0.46% distance from each other (three nucleotides distance each). Nearest neighbours in Ethiopia: P. batesi distans subsp. n. (3.8%) and P. germinaria (4.9%).

Etymology. The name refers both to the type locality in the Mago National Park and to the magic fact that so many new Ethiopian species could be found in this genus.

Figures

FIGURES 19 – 24. Adults of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar— 1 cm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides, and / or DNA barcoding, and / or nomenclatural status of the illustrated specimen are given. 19. Prasinocyma corrugata Fletcher, 1958 (gen. prp. ZSM G 19653); 20. Prasinocyma fusca sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 81820; Holotype); 21. Prasinocyma leveneorum sp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 85808 - 84634; Holotype); 22. Prasinocyma germinaria (Guenée, 1858) (BC ZSM Lep 83222); 23. Prasinocyma magica sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 16065; Paratype); 24. Prasinocyma batesi distans subsp. n. (BC ZSM Lep 85806 - 83224).

FIGURES 64 – 67. Male genitalia of Ethiopian Prasinocyma species. Scale Bar (s) — 1 mm. In parantheses the ID-numbers of genitalia slides are given. 64. Prasinocyma magica sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 16003); 65. Prasinocyma batesi distans subsp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19591); 66. Prasinocyma beryllaria sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 19463); 67. Prasinocyma septentrionalis sp. n. (gen. prp. ZSM G 16247).