Precis koivoguii, Sáfián & Florczyk & Takano, 2023

Sáfián, Szabolcs, Florczyk, Klaudia & Takano, Hitoshi, 2023, A new species in the genus Precis Hübner, [1819] (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae Nymphalinae), another surprising discovery in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea and the broader Guinea Highlands in West Africa, Zootaxa 5249 (4), pp. 465-476 : 467-471

Precis koivoguii sp. nov.

(Figs: 1A,D; 2A; 3A–C; 4A–J, 5)

Holotype ♁ GUINEA, Nimba Mountains , Zié Source Forest (Sempere Road), 7°40′13.16″N, 8°22′33.96″W, 1390 m asl. Leg.: Sáfián, Sz., Boireau, P., Sodré, H. Gen. prep.: CEP-GEN-8278). Deposited in CEPUJ.

Paratypes: 1♁ GUINEA, Nimba Mountains , Zié Source Forest (Sempere Road), 7°40′13.16″N, 8°22′33.96″W, 1390 m asl. Leg.: Sáfián, Sz., Boireau, P., Sodré, H. Gen. prep.: Deposited in CEPUJ .

17♁♁ 1♀ IVORY COAST, 1171m, Mt. Tonkoui Peak , 07°27′15.2″N, 07°38′12.5″W, 20–27.v.2018 General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Miles, W., Moretto, P., Ouattara, Y. leg., ANHRT:2018.28 (6♁♁—unique numbers ANHRTUK00025208 – ANHRTUK00025213 ); Same data but 19–27.xi.2019 General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P., Ouattara, S. Leg., ANHRT:2019.23 (2♁♁ —unique numbers ANHRTUK00025214 , ANHRTUK00025215 ); Same data but 1–8.xi.2015 General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E. leg., ANHRT:2017.16 (1♁ —unique number ANHRTUK00025216 ); Same data but 16–21.vii.2016, General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P. leg., ANHRT:2017.20 (2♁♁ 1♀ —unique numbers ANHRTUK00025220 – ANHRTUK00025222 ); Same data but iv.2016, Local Collectors, ANHRT:2017.17 (2♁♁ —unique numbers ANHRTUK00025225 , ANHRTUK0025226 ); Same data but v.2016, Local Collectors, ANHRT:2017.17 (2♁♁ —unique numbers ANHRTUK00025227 , ANHRTUK00025228 ); Same data but 9–16.iv.2016, General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P. leg., ANHRT:2017.17 (2♁♁ —unique numbers ANHRTUK00025223 , ANHRTUK00025224 ) .

1♁ IVORY COAST, 453m, Biemasso village , 08°04′09.2″N, 07°32′02.9″W, 4–5.vi.2018 General Coll., Aristophanous, M., Miles, W., Moretto, P., Ouattara, Y. leg., ANHRT:2018.28 (unique number ANHRTUK00025217 )

3♁♁ paratypes from ANHRT are dissected and the genitalia illustrated on Figure 3 : ANRHTUK0025209, Gen. prep.: Precis /Florczyk/001; ANHRTUK00214, Gen. prep.: Precis /Florczyk/002 ANHRT 00217, Gen. prep: Precis / Florczyk/003.

Description

Male. Forewing length: 20.5 mm, wingspan 44.0 mm. Antennal length: 13.0 mm. General Nymphaline appearance with wingshape of typical forms of several Precis ( Figs 1A,D ).

Forewing apex rectangular, margin strongly concave between veins 2 and 6. Hindwing outer margin evenly rounded, tornal angle drawn out to a point.

Upperside ground-colour of body and wings black.Antennae black with elongate dark brown club. Palps longer than diameter of eyes. Eyes bald, black. Both wings with well-defined white median band.Along its edges, forewing band overlaid by a tinge of orange-brown colour, especially in spaces 3–5, where three spots of the median band lie rather detached (separated from band by blackened veins). Shape of spots oval, rather than rectangular tapering to a point distally. In spaces 1a, 1b and 2, black dots present in orange-brown outer edge of median band. Forewing apex with four white dots, the dorsal spot vestigial, the other three more prominent. Forewing margin with a row of small orange-brown tinged, rather inconspicuous dots. Hindwing band formed of completely fused rectangles between vein 1 and costa, edged marginally with orange-brown row of lunules with a black dot in each, except that in space 1b. White band narrows from inner margin towards costa from 2.5 mm to 5.0 mm. Band with almost straight inner margin except at costa where inner edge of rectangle slightly drawn in. A row of small orange-brown tinged, rather inconspicuous dots present on the margin, similar to that on the forewing, together with an identical sub-marginal row of dots.

Underside ground-colour of body and wings orangish-tan, legs slightly lighter tan, palps black dorsally, whitish below. Wings darker towards the outer margin with a somewhat blackish tinge. The drawn out tornal angle of hindwing black with fine whitish line. The white median band of the upperside showing through along with black dots in spaces 1b, 2 and 3 on forewing and in spaces 2–7 on hindwing. Forewing apical white dots well-defined, the lower three prominent dots finely circled with black. Cell-spots of the typical Precis form, white, the outer one bolder and S-shaped; oval spot also present in sub-basal area of space 1b. On hindwing, one white spot appears in discal cell, and a sub-basal one along costa. Marginal and submarginal rows of small whitish dots present on both wings. Fringes (cilia) short, black and white chequered.

Male genitalia. General structure of genitalia of Precis are discussed extensively and illustrated via multiple species in Pyrcz et al. (2021). Gnathos and uncus slim and uncus also very long dorsoventrally, valvae triangular in lateral view with inwardly curving ventral edge. Saccus very long almost reaching dorsoventral length of entire genitalia armature, also rather bold, laterally. Terminal claw-like process (teste Pyrcz et al. 2021) of sacculus very prominent and bold laterally. Tips of uncus, valvae and sacculus extend evenly and could be connected with a straight line dorsoventrally ( Fig. 2A ).

Female. The only known female is a wet season form specimen. In all features it looks like the wet season form male but with a less angled forewing apex, less concave forewing outer margin, less drawn-out hindwing tornus and in general a shorter forewing and slightly more rounded hindwing ( Figs 4C, F ).

Variation. As in other Precis species, P. koivoguii sp. n. expresses strong seasonal variation, particularly in the wingshape. Wet season form males have very angled apices of the forewing ( Figs 1A,D ; 4A,D, B,E ), while dry season form males have an arcuate, concave forewing outer margin terminating in a point at the end of vein 6 ( Figs 4G–J ). The hindwing tornus is more strongly drawn out in the dry season form while the submarginal and marginal dots are obsolete or absent. The forewing median band is invariably narrow in both seasonal forms and transitions. There is variation in the width of the whitish bars of the band in each space and sometimes the subcostal bar is absent in specimens. The hindwing band is also rather constant and not significantly broader in the dry season form like in some cases of P. pelarga . There is a more extensive orangish overlay on the median bands in some wet season form specimens which may be influenced by altitude. The bands on both wings in the dry season form specimens are edged with orange-brown colour even on the hindwing.

The underside pattern of the dry season form also differs from that of the above-described wet season form male ( Figs 1D ; 4I,J ). Similar to the majority of Precis species in continental Africa, the ground colour is formed of a composition of various shades of orangish-brown (mimicking a dry leaf), with darker patches in the basal and sub-basal area of both wings, while in general, the wings darken marginally. The contours of the median band are marked inconspicuously by the edges of the differently coloured wing areas as a line or a band.

On the basis of four dissected males, variation in male genitalia appears to be negligible between wet and dry season forms.

Diagnosis. The wet season form of P. koivoguii sp. n. differs remarkably from all continental Precis species with only some extreme wet season forms of P. pelarga / P. actia and the Madagascan P. andremiaja that could be confused with it. The continental P. pelarga / P. actia have the typical incision on the inner edge of the forewing median band in space 3, which is indiscriminately present in all examined specimens from across Africa. The hindwing margin of P. andremiaja is strongly produced and angled at vein 5, even in the most extreme wet season form ( Figs 1G,J ), as is the case with P. ceryne ( Figs 1B,E,C,F ); the hindwing margin of P. koivoguii sp. n. is evenly rounded without this angled projection. The median bands on the upperside of the dry season form of P. koivoguii sp. n. are very similar to those of the wet season form with no incision on the inner edge in space 3.

The male genitalia of P. koivoguii sp. n. differ from those of P. pelarga , P. andremiaja and P. ceryne in the inwardly curving ventral edge of the triangular valva, the narrower gnathos, the long and slim uncus, and the unusually long and laterally very narrow aedeagus. The aedeagus is almost parallel-sided between the basal and the serrated terminal broadening, which is somewhat similar to P. andremiaja . The central section of the aedeagus of P. ceryne and P. pelarga is visibly narrower in dorsal view and the serrations on the edges of the terminal broadening are absent in P. ceryne and more finely serrate in P. pelarga .

Etymology. The new Precis is named in honour of the late Séma Koïvogui, a Guinean entomologist, who contributed significantly to the understanding of the butterfly faunas of Diecké Forest and Ziama Forest in Guinea. He also worked in the Nimba Mountains and extensively in Ivory Coast. Séma always brought fun to our field camp with his intelligent humour, and through his passion for music. His tragic death was very untimely.

Distribution. P. koivoguii sp. n. is currently known from the Nimba Mountains in Guinea and from two localities in Ivory Coast (Mount Tonkoui and the foothills of Mount Sangbé) within the greater Guinea Highlands on the basis of voucher specimens. Very recently a perfectly matching specimen was photographed by Gabriella Győri in Kyabobo National Park, Ghana near the border with Togo ( Togo Mountains) ( Fig. 6A ). This male specimen carries all features of the transition form between wet and dry season forms of P. koivoguii sp. n., and the record is accepted as full proof of the species’ presence in the Togo Mountains ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Precis males: P. koivoguii (holotype) upperside—A, underside—D; P. ceryne ceryne (Uganda, Mpanga Forest) upperside—B, underside—E; P. ceryne ceruana (Nigeria, Jos) upperside—C, underside—F; P. andremiaja (wet season form, Madagascar, Ankaratra Massif, at light) upperside—G, underside—J; P. andremiaja (dry season form, Madagascar) upperside— H, underside—K; P. pelarga (wet season form, Nigeria, Oshogbo) upperside—I, underside—L.

FIGURE 2. Precis male genitalia (lateral view) with removed aedeagi (lateral and dorsal view): Precis koivoguii (holotype)— A; P. ceryne ceryne (Uganda, Mpanga Forest, Gen. prep.: CEP-GEN 4768)—B; P. ceryne ceruana (Nigeria, Jos, Gen. prep.: CEP-GEN 8283)—C; P. andremiaja wet season form (Madagascar, Ankaratra Massif, Gen. prep.: CEP-GEN 8279)—D; P. andremiaja dry season form (Madagascar, Gen. prep.: CEP-GEN 8280)—E; P. pelarga (Nigeria, Oshogbo, Gen. prep.: CEP- GEN 8282)—F.

FIGURE 3. Precis koivoguii sp. n. male genitalia (lateral view, aedeagus lateral and ventral views): Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui, dry season form (ANHRT00025209, Gen. prep.: Precis/Florczyk/001)—A; Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui, dry season form (ANHRT000214, Gen. prep.: Precis/Florczyk/002)—B; Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui, dry season form (ANHRT000217, Gen. prep.: Precis/Florczyk/003)—C.

FIGURE 4. Variation of Precis koivoguii sp. n.: males wet season form (Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui) upperside—A, B, underside—D, E; female wet season form (Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui) upperside—C, underside—F; males dry season form (Ivory Coast, Mount Tonkoui) upperside—G, H, underside—I, J.

FIGURE 5. Map of confirmed and potential localities of P. koivoguii sp. n. at mid- and high-altitude mountains in the Guinea Highlands and in the Togo Mountains.

FIGURE 6. Photographs of specimens in natura: Precis koivoguii sp. n. male transitional form (Ghana, Kyabobo National Park)—A (Photo by Gabriella Győri); P.pelarga wet season form (Liberia, Nimba Mountains)—B; P.pelarga female dry season form (Liberia, Nimba Mountains)—C; P. pelarga male dry season form (Ghana, Kyabobo National Park)—D (Photos by Szabolcs Sáfián).