Amerila niveivitrea ( Bartel, 1903 )

Przybyłowicz, Łukasz, Maicher, Vincent, László, Gyula M., Sáfián, Szabolcs & Tropek, Robert, 2019, Amerila (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) of Cameroon with morphological remarks on male and female genitalia, Zootaxa 4674 (2), pp. 283-295 : 291

Amerila niveivitrea ( Bartel, 1903) (Figs 12–13, 28)

Material (3 specimens). 1♀ Dom Forest , NW Province, 28-29.xi.2011, 1850- 2100 m a.s.l., N 6.3570°, E 10.6088°, lgt. R. Tropek, P. Jansta, D. Lestina ; 1♂ Mount Cameroon (SW slope), 6.xi.2016, Mann’s Spring (2200 m a.s.l.), N 4.1428°, E 9.1226°, lgt. V. Maicher, Sz. Sáfián, Š. Janeček, R. Tropek (the latter two attracted by light) ; 1♀ as above but 10.iv.2015, PlanteCam camp (1100 m a.s.l.), N 4.1175°, E 9.0709° (bait-trapped) .

Distribution

One of the most widespread Amerila species, known from 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, it was recorded from Southwest and Northwest Provinces. On Mount Cameroon, A. niveivitrea was recorded only between 1100 and 2200 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 1 ).

Female genitalia (Fig. 28)

Papillae anales subsquare, terminally covered with dense setae; a pair of elongated membranous protuberances ventrally, anteriorly from the oviduct; protuberances distinctly wide and shallow proximally, then gradually tapering and more conspicuous distally; anterior apophyses moderate length, straight, not triangular; apophyses posteriores of the same width, 50 percent longer than the anterior apophyses; dorsal and ventral pheromone glands reduced; sternum VIII moderately sclerotized with a pair of small, rounded protrusions raised towards the median line of the body; ostium bursae wide, sclerotized; ductus bursae much shorter than its width, membranous; corpus bursae forming an irregular, ovoid, densely plicate pouch with several small, spiny, heavily sclerotized signa; single, elongate near the origin of the ductus seminalis and several minute sclerotizations forming an irregular line in the proximal section of corpus bursae; ductus seminalis narrow, originating from the slightly convex medio-lateral portion of the corpus bursae.

Remarks

Female genitalia were briefly described in Häuser & Boppré (1997), but have not been illustrated anywhere yet.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Elevational distribution of Amerila species on Mount Cameroon. The three elevational zones, with their transitions, are visualized by different colors. The weighted mean elevation of individual species (black dot), together with their lowest and highest records, are visualized. After species names, numbers of collected specimens are stated.