Siccia akanthodis, Volynkin, 2023

Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Siccia Walker (= Aemene Walker, syn. n.) in the Afrotropics with descriptions of seventy-three new species, three new subspecies, and a check-list of Asiatic taxa of the genus (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 64, pp. 1-184 : 59-60

Siccia akanthodis sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3C3DABD1-9174-4521-BBBB-98716C0F8BCA

( Figs 143–145 , 377, 378 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 143 , 377 ): male, “ Gabon 10m | Nyonié (Lowland forest) | 0°2'22''S, 9°20'25''E | 23–28.viii.2019 MV Light Trap | Albert, J-L., Aristophanous, M., | Bie Mba, J., Dérozier, V., | Moretto, P. Leg. | ANHRT:2019.17” / “ANHRTUK | 00149774” (DNA barcode iD) / “Slide | AV6560 ♂ | A. Volynkin ” ( ANHRT).

Paratypes. GABON: 4 males, the same data as holotype, gen. prep. No.: AV6561 ( ANHRT) ; CAMEROON: 1 male, Johann-Albrechts Höhe Station , L. Conradt, 1896 / Ex Oberthür Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3, unique number: NHMUK010914278, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010317789 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) ; NIGERIA: 1 male, Cross River, Old Calabar / Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-1, unique number: NHMUK010292069, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010317786 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 8.0– 8.5 mm in males. Siccia akanthodis is externally very similar to S. nzame , S. kota and S. bicultula , and identification requires the examination of the genitalia structures. The male genital capsule of the new species is most reminiscent of S. bicultula but differs clearly in the ventral lobe of the costa bearing a robust outer medial process directed distally, and the very short but robust inner medial process whereas in the congener, those processes are markedly thinner and longer, and the outer (the longest) one is directed ventro-distally. The juxta of S. akanthodis bears robust triangular postero-sublateral processes whereas they are lobe-like and dentate in S. bicultula . Additionally, in the new species, the ventral lobe of the cucullus is longer than in S. bicultula and triangular whereas it is rather trapezoidal in the congener. The phallus of S. akanthodis is somewhat longer and broader than in S. bicultula . The vesica of the new species is very similar to S. bicultula but has a somewhat longer main chamber and larger dorsal and distal diverticula.

The female is unknown.

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence of COI-5P sequences calculated from five sampled specimens is in the range of 0.00–0.15%. The nearest neighbour of S. akanthodis is S. bicultula with a pairwise distance of 3.98–4.48%.

Distribution. The new species is currently known from Gabon, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek ‘ακανθώδης’ meaning ‘thorny’ and refers to the robust thorn-like processes of the ventral costal lobe of the new species. The name is a noun in the nominative singular in apposition.

Figures

Figures 137–148. Siccia spp., adults. Depositories of the specimens: 137 and 140 in GMF-B; 138, 139, 141–144, and 146–148 in ANHRT; 145 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 377–380. Siccia spp., male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in ANHRT.