Siccia caffra Walker, 1854

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 : 34-35

Siccia caffra Walker, 1854

( Figs 66–68 , 326 , 472 )

Siccia caffra Walker, 1854 , List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum, 2: 539 (Type locality: “ South Africa ”).

= Lithosia nigropunctata Wallengren, 1860 , Wiener entomologische Monatschrift, 4 (2): 46 (Type locality: [ RSA] “ Caffraria ”), syn. rev.

= Melania punctigera Felder, 1874 , Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara, 2 (Abth. 2) (4): 6, pl. 106: figs. 34, 35 (Type locality: [ RSA, Western Cape] “ Africa m., Knysna ”), syn. rev.

Type material examined. Lectotype of Siccia caffra ( Fig. 66 ): female, “S. Africa | 46–27.” / “ Siccia | caffra Walker | Lectotype ♀ ” / green label “Bombyx | caffra | 1.–” / green ring “Type” label / QR-code label with unique number: “NHMUK010606121” ( NHMUK); photographs of the holotype of Lithosia nigropunctata : female, “Caffra- | ria.” / “ Lithosia | nigropunctata | Wallengr.” / “ = caffra | Wlk.” / “474” / “16” / “NHRS-SRAH | 000000915” ( NHRS); lectotype (hereby designated) of Melania punctigera ( Fig. 67 ): male, “(Knysna.) / S. Africa.” / “ Melania | puncti- | gera | N. i. t. ♂ ” / “punctigera n.” / round label “Felder | Colln.” / red ring “Type” label / “Rothschild | Bequest | B.M.-1939-1.” / QR-code label with unique number: “NHMUK010292543” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. RSA: 1 male, Transvaal, Pretoria, W.L. Distant, unique number: NHMUK010606123, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010314586 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) ; 1 male, 1 female, Limpopo [Prov.], Soutpansberg , 22°59'S 29°45'E, 1400m, 2–13.ii.2013, Stadie & Schintlmeister leg. (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 male, 15.X.1997, [Western Cape, Cape Town] 28 Primula St. , Durbanville ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, Pretoria , 23.xi.1911, A. J. T. Janse, gen. prep. No.: AV5722 ( HNHM) ; 1 female, Pretoria , 14.xii.1911, A. J. T. Janse, gen. prep. No.: AV5723 ( HNHM) ; 1 male, 1 female, Cape Town, Edgemead , 1.x.1990, K. Gainsford leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5325 (male), AV5326 (female) ( MfN) ; 1 male, Limpopo, Lekgalameetse Nat. Res. , 28–30.iii.2011, 24°11'S 30°21'E, F. Koch leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5328 ( MfN) .

Note. In the original description of Melania punctigera, Felder (1874) mentioned and illustrated specimens of both sexes. The female illustrated (Felder 1874: pl. 106, fig. 34) is externally considerably different from the male (Felder 1874: pl. 106, fig. 35) and is probably conspecific to S. punctipennis or S. tsitsikamma . In order to stabilise the nomenclature, the male syntype labelled as “Type” and housed in the NHMUK collection is hereby designated as the lectotype.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.5–10.0 mm in males and 9–10 mm in females. The species is easily distinguishable from its congeners by the shape of the postmedial line of the forewing, which is strongly incised inwards near the anal margin. The male genital capsule is characterised by the broad lobular valva with a wide cucullus having an apically rounded dorsal and a small spike-shaped ventral lobes, and a triangular and apically pointed distal saccular process directed dorso-distally. Unlike other congeners having robust cornuti in the vesica, the vesica of S. caffra is remarkably short and narrow (in proportion to the phallus size). In the female genitalia, the antrum has a medial membranous area subdividing it into two sclerotized lateral parts. Additionally, the corpus bursae of S. caffra has a globular anterior diverticulum, which is characteristic of the species.

Molecular data. The intraspecific divergence calculated from four COI-5P sequences of specimens from Gauteng Province, Republic of South Africa obtained from the BOLD Systems website is 0.00%. The divergence from S. laszlogyulai is provided below.

Distribution. The species is known from Republic of South Africa ( Walker 1854; Pinhey 1975, partim.; Krüger 2019, partim.). The records from Mozambique and Zimbabwe (Pinhey 1975, partim.; Krüger 2019, partim.) are doubtful and most probably belong to other species of the genus.

Figures

Figures 63–79. Siccia spp., adults. Depositories of the specimens: 63, 64, 66 and 67 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 65, 71–79 in ANHRT; 68 in HNHM; 69 in MfN; 70 in GMF-B.

Figures 325–328. Siccia spp., male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 325 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 326 in HNHM; 327 in MfN; 328 in ANHRT.

Figures 470–473. Siccia spp., female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 470 and 473 in ANHRT; 471 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 472 in HNHM.