Morabia brunnea Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020

László, Gyula M. & Hausmann, Axel, 2022, Taxonomic review of the genus Morabia Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020 with descriptions of two new species and introducing five new generic combinations (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 5134 (2), pp. 215-237 : 222-226

Morabia brunnea Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020

( Figs 10 , 28–29 )

Tujuba et al. (2020): 74. Holotype, male, Zambia, Mutinondo, coll. ZSM.

Type material examined. Holotype. Male , North Zambia, Mutinondo, 1390 m, wet Miombo, 27.xii. 2010, 12°23’30”S, 31°19’23”E, light trap, leg. J. Lenz, gen. slide No.: ZSM G 20945 ( ZSM).

Additional material examined. Zambia. 1 male, Muchinga Province, Danger Hill , 30 km N of Mpika, 1684m, 11°37’38”S, 31°33’56”E, 27-30.iv.2019, Fish Bait, Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W. leg., ANHRT :2019.12, gen. slide No.: LG 5286; 1 male, Northern Province, Mutinondo Wilderness Area , 1460m, 12°27’06”S, 31°17’30”E, 17-20.v.2019, fish bait, Dérozier, V., Imakando, M., László, G., Miles, W. leg., ANHRT : 2019.12, gen. slide No. : LG 5300, BOLD sample ID: ANHRT053-20 /ANHRTUK- 00081925; 2 males, same site and collecting method, 16-20.iii.2017, Oram, D., Miles, W., Smith, L. leg. ANHRT : 2017.24, BOLD sample ID: ANHRT054-20 /ANHR-TUK-00152842; 2 males, Kapishya Hot Springs, Shiwa N’gandu Estate , 1437m, S11°10’13”, E31°36’00”, I-III. 2016, M. T. Harvey coll., leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT :2017.29, gen. slide No.: LG 5287; 1 male, same site, 22.xi.-8.xii.2015, general collecting, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Oram, D., ANHRT :2017.15; 1 male, same site, 1-5.iii.2017, Light Trap, Oram, D., Miles, W., Smith, L. leg.; 2 males, Chilambwe Falls, Kafubu River , 1420m, S09°50’13”; E30°43’35”, 8-9.xi.2014, Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H. & Oram, D., ANHRT:2017.12; 1 male, Hillwood, Ikelenge (Miombo/Riverine forest mosaic), 1400m, S11°16’02”, E24°18’59’, 23-30.xi.2019, LepiLED Light Trap, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R. leg., ANHRT:2019.25 ; 1 male, Chitunta Plain (Miombo / Dambo mosaic), 1396m, 11°29’12”S, 24°24’18”E, 29.xi.-4.xii.2019, fish bait, Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L. leg, ANHRT :2019.25 ( ANHRT); 1 male, Mutinondo , S12°23.53’, E31°19.40’, 1390m, 13.x.2009, UV, leg. J. Lenz ( RCHS) .

Diagnosis. Morabia brunnea (Hausmann & Tujuba, 2020) has large, black subapical blotches gradually fading into a diffuse brownish-grey terminal band on the underside of the fore- and hindwings, similar to M. smithi sp. n. The differential characters between the two taxa are discussed in detail under the diagnosis of the latter species. Compared to M. nigripunctata , the upperside wing pattern of M. brunnea is confusingly similar, however the ground colour has a more brownish, rather than greyish tinge. The two species are easily distinguished by their underside markings, due to the more yellowish ground colour, the considerably larger discal spots and the much darker terminal band of M. brunnea compared to those of M. nigripunctata . In the male genitalia, M. brunnea has a somewhat longer and broader uncus, longer costal arms of the valva, a considerably longer sacculus, a shorter medio-ventral depression of the valva and a markedly narrower distal half of the valva than in M. nigripunctata . The aedeagus of M. brunnea is longer and S-shaped, whereas it is almost straight in M. nigripunctata . Additionally, M. brunnea has a considerably longer, medially curved cornutus vesicae which is straight in its congener.

The female is unknown.

Description. Description of the adult and male genitalia of M. brunnea is provided in Tujuba et al. (2020).

Genetic information ( Fig. 44 ). BIN: BOLD: ABW6916 (n=3 from Zambia). Genetically homogeneous, so far without any intraspecific variation. The nearest neighbouring species are M. smithi (2.45%) and M. politzari (2.6%).

Distribution ( Fig. 43 ). Morabia brunnea is to date, known only from the Zambian Plateau, but its true distribution probably extends towards southern DRC and eastern Angola.

Figures

FIGURE 43. Distribution of the Morabia species.

FIGURE 44. Maximum likelihood tree of Morabia.

FIGURES 1–10. Adults, a: dorsal, b: ventral view. 1, Morabia politzari, ♂, RSA (RCHS); 2, Ibidem, ♀, RSA (NHMUK); 3, M. nigripunctata, ST, ♂, Nigeria (NHMUK); 4, Ibidem, ♀, Sierra Leone (NHMUK); 5, Ibidem, ♂, Mozambique (ANHRT); 6, Ibidem, ♀, Malawi (NHMUK); 7, M. cryptica sp. n., HT, ♂, Zambia (ANHRT); 8, Ibidem, PT, ♂, Zambia (ANHRT); 9, Ibidem, PT, ♀, Zambia (RCAK); 10, M. brunnea, ♂, Zambia (ANHRT).

FIGURES 20–28. Male genitalia, a: clasping apparatus, b: aedeagus. 20, Morabia politzari, Mozambique, slide No. LG 5467 (ANHRT); 21, Ibidem, RSA, slide No. LG 5528 (RCHS); 22, M. nigripunctata, HT, Nigeria, slide No. BM Geo 4990 (NHMUK); 23, Ibidem, Sierra Leone, slide No. LG 5520 (ANHRT); 24, Ibidem, Gabon, slide No. G 21276 (ZSM); 25, Ibidem, Mozambique, slide No. LG 5288 (ANHRT); 26, M. cryptica sp. n., HT, Zambia, slide No. LG 5289 (ANHRT); 27, Ibidem, PT, DRC, slide No. NHMUK 010317364 (NHMUK); 28, M. brunnea, Zambia, slide No. LG 5300 (ANHRT).

FIGURES 29–34. Male genitalia, a: clasping apparatus, b: aedeagus. 29, Morabia brunnea, Zambia, slide No. LG 5287 (ANHRT); 30, M. smithi sp. n., HT, Zambia, slide No. LG 5301 (ANHRT); 31, Ibidem, PT, Zambia, slide No. LG 5329 (AN- HRT); 32, M. distinctaria, Mauritius, slide No. LG 5521 (ANHRT); 33, M. hero, Madagascar, slide No. G 21271 (ZSM); 34, M. pluto, Madagascar, slide No. NHMUK 010317353 (NHMUK).