Metarbelodes Strand, 1909

Lehmann, Ingo, Zahiri, Reza & Husemann, Martin, 2023, Revision of the Metarbelodes Strand, 1909 genus-group (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Metarbelidae) with descriptions of two new genera and 33 new species from high elevations of eastern and southern Africa, Zootaxa 5267 (1), pp. 1-106 : 8-9

Metarbelodes Strand, 1909

Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris 22: 119

Type species: Metarbela ? umtaliana Aurivillius, 1901 (Entomologisk Tidskrift 22 (2): 127, Fig. 29), by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Metarbelodes is considered monotypic at present. The male genitalia can be distinguished from other metarbelids by a long, hollow, well sclerotized, thorn-like process that originates at the costal margin and is bent strongly downwards towards the ventral edge of valva (autapomorphy). The base of the thorn-like process has a broad, long, open slit dorsally, with a weakly-sclerotized projection attached to it. The forewing has a strong, continuous, tubular CuP fold. Based on the latter, M. umtaliana is likely more closely related to Zambezia than to Lukeniana .

Description. Head: Rough-scaled, with light ochre hair-like scales below compound eyes on fronto-clypeus in male; a pair of pits absent from lower fronto-clypeus, a pair of conical projections present on lower fronto-clypeus; pits behind labial palpi ovoid; labial palpi long, almost as long as eye diameter, consisting of three segments, 2 nd segment longest, 1.5–2.3 longer than the basal segment, 3 rd segment shortest, 0.5 length of basal segment; antenna bipectinate in male, branches narrow, 3.5 width of shaft, densely scaled cream; flagellum scaled, cream colored.

Thorax: Densely covered with light ochre hair-like scales on patagia and tegulae, slightly glossy, tegulae not pronounced; crest on metathorax small, light ochre. Forelegs and midlegs ochre with long dense hair-like scales. Epiphyses absent. Hindlegs with one pair of narrow tibial spurs, slightly unequal in length (outer spur 1.4 mm, inner spur 1.3 mm); pretarsus with a pair of pulvilli. Forewing upperside with ground colour dark ochre mixed with cream, not glossy, with dark brown, sometimes almost black (= sepia) vertical striae along costa and on the outer half of the forewing upper side; a geometric design is absent (a geometric design was defined by Lehmann 2010b, e.g., the occurrence of any triangular-like or leaf-like patterns); a simple, not contrasting pattern is present and comprises a straight sepia terminal line, not parallel to termen, from near apex to dorsum, strongly bent towards base of wing at M 3; 1A+2A and discocellular vein sepia; CuA 2 is distinctly marked white or cream, narrow edged sepia above. Hindwing cream-coloured, glossy. Fringe long, cilia up to 1.5 mm, cream-coloured, glossy. Forewing venation ( Fig. 1d ; Fig. 9f ) with 1A+2A long forked at base; CuP a strong, tube-like, continuous unsclerotized fold; basal part of CuA 2 originating from two-thirds of lower median; CuA 1 originating from hind margin of posterior cell, M 3 and M 2 originating from apical angle of posterior cell, both are separated at base; M 1 originating from anterior angle of median cell and close to base of a relatively large areole; R 5 originates from posterior angle of areole; R 4 +R 3 +R 2 on a long stalk that is originating from anterior angle of areole close to base of R 5; R 1 originating from anterior part of median cell; Sc more or less parallel to R 1. Hindwing—3A present; 1A+2A rudimentary; CuP present but weak; CuA 2 originating from two-thirds of lower median of posterior cell; CuA 1 originating from hind margin of posterior cell; M 3 and M 2 originating from apical angle of posterior cell, separated; M 1 +Rs originating from apical angle of anterior cell, long-stalked; a short bar present from Rs to Sc+R 1; a discocellular vein on both forewing and hindwing present. Retinaculum and frenulum absent.

Abdomen: Externally primarily covered by cream and light ochre, hair-like scales; abdominal tuft cream, short, up to 0.25 length of abdomen. Male genitalia ( Fig. 11c ) with tegumen fused to vinculum, forming a firm ring. Uncus large, ovoid, comprised of a pair of narrowly rounded lobes, short setae ventrally, basal edge of uncus is not straight but has a crescent-shape in horizontal position at middle. Gnathos short, well above costa, covered with short toothlike processes at distal end, hand-shaped, not connected by a sclerotized band basally. Valva ovoid with broad base, costa lacking setae, inner side of median sector with few setae; large, setose, weakly-sclerotized projection attached to thorn-like process from near base of valva and along costal margin; thorn-like process prominent and hollow; at end of its base with long open slit dorsally where it is connected by a thin membrane to weakly-sclerotized projection; thorn-like process originating from outer side of valva near costa, and strongly bent downwards towards ventral edge of valva. Sacculus strongly reduced to one-third near base of valva. A short emargination (less than 25% length of valva) extending between weakly-sclerotized projection and thorn-like process. Transtilla absent; semi-transtilla short, rectangular with a somewhat leaf-shaped, attached to costa of valva and opposite of vinculum, without setae. Juxta nearly twice as large as saccus with two acuminate tips and a short process at each tip, deeply emargination between tips (90% the length of juxta). Vinculum broad at saccus, twice as large as the saccus, forming a plate-like structure. Saccus digitate, gently rounded caudally. Phallus simple, 1.5 longer than basal width of valva, slightly trumpet-shaped, bilobate, with a cleft at each end. Female postabdominal structure and genitalia unknown.

Species richness. As defined herein, the genus includes only the type species, M. umtaliana .

Figures

FIGURE 1. a. Zambezia jennyhuntae, holotype, male, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Mutare (formerly Umtali); b. Z. durrellbarnesi, holotype, female, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Bvumba Mountains; c. Z. darrelplowesi, holotype, female, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Mutare (formerly Umtali), Hospital (today Kopje House); d. Metarbelodes umtaliana, holotype, male, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Old Umtali or Umtali (today Mutare).

FIGURE 9. Wing venation of: a. Zambezia darrelplowesi, female, holotype (Zambezia = subgroup G1 in Lehmann 2019b); b. Lukeniana obliqualinea, female, Kenya, County Nairobi, Ngong (Lukeniana = subgroup G3 in Lehmann 2019b); c. Zambezia madambae, male, holotype; d. Z. diredaouaensis, male, paratype; e. Lukeniana tubiraensis, male, holotype; f. Metarbelodes umtaliana, male, holotype (Metarbelodes = subgroup G2 in Lehmann 2019b). The areole (blue arrows) is a possible plesiomorphy (in Lehmann 2019b, p. 24), the continuous CuP fold (red arrows), partly sclerotized, is a very rare apomorphy (in Lehmann 2019b, p. 25) among species of Metarbelidae. It has been found only in species close to or to the South of the Zambezi River. In the same areas an intact CuP on the forewing occurs only in basal species (as defined by Lehmann 2019b, pp. 24 and 25) of Metarbelidae (Lehmann 2019b). The complete loss of the CuP in the forewing is another apomorphy (Lehmann 2019b, p. 322) that occurs in the majority of species of Metarbelidae in theAfrotropical Region and Oriental Region (seeFigure 39).Drawings by I.L.

FIGURE 11. a. Zambezia madambae, holotype, male, Botswana, Chobe District Council, Kasane, Chobe River, Chobe Rapids; b. Z. jennyhuntae, holotype, male, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Mutare (formerly Umtali); c. Metarbelodes umtaliana, holotype, male, Zimbabwe, Manicaland Province, Old Umtali or Umtali (today Mutare); d1. Lukeniana mzuzuensis, paratype, female, Malawi, Northern Region, Mzuzu, Nkho-rongo, female genitalia with ductus bursae and corpus bursae, both thinly membranous and without any structures; d2. Detail of female genitalia of L. mzuzuensis, paratype, with narrow bandson lateroventral surface of segment 8 (cf. red arrows); e. L. obliqualinea, holotype, male, Kenya, County Nairobi, Nairobi (picture taken by Kim Buckmaster, NHMUK, London (picture taken in 1996)..