Cyana (Cornutivulpecula) rejecta rejecta ( Walker, 1854 )

Volynkin, Anton V. & László, Gyula M., 2020, Review of the Cyana rejecta (Walker, 1854) species-group, with descriptions of three new species from mainland Africa and a new subspecies from Madagascar (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 4890 (3), pp. 330-346 : 332-333

Cyana (Cornutivulpecula) rejecta rejecta ( Walker, 1854)

( Figs 1–4 , 27 , 39 )

Setina rejecta Walker, 1854 , List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 2: 521 (Type locality: not provided in the original description [Natal]).

= Lithosia bipunctigera Wallengren, 1860 , Wiener entomologische Monatsschrift 4 (2): 45 (Type locality: [ South Africa, Eastern Cape Province] “ Caffraria ”).

Type material examined. Holotype (by monotypy) of Setina rejecta ( Fig. 1 ): male without abdomen, [ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Province] “Natal” / green ring label “Type” / “18. Setina rejecta .” / “1952/188” / label with QR-code and unique number “ NHMUK 010814204” ( NHMUK); photographs of the holotype of Lithosia bipunctigera (after de Prins & de Prins (2020)): female, “Caffraria.” / Lithosia bipunctigera Wallengr. ” / “466” ( NHRS).

Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: 1 male, 1 female, Karkloof , Natal, G.A.K. Marshall, 97-50, unique number: NHMUK 10918064 (male) , gen. slide No. : NHMUK10315726 (male) (prepared by Volynkin) ; 1 male, Durban, Natal, G.F. Leigh / Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-1, unique number: NHMUK 10918065 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK10315727 (prepared by Volynkin) ; 1 female, Durban, Natal , 34. IX.1913 / L. Hargreaves, B.M. 192753, unique number: NHMUK 10918066 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK10315728 (prepared by Volynkin) ; 1 female, Natal, A.J. Spiller; 1 female, Lower Umkomaas, Natal (G.F. Leigh) ; 1 male, Transvaal, Johannesburg , April 1906, A. T . Cooke , 1908-112, unique number: NHMUK 10918067 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK10315729 (prepared by Volynkin) ; 1 female, Transvaal , Pretoria, W.L. Distant ; 1 female, Transkei , Cape Colony (Miss Barrett) ; 1 male, Bashee R ., Kaffraria, J.H. Bowker ( NHMUK) .

Remark. In the original description of Setina rejecta, Walker (1854) referred to a type specimen, without indication of its locality. An S. rejecta specimen labelled as “type” was located in the NHMUK collection bearing a “Natal” label. The same specimen was treated by Karisch (2013) as a syntype. Although the original description does not specify the number of types, it clearly refers to a single specimen by listing it under a single letter “a”. In many of his works, Walker listed all specimens available to him under multiple consecutive letters (see e.g. the description of Setina apicalis Walker, 1854 ), which is not the case in the description of S. rejecta , therefore we consider S. rejecta to have been described from the holotype only.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 10–12 mm in males and 11–12 mm in females. Most specimens of C. rejecta are slightly smaller than C. cornutissima sp. n. occurring in the northern part of South Africa. The male genitalia of C. rejecta are distinguished by the large, bilobate dorsal subbasal diverticulum (which is also bilobate in C. yao sp. n. and C. cornutissima sp. n., but markedly shorter), the broad and globular 2 nd medial diverticulum, and the moderately broad distal diverticulum bearing two rows of robust spine-like cornuti almost connected apically (in C. occidentalis sp. n. the two rows of cornuti are well-separated; in C. yao sp. n. the rows of cornuti are very short and connected apically; and in C. cornutissima sp. n. there is only a single, conspicuously long row of more numerous and longer cornuti). The female genitalia of C. rejecta differ from those of C. occidentalis sp. n. and C. cornutissima sp. n. by their considerably shorter ductus bursae and the less prominent, less sclerotized appendix bursae and from C. yao sp. n. by their longer, more heavily sclerotized appendix bursae. The presence of a lateral rugose sclerotized area and the band-like weakly scobinated area medially in the corpus bursae separates C. rejecta from all other species in this species-group.

Distribution. The nominotypical subspecies is known only from South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Eastern Cape Provinces).

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Cyana rejecta sspp.: adults. Depositories of specimens: 1–4, 7, 8 and 10 in NHMUK (©); 5, 6 and 9 in ZSM.

FIGURES 27–29. Cyana rejecta sspp.: male genitalia. Depositories of specimens: 27 and 29 in NHMUK (©); 28 in ZSM.

FIGURES 39–43. Cyana spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of specimens: 39–41 in NHMUK (©); 42 and 43 in ANHRT.