Melittia pyropis, Gorbunov, Oleg G., 2015

Gorbunov, Oleg G., 2015, Contributions to the study of the Ethiopian Lepidoptera. I. The genus Melittia Hübner, 1819 [“ 1816 ”] (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4033 (4), pp. 543-554 : 544-547

Melittia pyropis Hampson, 1919

Figs. 3, 4 , 7–10 , 19

“ Melittia pyropis n. sp. ”— Hampson, 1919: 84. Type locality: “Br. C. Africa, Mt. Mlanje (Neave), 1 ♀ type; Natal, in Mus. Oxon. …” [ Malawi: Southern Region, Mulanje District, Mulanje Mt.]. Holotype ♀ ( Figs. 3, 4 ) (BMNH).

Dalla Torre & Strand, 1925: 147 ( Melittia ); Gaede, 1929: 529 ( Melittia ); Heppner & Duckworth, 1981: 27 ( Melittia ); Gorbunov & Arita, 1997: 297 ( Melittia ); Pühringer & Kallies, 2004: 16 ( Melittia ).

Description. Male ( Figs. 7, 8 ) ( Sesiidae pictures №№ 0119-0120–2014). Alar expanse 38.8 mm; body length 17.9 mm; forewing 17.0 mm; antenna 9.3 mm. Head with black antenna with dark blue-purple sheen, with a small pale yellow spot exterior-ventrally at tip; scapus pale yellow ventrally; frons dark gray with bronze sheen, with a narrow pale yellow to white stripe with golden-purple sheen laterally; vertex mixed with pale yellow, white and black hairlike scales, with a rather large yellow spot at ocellus anteriorly; labial palpus white to pale yellow with goldenpurple sheen, with an extremely narrow black stripe exterior-ventrally; occipital fringe mixed with pale olive and black hairs dorsally and white laterally. Thorax with patagia pale olive with bronze sheen, with a few dark brown scales with bronze sheen; tegula, meso- and metathorax dark brown with dark bronze sheen, densely covered with pale olive scales and hairs masking background coloration; thorax laterally dark brown with bronze sheen, with a few pale yellow scales with bronze sheen; posteriorly both metepimeron and metameron black densely covered with white to pale yellow hairs. Legs with neck plate white to pale yellow with golden-purple sheen; fore coxa white to pale yellow with golden-purple sheen, with a few dark brown scales distally and with yellow hair-like scales exterior-distally; fore femur pale yellow to white with golden sheen, mixed with a few black scales, posterior-ventral margin covered with long pale yellow hairs forming a tuft; fore tibia ventrally pale yellow to white with golden sheen, dorsally yellow with a narrow and short black stripe medially at base; fore tarsus pale yellow to yellow with golden sheen, narrowly black dorsally; mid coxa white to pale yellow with golden sheen; mid femur externally black with dark purple sheen, densely mixed with yellow scales, both anterior and posterior margins yellow; mid tibia pale yellow to white with golden sheen, with three large chestnut spots exterior-basally, exterior-medially and exterior-subdistally, and with a small black spot exterior-distally; spurs black with dark purple sheen externally and yellow internally; mid tarsus ventrally pale yellow to white with golden sheen, dorsally basal tarsomere pale yellow to white with golden sheen with black with green-purple sheen distal third; remains tarsomeres black with green-purple sheen with individual yellow and chestnut scales; hind coxa white to pale yellow with golden sheen, with a few dark brown scales medially; hind femur black with dark purple sheen, densely mixed with pale yellow to white scales and long hairs externally; hind tibia externally chestnut with a yellow spot both at base of mid and apical spurs and with a black spot at base of mid spurs; dorsally dirty yellow with an admixture of chestnut and black distally; spurs black with dark blue-purple sheen, mixed with yelloworange scales internally; hind tarsus black with dark purple sheen mixed with chestnut scales exterior-dorsally and pale yellow to white scales ventrally Abdomen dorsally black with dark purple sheen, tergites 1, 2, 6 and 7 each covered with narrow chestnut scales, tergite 3 with chestnut and dark yellow and tergite 5 with dark yellow narrow scales; all tergites with a narrow dark yellow distal margin; ventrally pale yellow to white with golden sheen, mixed with a few black scales basally on basal three sternites; anal tuft dorsally black with dark purple sheen, with a few chestnut scales; ventrally pale yellow mixed with black and chestnut; valva mixed with pale yellow and black scales. Forewing with costal and anal margins, CuA-stem and veins within external transparent area black with dark purple sheen, with an admixture of pale chestnut scales; discal spot black with dark purple sheen covered with chestnut scales; apical area black with dark purple sheen covered with chestnut scales proximally and pale yellow scales distally; discal spot broad with a short, narrow, cuneiform projection proximally; transparent areas welldeveloped, sparsely covered with hyaline scales with bluish lustre; external transparent area large, divided into 6 cells (cell between veins R4 and R5 extremely small), on level of vein M2 about twice broader than both discal spot and apical area; ventrally costal and anal margins, CuA-stem dark brown with dark bronze sheen densely covered with dirty yellow scales; discal spot and veins within external transparent area dark brown with dark bronze sheen, densely covered with chestnut scales; apical area dark brown with an admixture of chestnut, pale yellow and white scales; scales of cilia dark brown with bronze sheen, with a narrow yellow base. Hindwing transparent; anal area orange with golden sheen; veins, discal spot and outer margin black with dark purple sheen, covered with pale chestnut scales; discal spot extremely narrow and nearly undeveloped; outer margin about thrice narrower than cilia; ventrally veins densely covered with orange scales; scales of cilia dark brown with bronze sheen.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 19 ) (Genital preparation № OG–007-2014). Tegumen-uncus complex relatively broad; uncus bilobed distally, with a relatively large semi-oval plate of strong, short, pointed setae internally on each side; gnathos rather small, membranous, with a small, narrow, slightly sclerotized plate medio-basally; valva broad triangular-oval; distal field of setae slightly separated from medial one; setae of medial field rather short, slightly covering a pocket-shaped crista; ventral lobe relatively broad, rounded distally, somewhat exceeding distal margin of valva; pocket-shaped crista small and narrow; saccus narrow, slightly club-shaped, rounded basally; aedeagus narrow and short, about as long as valva; vesica with numerous minute cornuti.

Female (holotype). Unknown for us in nature, but, in accordance with the colour photo ( Fig. 3 ) and the original description ( Hampson, 1919: 84–85), we can note that the female is somewhat larger (alar expanse 42.0 mm) and more robust than male. Beside that, the coloration of the thorax dorsally and two first tergites of the abdomen are olive-fulvous and the fifth tergite of the abdomen densely covered with creamy-white scales. The external transparent area of the forewing is slightly smaller than that in the male. It is divided into five cells and the cell between veins R4 and R5 is undeveloped. Colour patterns otherwise as in the male.

Individual variability. Unknown for females. The second male examined ( Figs. 9, 10 ) virtually does not vary in the colour pattern, but the cell between veins R4 and R 5 in the external transparent area of the forewing is somewhat larger. However, it is slightly larger in individual size: alar expanse 39.2 mm; body length 19.0 mm; forewing 18.0 mm; antenna 9.6 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Judging by the coloration of the anal area of the hindwing this species seems to be the closest to M. endoxantha Hampson, 1919 , but by the coloration of the forewing, to the oedipus species-group. From M. endoxantha Hampson, 1919 ( Fig. 5 ), M. pyropis can be distinguished by the coloration of the labial palpus (white with some blackish and yellowish hairs in front in the species compared), hind leg tuft (with more number of white and less number of chestnut hair-like scales in M. endoxantha ), forewing dorsally (with less numerous chestnut scales on the discal spot and apical area in the species compared), and anal area of the hindwing (visible less bright, orange-yellow in M. endoxantha ). From all species of the oedipus species-group ( Melittia oedipus Oberthür 1878 , M. ignidiscata Hampson, 1910 , and M. haematopis Fawcett, 1916 ) M. pyropis is clearly distinguishable by the orange with golden sheen coloration of the anal area of the hindwing.

Bionomics. The host plant is unknown. The specimens from Ethiopia were attracted by synthetic pheromones at about noon in mid November.

Habitat. The specimens from Ethiopia have been collected in the limits of the town of Agaro among orchards and gardens.

Distribution. At present this species is known from the type locality in Malawi, in the Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia. The latter locality is the first record for the country.

Material. 1 ♂ ( Figs. 7–8 ): “ Ethiopia, Kefa, / Agaro, 1670 m, / 07˚51΄N, 036˚36΄E, / 16.XI.2009, / O. Gorbunov leg.”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0119-0120–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov” ( COGM)”; 1 ♂ ( Figs. 9–10 ): “ Ethiopia, Kefa, / Agaro, 1670 m, / 07˚51΄N, 036˚36΄E, / 16.XI.2009, / O. Gorbunov leg.”, “ SESIIDAE / Pictures №№ / 0123-0124–2014 / Photo by O. Gorbunov”; (Genital preparation № OG–007-2014) ( COGM).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Melittia spp.: 1) M. abyssiniensis Hampson, 1919, ♀ holotype. Alar expanse 36.0 mm; 2) ditto, labels; 3) M. pyropis Hampson, 1919, ♀ holotype. Alar expanse 42.0 mm; 4) ditto, labels; 5) M. endoxantha Hampson, 1919, ♀ holotype. Alar expanse 34.0 mm; 6) ditto, labels.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Melittia pyropis Hampson, 1919. 7) ♂ upperside. Sesiidae picture № 0119 – 2014. Alar expanse 38.5 mm; 8) ditto underside. Sesiidae picture № 0120 – 2014; 9) ♂ upperside, Sesiidae picture 0123 – 2014. Alar expanse 39.2 mm; 10) ditto underside, Sesiidae picture № 0124 – 2014.

FIGURES 19 – 21. 19) Melittia pyropis Hampson, 1919 male genitalia. Genital preparation № OG – 007 - 2014. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. 20) Melittia ambo sp. nov. male genitalia (paratype). Genital preparation № OG – 006 - 2014. Scale bar: 0.5 mm; 21) Melittia ambo sp. nov. female genitalia (paratype). Genital preparation № OG – 009 - 2014. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.