Melittia abyssiniensis, 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

Melittia abyssiniensis Hampson, 1919

Figs. 1, 2

“ Melittia abyssiniensis n. sp. ”— Hampson, 1919: 95. Type locality: “Harrar [sic!] …” [ Ethiopia: Harari kilil, Harar]. Holotype ♀ ( Figs. 1, 2 ) (BMNH).

Dalla Torre & Strand, 1925: 137 ( Melittia ); Gaede, 1929: 531, pl. 77, row g ( Melittia ); Heppner & Duckworth, 1981: 26 ( Melittia ); Gorbunov & Arita, 1997: 302, 303 ( Melittia ); Pühringer & Kallies, 2004: 15 ( Melittia ).

This species was originally described from Harar, Ethiopia, based on a single female specimen ( Hampson, 1919) and till now no additional specimens have been collected. The original description by Hampson fairly complete and we do not need to repeat it here. Unfortunetely, males, female genitalia and individual variability remain unknown.

Differential diagnosis. By its coloration and completely opaque wings this species belongs to the aureosquamata species-group. From M. aureosquamata (Wallengren, 1863) M. abyssiniensis can be distinguished by minute details in the coloration of the hind leg tuft. It is possible, as was stated before in Gorbunov & Arita (1997), that the latter species may be a junior synonym of M. aureosquamata . From M. houlberti Le Cerf, 1917 , M. abyssiniensis differs by the coloration of the hind tibia (dark brown to black with bronze sheen, with a narrow orange stripe dorsally from base of tibia to base of mid spurs in the species compared) and hind tarsus (dark brown to black with strong bronze-green sheen in M. houlberti , cp. Fig. 1 with fig. 9 in Gorbunov, Arita, 1997). From M. azrael Le Cerf, 1914 , this species clearly differs by the coloration of the vertex (brown to dark brown with bronze sheen, with a few orange and black scales in M. azrael ), thorax (both meso- and metathorax dark brown with bronze sheen in the species compared), hind leg tuft (without orange scales in the species compared) and by the coloration of the wings (dark brown with strong golden-green sheen in M. azrael , cp. Fig. 1 with fig. 9 in Gorbunov, Arita, 1997). From all other afro-tropical congeners M. abyssiniensis is clearly separated by the coloration and entirely opaque wings.

Bionomics and Habitat. Unknown.

Distribution. Known from the type locality only: Ethiopia: Harar.

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.