Gonotrichidia eponine, Prozorov & Revay & Yakovlev & Volkova & Murphy & Prozorova & Saldaitis & Petrányi & Sulak & Traore & Müller, 2023

Prozorov, Alexey M., Revay, Edita E., Yakovlev, Roman V., Volkova, Julia S., Murphy, Raymond J., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Saldaitis, Aidas, Petrányi, Gergely, Sulak, Harald, Traore, Mohamed M. & Müller, Günter C., 2023, Two new species for Gonotrichidia from West and East Africa (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 70, pp. 60-69 : 66-67

Gonotrichidia eponine sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:331F0CAE-6839-445C-9AAA-CDC390215647

( Figs 9–10 , 15 , 19 )

Holotype: ♂, Ivory Coast, Danane , 7.2676 N, 8.14478 W, 350 m, 4.III.1981, GS 10-098 ( CGM / USTTB) . Paratype: ♂, same data as holotype, GS 29717 ( CGM / USTTB) .

Description. Male ( Figs 9–10 ). Flagellum covered with speckled brown and fawn scales. Head and thorax brown, abdomen fawn or beige. Forewing. Forewing length: 18 mm. Elongated, somewhat triangular with bunt apex. Background color speckled reddish brown and beige. Blackish pattern consists of barely visible discal dot, transversal faded ante- and postmedial lines. Fringe speckled reddish brown and fawn. Hindwing. Somewhat oval with smooth outer margin and slight concavity between Rs and M 3. Background color speckled beige with reddish brown, costal and anal fields reddish brown. Fringe speckled beige and reddish brown with brown scales near tornal angle. Genitalia ( Fig. 15 ). Vinculum triangular, apically broad, laterobasally bears a pair of socii. Socii tubercle-like, sparsely covered with setae. Cucullus finger-shaped with bent pointed apex. Sacculus compact, somewhat v-shaped, sparsely covered with setae. Juxta small, stem-like, ventrobasally fused with aedeagus. Aedeagus c-shaped with blunt apex. Vesica small, conical, medially bears numerous tiny cornuti. Vinculum ventrally elongated forming cup-like saccus. The eighth sternite somewhat trapezoid with a pair of small mediodistal dents, concavity between them, and basal apodemes. Female remains unknown, but expected to be bigger and darker than male.

Diagnosis. Adult males of G. eponine sp. n. have narrower and rather triangular forewings, beige hindwings with darker costal and anal fields ( Figs 9–10 ); while adult males of G. modestissima have broader and rounded forewings, brown hindwings ( Figs 1–4 ). Gonotrichidia eponine sp. n. is known from Ivory Coast ( Fig. 19 ); while G. modestissima is known from DRC ( Fig. 20 ).

Adult males of G. eponine sp. n. are overall smaller with more triangular forewings and unpronounced external line on forewings ( Figs 9–10 ), have apically narrower tegumen, saccus with one apex and regularly sclerotized sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Fig. 15 ); while adult males of G. braedan sp. n. are overall larger with more rounded forewings and pronounced external line on forewing ( Figs 6, 8 ), have apically broader tegumen, saccus with two apexes and highly sclerotized outer margin of the eighth sternite’s concavity ( Fig. 16 ). Gonotrichidia eponine sp. n. is only known from Ivory Coast ( Fig. 19 ); while G. braedan sp. n. is spread in East Africa ( Fig. 20 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 19 ). Western Guinean lowland forests in Ivory Coast.

Biology. Adults were collected in March from an altitude of 350 m. Preimaginal stages unknown.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Eponine Taormina (Nesconset, USA).

Figures

Figures 1–10. Adults of Gonotrichidia spp. 1–5. G. modestissima, DRC. 1–3, 5. ♂ and ♀, Ekongo, GS 0607, 0606, 0605, 0785 (CGM/USTTB). 4. HT ♂, between Mbandaka and Kisangani (MSNM). 6–8. G. braedan sp. n., Malawi. 6– 7. HT ♂ and PT ♀, Nyika National Park (CGM/USTTB). 8. PT ♂, 6 km ENE Mzuzu (CMNH). 9–10. G. eponine sp. n., Ivory Coast, Danane (CGM/USTTB). 9. HT ♂. 10. PT ♂. Scale bar – 1 cm.

Figures 11–16. ♂ genitalia of Gonotrichidia spp. (CGM/USTTB). 11–14. G. modestissima, DRC, Ekongo. 11. GS 0582. 12. GS 0605. 13. GS 0607. 14. GS 0606. 15. G. eponine sp. n., PT, Ivory Coast, Danane, GS 29717. 16. G. braedan sp. n., Malawi, Nyika National Park, GS 29715. Scale bars for genitalia and magnified apical part of aedeagus – 1 mm.

Figures 19–20. Distribution maps of Gonotrichidia spp. 19. G. eponine sp. n. 20. G. modestissima (white) and G. braedan sp. n. (green).