Camaegeria viettei, Bartsch, Daniel & Berg, Jutta, 2012

Bartsch, Daniel & Berg, Jutta, 2012, New species and review of the Afrotropical clearwing moth genus Camaegeria Strand, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Synanthedonini), Zootaxa 3181, pp. 28-46 : 40-45

Camaegeria viettei n. sp.

Figs. 28–29 , 37

Holotype 3 ( Figs. 28–29 , 37 ): Madagascar Est: Moramanga, vic. Andasibe, garden of the hotel Feon n’y Ala S/W of Foret de Analmazaotra NP, 800 m, 18°56’53.3’’S 48°25’08.2’’E, 26.XI.2006, J. Berg & D. Bartsch leg. ( SMNS). The holotype was attracted by artificial pheromones during late morning hours.

Etymology. This beautiful species is dedicated to Pierre Viette, the author of the first Sesiidae fauna of Madagascar, with deep respect for and in honour of his lifework.

Description. Alar expanse 19.5 mm, forewing 8.5 mm, antenna 6.5 mm, body 10 mm. Labial palp bright orange-yellow, dorsally black, second palpomere dorso-apically yellow; frons dark grey with blue-metallic gloss, white adjacent to the eye; vertex glossy black, between antenna and ocellus with narrow orange-yellow spot and with tufted orange-yellow, hair-like scales; antenna dorsally black with blue gloss, ventrally brown; pericephalic scales orange-yellow, dorsally mixed with black. Thorax black with blue gloss; mesothorax dorsally with small yellow medial spot and intensive whitish-blue shining anterior margin, laterally with orange-red stripe; tegula orange-yellow, antero-laterally white, posteriorly with some orange-red scales. Abdomen short and strong; tergites anteriorly black, posteriorly somewhat lighter brown-black with blue-violet gloss; sternites 1 and 2 white; anal tuft short, dark brown-black, laterally with some pale brown scales and outside of valva whitish. Legs brown-black with intense violet gloss; foreleg with coxa laterally narrow yellow; femur ventrally whitish; tibia ventrally yellow, laterally with tufts of long, brown-black, iridescent violet scales, on mesal side dorsally orange; tarsus black. Midleg with first tarsomere very long, as long as tibia, the latter with tufts of long and rough hair-like scales. Hindtibia very long, twice as long as femur, proximal half ventrally white, distal half with long and rough scale tufts; tarsomere 1 dirty white with some brown-black scales, other tarsomeres black and mesally whitish-yellow; spurs brown-black, laterally white. Wings hyaline; forewing with common stalk of R4/R5 relative short; longitudinal transparent area extending to discal spot; external transparent area very large, seven-partite; apical area absent; discal spot very narrow, dark brownish-grey, same as veins and margins; anal margin medially, radius stem distally and radius and cubitus branches basally yellow-brown. Hindwing with discal spot very small, reaching M2; discal spot, veins and margins pale yellow, distal part of veins and distal margin dark brownish-grey; fringes brownblack, at anal corner of hindwing yellowish to white. Underside of both wings yellowish, distally black. The male genitalia ( Fig. 37 ) with valva oval with the bald area distinctly longer than 1/3 of its total length; phallus as long as valva with distinct distal tooth; saccus rather narrow, apically rounded. The female is unknown.

Diagnosis. Camaegeria viettei is easily recognised by its typical pattern and the beautiful violet gloss on the underside. The male genitalia are very similar to that of C. polytelis and C. xanthomos , but differ by the shorter, broader and apicaly more rounded valva.

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 30. Specimens of Camaegeria Strand, 1914, Episannina perlucida (Le Cerf, 1911) and Tipulamima haugi (Le Cerf, 1917). Scale bar: 10 mm. 25 – 26. C. lychnitis n. sp., 3 holotype, upperside (25), underside (26). 27. Episannina perlucida (Le Cerf, 1911), 3 lectotype. 28 – 29. C. viettei n. sp., 3 holotype, upperside (28), underside (29). 30. Tipulamima haugi (Le Cerf, 1917), 3 syntype.

FIGURES 36 – 37. Male genitalia of Camaegeria Strand, 1914. 36. Camaegeria lychnitis n. sp. 37. Camaegeria viettei n. sp.