Ornipholidotos ghesquierei Libert, 2005

Takano, Hitoshi, 2024, Descriptions of three new species of Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) from Parc National de Nouabalé-Ndoki, Republic of Congo with additional notes on little-known species, Zootaxa 5496 (2), pp. 214-230 : 223

Ornipholidotos ghesquierei Libert, 2005

The single female specimen upon which the description of Ornipholidotos ghesquierei Libert, 2005 was based had initially been incorrectly paired with males of several other congeners but it was eventually placed in the O. sylpha sub-group based on distinct characters of the female genitalia ( Libert 2005). A single male with a very reduced black apical zone of the forewing similar to that of the female holotype was collected in the vicinity of Mbeli camp and it is believed this specimen represents the unknown male of O. ghesquierei ( Fig. 30 ). The male genital capsule conforms to other members of the O. sylpha sub-group sharing the bifurcate valve connected basally by a membrane, and the large tegumen with two elongate and apically rounded trapezoidal lobes of the uncus ( Fig. 33 ). The genitalia are closest to the phenotypically similar O. ducarmei Libert, 2005 ( Figs 29, 32 ), the narrower valves separating it clearly from the potentially sympatric O. nbeti Libert, 2005 ( Figs 28, 31 ). In O. ghesquierei the lobes of the uncus are more robust, the valves are more symmetrical, the apex of the left pseudovalve is gently curved dorsad, and the asymmetric right pseudovalve is narrower, straighter and longer. The PWD between O. ducarmei (n=1) and O. ghesquierei (n=1) barcodes were negligible (0.5%) but since the divergences between these and O. nbeti is unknown, and the single male specimen of O. ghesquierei displays phenotypic as well as genital differences, O. ducarmei and O. ghesquierei are maintained as valid until further material becomes available.

Figures

FIGURES 28–33. Ornipholidotos species. Adult ♂♂ (28–30), upperside (above) and underside (below); genitalia (31–33) in lateral view (left), posterior view (right) and phallus (below). 28. O. nbeti Libert, Cameroon, Nkoteng Forest (ANHRTUK 00363670). 29. O. ducarmei Libert, DRC, Biakato (ANHRTUK 00260723).30. O. ghesquierei Libert, ROC, PNNN (ANHRTUK 00260590). 31. O. nbeti. 32. O. ducarmei. 33. O. ghesquierei.