Afrasura indecisa orientalis, Durante, Antonio, 2009

Durante, Antonio, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Asura Walker, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), with the description of a new genus, Zootaxa 2280, pp. 27-52 : 36-37

Afrasura indecisa orientalis ssp. n.

( Figs. 4, 5 , 43 )

Holotype: 3, Etiopia, Menegesha-Suba State forest, 21/ 23-2-2003. In coll. MSNS.

Paratypes: 5 3, same data as holotype. 3 in coll. MAD and 2 in MSNS.

Diagnosis. Wingspan wider than nominal subspecies: 23–27 mm; forewing proportionally more narrow and longer. Wing ground colour straw-yellow, light compared with the deep yellow or orange yellow of indecisa . Forewings with a large median band, lacking pink suffusion on the underside. Hindwing transparency more accentuated. In the six examined specimens, there are no strong yellow marginal edges and cilia in the hindwing as seen in some specimens of the nominotypical subspecies. In three of the studied specimens, the dashes and dots that form the basal bands on the forewings are thickened and almost linked; the median and postmedian bands join to form a large fascia which includes and conceals the discal dot. The four dots of the submarginal series are thickened. On the hindwings there is a large transparent postmedian fascia ( Fig. 5 ). Genitalia as in typical indecisa .

Remarks. Afrasura indecisa has strong affinities with Afrasura rivulosa , but more surprising is the convergence of characters between their Ethiopian subspecies, which are sympatric and synchronic.

Etymology. Named orientalis (‘oriental’) because the subspecies lives in the easternmost part of the species’ geographic distribution.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Adults of Afrasura. 1 – 3, A. indecisa indecisa. 4 – 5, A. indecisa orientalis. 6 – 8, as yet unplaced Afrasura species from within the BMNH series of Miltochrista craigii (see text for elaboration). 9, A. crenulata. 10 – 11, A. discocellularis. 12, A. discreta.

FIGURES 41 – 52. Genitalia of Afrasura. 41 – 42, A. indecisa indecisa (A: type genitalia; B: coremata). 43, A. indecisa orientalis. 44 – 45, as yet unplaced Afrasura species from within the BMNH series of Miltochrista craigii (see text for elaboration). 46, A. crenulata. 47, A. discocellularis. 48, distal end of valva of A. discocellularis (left) and A. indecisa (right). 49, A. emma (right: coremata). 50, A. hieroglyphica (A, B: type; C, D: Arct. g. sl. 5736 BMNH). 51, A. hyporhoda (A: tegumen-vinculum complex; B: distal end of right valva; C: coremata; D: aedeagus). 52, A. ichorina.