Afrasura duplex, Durante, Antonio, 2012

Durante, Antonio, 2012, The genus Afrasura Durante, 2009 in Gabon, with description of five new species and a new species group (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 3478, pp. 383-398 : 389

Afrasura submarmorata species group

The following four species are part of the A. submarmorata species group, herein designated owing to the similarity of the marbled forewings pattern, the coremata shape (two fusiform sacks, in contrast with the oval ones in other Afrasura species), and male genitalia (e.g., similar shape of distal end of the valva; vesica lacking tiny thorns in the lobe with the cornutus). The group consists of eight species, seven of which are divided into two subgroups according to the female genitalia: 1) A. discreta Durante, 2009 , A. duplex sp. n., A. aetheria sp. n., A. violacea ; 2) A. amaniensis , A. camilla sp. n., A. submarmorata ( Kiriakoff, 1958) . The female of A. fracta sp. n. is unknown, so at the moment it is not included in these subgroups and in the subsequent keys. The character of the female genitalia upon which the two subgroups are proposed works well as a synapomorphy of each subgroup: in the first subgroup the ductus seminalis arises directly from the corpus bursae or from what could be considered a very small appendix; in the second subgroup the ductus seminalis arises from a conspicuous cervix rotating ca. 270°.

Keys to the Afrasura submarmorata species group (based on female genitalia)

1 Ductus seminalis arising from corpus bursae................................................................ 2

- Ductus seminalis arising from cervix...................................................................... 5

2 Ductus seminalis arising laterally from corpus.................................................... aetheria sp. n.

- Ductus seminalis arising anteriorly from corpus.............................................................. 3

3 Antrum short; cervix conspicuous................................................................... discreta

- Antrum long; cervix not prominent (or flattened).............................................................4

4 Antrum as long as or shorter than A7................................................................ violacea

- Antrum as long as A7 and A6 together............................................................ duplex sp. n.

5 Cervix rotating ventrally under the corpus bursae............................................................ 6

- Cervix rotating dorsally on the corpus bursae..................................................... submarmorata

6 Antrum short; lateral pouches of A7 sternum small................................................. camilla sp. n.

- Antrum long; lateral pouches of A7 sternum big..................................................... amaniensis