Afrocerura cameroona ( Bethune-Baker, 1927 )

Mulvaney, Lydia R. J., 2021, Notes on the life history and taxonomy of Cerurina marshalli (Noctuoidea: Notodontidae: Cerurinae), Metamorphosis 32 (1), pp. 1-12 : 7-8

Afrocerura cameroona ( Bethune-Baker, 1927)

( Figs 8 , 26‒31 , genitalia Figs 39‒41)

Cerura argentina Schultze, 1916: 70 (preocc.).

Cerura cameroona Bethune-Baker, 1927: 328 .

Cerura argentata Gaede 1934: 46 (nom. nov.).

Cerurina argentata ( Gaede, 1934) : Kiriakoff, 1963: 208. Afrocerura cameroona (Talbot [sic], 1927): Kiriakoff, 1963: 215.

Cerurina marshalli argentata ( Gaede, 1934) : Schintlmeister &Witt, 2015: 32.

Afrocerura argentata ( Gaede, 1934) : comb. nov., syn. nov.

Name bearing types:

Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 27 ): “// Cameroona / B- B // Bitye, 2000 ft. / Ja River / Cameroons / G.L. Bates // Type. [circular label with turquoise above and below and text and a horizontal white band] // Photo done by A. SCHINTLMEISTER / #9.672 [yellow label] //” ( NHMUK).

Cerura argentina . Schultze, 1916

Syntype ♀, ( Fig. 30 ): “// Süd- Kamerun, / Molundu. / Dr. Arnold Schultze / e. l. leg. 26.XI.1910 // Cerura argentina / Schultze [handwritten] / Dr. Arn. Schultze ♀ / determ. 1916 [rectangular red bordered label] // Photo done by / A. SCHINTLMEISTER / #25.097 //” ( ZMHB) .

Syntype ♂, ( Fig. 31 ): “// Typus [rectangular red label with thin black border] // Cerura / argentina Arn. / Schultze [handwritten] // Süd-Kamerun, / Molundu . / Dr. Arnold Schultze / leg. 17‒22.XII.1910 // Photo done by / A. SCHINTLMEISTER / #19.981 //” ( ZMHB) .

Additional material examined: (all ANHRT)

GABON. 1♂ – Ogooué Ivindo, National Park, Ivindo – Station de Recherche d’Ipassa , 450 m, 0°30′43″N, 12°48′12″E, 14‒26.vi.2016, MV Light Trap, leg. Ruzzier, E. & Tasane, T., ANHRT:2017.19, ANHRTUK00044930 , ANHRT GEN. SLIDE NO. 00521 ♂. ZAMBIA. 1♂, 1♀ – 1191 m, Kasanka River pontoon, Kasanka National Park , 12°34′23″S, 30°14′05″E, 2‒4.xii.2012, MV Light Trap, leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT:2017.7, unique numbers ANHRTUK00050395 and ANHRTUK00050396 ; 1♂ – 1400 m, Hillwood, Ikelenge , 11°16′02″S, 24°18′59″E, 21‒28.x.2013, MV Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Chmurova, L. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2017.10, ANHRTUK00073571 , Gen. slide No. LG5359 ♂ ; 1♂ – 1080 m, Mayukuyuku, Kafue National Park , 14°54′55″S, 26°03′47″E, 9‒11.iv.2014, MV Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Chmurova, L. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2017.11, ANHRTUK00081592 , ANHRT GEN. SLIDE NO. 00522 ♂ ; 1♀ – 1179 m, Greystone, Kitwe , Copperbelt Province, 12°55′50″S, 28°14′29″E, 17‒18.xi.2014, MV Light Trap, leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT:2017.12, ANHRTUK00081593 , ANHRT GEN. SLIDE NO. 00523 ♀.

Remarks

Schintlmeister & Witt (2015) reinstated the taxon argentata as the West African subspecies of C. marshalli . Upon examination of specimens in ANHRT collected near the type locality of argentata , the taxon was found not to be conspecific with C. marshalli , but belonging instead to the genus Afrocerura . The ANHRT specimen from Gabon was compared to the syntypes of argentata and to the holotype of A. cameroona , and the following conclusions were drawn: all specimens were collected in similar lowland forest environments in close proximity to one another (see map in Fig. 48 ) and all specimens are phenotypically identical. Therefore all of these specimens are considered to be conspecific and consequently, argentata is synonymised with cameroona .

Kiriakoff (1963) erroneously refers to Talbot as the author of cameroona , the correct author being Bethune-Baker.

Figures

Figure 8 – Painted images of the cocoon and final instar larva of Cerura argentina reproduced from Schultze (1916).

Figure 48: Geographical proximity of the type locality of Afrocerura cameroona (HT♀), the type locality of Cerura argentina Schultze, 1916 (ST♀♂) and the collecting locality of the ANHRT Gabon specimen (ANHRTUK00044930, ♂), all believed here to be conspecific with A. cameroona.

Figures 18–31: Adults of examined Afrocerura spp. (all ANHRT, unless otherwise indicated), arrows indicate diagnostic generic characters. 18. A. leonensis, holotype ♀, Sierra Leone (NHMUK), a. antemedial fascia often interrupted or deleted entirely, b. subterminal fascia almost always present; 19. A. leonensis, Guinea, Dalaba (ANHRTUK00103029, LG5368♂); 20. A. bifasciata bifasciata, holotype ♀, Zimbabwe, (Type no. 1655) (TMSA); 21. A. bifasciata bifasciata, Zambia, Kasanka N.P. (ANHRTUK00073572, LG5363♂); 22. A. bifasciata tanganyikae, holotype ♂ [without holotype label] Kenya, Mombassa (NHMUK); 23. A. thomensis, holotype ♂, São Tomé (NHMUK); 24. A. thomensis, paratype (allotype) ♀, São Tomé (NHMUK); 25. A. thomensis, São Tomé, Bom Successo (ANHRTUK00041722, LG5362♂); Comparative specimens of A. cameroona: 26. A. cameroona, Gabon, Ivindo N.P. (ANHRTUK00044930, ANHRT slide no. 00521♂); 27. A. cameroona, holotype ♀, Cameroon, Bitye, (NHMUK); 28. A. cameroona, Zambia, Kitwe (ANHRTUK00081593, ANHRT slide no. 00523♀); 29. A. cameroona, Zambia, Kafue N.P. (ANHRTUK00081592, ANHRT slide no. 00522♂); 30. ♀(ZMHB) & 31. ♂ (ZMHB) A. cameroona, (=Cerura argentina Schultze, 1916 syntypes), Süd-Kamerun, Molundu.