Afrasura Durante

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 : 30-31

Afrasura Durante gen. n.

Type species. Barsine indecisa Walker, 1869 .

Diagnosis. Ground colour of wings yellow in different shades, white, whitish-pink; forewing pattern with two basal bands; male genitalia with distal end of valva always divided into supravalva and ala valvae; processus distalis plicae absent (mid-costal process of valva); vesica with only one large cornutus (clusters of small thorns may be present); female genitalia with lamellae ante- and postvaginalis not evident or absent; bursa copulatrix with one or two roundish dimple-shaped signa, with small thorns arranged in a rosette; cervix bursae present.

Description. Adult: Genus of small or medium-small size species (wingspan from 14 mm to 27 mm); forewings squatter than Asura cervicalis Walker, 1854 ; hindwings proportionally larger; ground colour from straw-yellow to orange-yellow, whitish, pinkish; forewings pattern consisting of very irregular transversal bands formed by small often linked patches and traits. These form zigzag bands that are brown, violaceousgrey, black-grey; normally two basal bands, one median, one postmedian, one submarginal are discernible. Sometimes a series of marginal dots is present (MD in Fig. 81 ); hindwings lighter than forewings, without pattern except in some cases where are few dark marginal dots. Frons and legs rather hairy; male antennae ciliate or serrate, bipectinate in Asura cervicalis Walker ; see also Common (1990); labial palpi generally short, porrect. Wing venation complete (Noctuoidea vein pattern) (with some exceptions like A. ichorina (Butler, 1877)) ; in forewing subcostal vein anastomosing with R (exception in hyporhoda (Hampson) , ichorina and pallescens sp. n.); Rs1 free; Rs2, Rs3, Rs4 stalked; in the hindwing Rs and M1 are stalked, M2 always free (in Asura Walker it can rise together with M3), M3 free or stalked with CuA1, the latter vein free in Asura cervicalis Walker. A 2 sternum apodemes long (plesiomorphic character according to Bendib & Minet (1999) as usual in the tribus Eudesmiini Bendib & Minet, 1999, Cisthenini Bendib & Minet, 1999 and Nudariini Walker, [1865], hence it is not a differential diagnostic character compared to Asura Walker ). Male coremata between A7 and A8 (absent in discocellularis Strand ). Normally female A7 shows small pleural pouches. Female pheromone dorsal glands unpaired with only one caudal opening at the intersegmental membrane between A8 and A9. Anteriorly they bifurcate to form two lobes from short to very deep. Genitalia. 3: distal end of valva divided in the ala valva and supravalva ending; valvar costa often with characteristic undulation in the middle; lack of processus distalis plicae; uncus quite long and slender, ending with a point (exception in numida ( Holland) , where the distal end is spatulate; see Discussion); saccus roundish; aedeagus frequently with a cluster of small thorns on its distal portion; vesica with only one big cornutus (it is small in numida ( Holland) and lacking in emma sp.n.) sometimes together with clusters of small thorns ( Figs. 82, 83 ). Ƥ: ostium medium in size (large in cervicalis ); lamellae ante- and postvaginalis not discernible or absent (except in numida ( Holland)); antrum sclerotized, ductus bursae usually narrow (in indecisa (Walker) it is a bit larger, even if never like Asura cervicalis Walker ); bursa from ovoidal to subspherical, with one or two signa frequently shaped like a roundish dimple with small thorns arranged like a rosette; a cervix bursae is frequently present, from which the ductus seminalis arises (exception in discreta sp. n.) ( Fig. 84 ). Anterior and posterior apophyses slender and quite long.

Etymology. The name Afrasura is a combination of Asura with the Latin adjective Afra (African) , indicating the morphological affinities of the two genera and that almost all species of Afrasura were formerly included in Asura . The gender is feminine.

Figures

FIGURES 81 – 84. Morphological characters discussed in the text. 81, wing pattern: BB, basal bands; BD, basal dot; MB, median band; MD, marginal dots; PB, postmedian band; SB, submarginal band. 82 – 83, male genitalia: AD, aedeagus; AV, ala valvae; CO, cornutus; JU, juxta; MP, manica penis; SA, saccus; SV, supravalva; TA, tuba analis; TE, tegumen; UN, uncus; VE, vesica; VI, vinculum. 84, female genitalia: AA, anterior apophyses; An, antrum; AP, posterior apophyses; CP, corpus bursae; CX, cervix bursae; DB, ductus bursae; DG, dorsal pheromone glands; DS, ductus seminalis; OB, ostium bursae; PA, papillae anales; SI, signum; VIIst, seventh sternum; VIIt, seventh tergum.