Meganola fontainei Hacker, 2012

Meganola fontainei Hacker, 2012 View in CoL

( Figs 75–80 View Figures 61–80 , 132–134 View Figures 129–137 , 163 View Figures 160–167 )

Meganola fontainei Hacker, 2012 View in CoL , Esperiana 17: 450. TL: [ DRC] Congo, Lubumbashi. Holotype, male, in coll. RMCA.

Material examined (all in coll. ANHRT).

Gabon. Long series of both sexes, Mikongo ( Rougier ), Monts de Cristal ( Secondary Forest ), 430m, 0°29'47"N, 11°10'42"E, 28.vii–12.viii.2019, actinic, LepiLED and MV light trap, leg. Albert GoogleMaps , J-L., Aristophanous, M., Bie Mba, J., Dérozier , V., Moretto, P., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 1575, LGNA 1580, LGNA 1855 (males), LGNA 1574, LGNA 1581, LGNA 1584, LGNA 1872 (females) . Republic of Congo. 1 male, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Kokoua base, 540m, 00°28'39"N, 15°16'42"E, 05– 13.ix.2024, MV light trap, leg. Bashford, M., László, G., Talani, M., Volynkin, A, Yaba Ngouma, S. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1772; 1 male, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Mbomo HQ, 570m, 00°26'13''N, 14°42'01''E, 28.ix–01.x.2024, MV light trap, leg. Bashford, M., László, G., Volynkin, A. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1492, LGNA 1506. Zambia. Long series of both sexes, Kasanka River Pontoon, Kasanka N.P., 1191m, 12°34'23"S, 30°14'05"E, 2–4.xii.2012, light trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H. GoogleMaps ; Kabwe, Kasanka N. P., 1187m, 12°32'28"S, 30°12'42"E, 14–17.v.2013, light trap, leg. Smith, Takano & Oram GoogleMaps ; Chisimbe Falls, Kasama , 1320m, 10°06'31"S, 30°55'02"E, 27–29.iv.2013, light trap, leg. Smith, Takano & Oram GoogleMaps ; Lukulu River, Lavushi Manda N. P., 1285m, 12°15'05"S, 30°53'43"E, 27–29.xi.2012, light trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H. GoogleMaps ; Kalene Hill ( Miombo woodland), 1440m, 11°11'11"S, 24°12'5"E, 6.xi.2018, actinic light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D. GoogleMaps ; Lungu Forest Reserve , 20 km N of Mbala, Northern Province, 1452m, 08°42’27”S, 31°16’34”E, 6–9.v.2019, actinic light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W. GoogleMaps ; Nyangombe Falls (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1300m, 11°48'25"S, 24°32'12"E, 15–17.xi.2018, actinic light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D. GoogleMaps ; Ikelenge, Hillwood, ( Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1400m, 11°16'02"S, 24°18'59”E, 5–11.vi.2021, MV light trap, leg. Chizuwa, D., Choongo, W. GoogleMaps ; Kalungu, North of Isoka , 1280m, 9°40'52"S, 32°42'50"E, 30.iv–1.v.2019, actinic light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W. GoogleMaps ; Jiwundu Swamp (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1340m, 11°51'54"S, 25°33'20"E, 29.x–4.xi.2018, actinic light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D. GoogleMaps ; Bruce-Miller Farm Nansai ( Southern miombo woodland), 1179m, 16°38'32"S, 27°01'47"E, 25.iv–1.v.2022, MV light trap, leg. Miles, W., Mulvaney, L. GoogleMaps ; Muchinga Province, 30 km N of Mpika, Danger Hill , 1684m, 11°37'38"S, 31°33'56"E, 13–15.xii.2023, MV light trap, leg. László, G., Morgan, L., Volynkin, A. GoogleMaps ; Chitunta Plain (Miombo / Dambo mosaic), 1396m, 11°29'12"S, 24°24'18"E, 29.xi–4.xii.2019, actinic light trap, leg. Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L. GoogleMaps ; Senka Hill, Mukulizi Forest Reserve , Muchinga Province, 1566m, 09°05'43"S, 32°05'06"E, 1–6.v.2019, MV light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W. GoogleMaps ; Zambezi Rapids (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1205m, 11°7'30"S, 24°11'6"E, 4–9.xi.2018, MV light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D. GoogleMaps , gen. slide Nos : LGNA 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 75, 76, 77, 693, 754, 1031, 1593, LGNA 1975, LGNA 1976, LGNA 1977, LGNA 1978, LGNA 1979, LGNA 1982, LGNA 1983, (males), LGNA 3, 12, 13, 15, 62, 71, 72, 73, 74, 114, 262, 266, 1981, LGNA 1984 (females) .

Genetic information. Meganola fontainei has been assigned the BIN URI: BOLD AEG3087, BINsharing with M. dicranographa . The intraspecific divergence calculated from 13 samples is 0.00–0.16%. The genetically closest taxa are M. dicranographa , M. trigonographa and the M. furvitincta-spherographata sp. n. species pair, diverging by 0.82–1.10%, 1.26–1.73% and 2.40–3.04%, respectively. The pairwise distance between M. fontainei and M. palaeographa is in the range of 2.71– 3.47%.

Taxonomic note. Hacker et al. (2012) illustrated a female specimen and its genitalia from Côte d’Ivoire. However, László (2020) expressed doubts about the accuracy of this specimen's locality, noting that no other records of M. fontainei have been found in West Africa. After closely examining the image of the female genitalia presented by Hacker et al. (2012: 450, fig. G), it is clear that the inverse trapezoidal shape of the antrum, with its straight margins, is characteristic of M. palaeographa . In contrast, M. fontainei is known to have arcuate antrum margins. This suggests that the record of M. fontainei from Côte d’Ivoire is a misidentification and likely refers to M. palaeographa instead.

Distribution. Confirmed records of M. fontainei have been documented from DRC-Lubumbashi (type locality), the Republic of Congo, Burundi ( Hacker et al. 2012), and Zambia ( Hacker 2014). The specimens reported from Gabon in the current study represent a new country record. The species exhibits a broad distribution throughout central Africa, extending to the Zambian plateau.