Meganola pachygrapha Hacker, 2012

Meganola pachygrapha Hacker, 2012 View in CoL

( Figs 34–39 View Figures 21–40 , 108–110 View Figures 102–110 , 151 View Figures 144–151 )

Meganola pachygrapha Hacker, 2012 View in CoL , Esperiana 17: 312. TL: Ethiopia, Oromia Province, Bonga. Holotype, male, in coll. H. Hacker /ZSM.

Synonymy.

Meganola murzinialis Hacker, 2012 View in CoL syn. n., Esperiana 17: 386. TL: R. Congo, Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Holotype, male, in coll. MWM/ZSM.

Material examined (all in coll. ANHRT).

Cameroon. 1 female, SW slope of Mount Cameroon, Elephant camp, 1091m, 4°07'01.20"N, 9°04'22.51"E, 18–23.ii.2017, light trap (105W energy saving bulb), leg. Janecek, S., Mertens, J., Potocky. P., Sáfián, Sz., Tropek, R. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 808. Côte d’Ivoire. Mt. Tonkoui Peak , 07°27'15.2"N, 07°38'12.5"W, 1171m, 19–27.xi.2019, actinic, LepiLED and MV light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P., Ouattara, S. GoogleMaps , gen. slide Nos : LGNA 1782, LGNA 1549, LGNA 1290 (males); LGNA 1280, LGNA 1781 (females) ; 2 females, same site, 1–8.xi.2015, leg. Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P., Ruzzier, E., gen. slide Nos : LGNA 86, LGNA 253 . Guinea. Long series of both sexes, Guinee Forestiere Monts Nimba UNESCO World Heritage Site , Mont Richard Molard camp and ridge (High-Altitude Grassland & Forest), 1400-1752m, 07°36'19"N, 08°25'30"W, 1– 7.vii.2019, 250W Blended and LepiLED light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., Miles, W., Sáfián, Sz. GoogleMaps , gen. slide Nos : LGNA 1144, LGNA 1291, LGNA 1161 (males), LGNA 1276 (female) ; 4 females, Guinee Forestiere, Bossou Forest and Institut de Recherche Environmentale de Bossou ( Lowland Forest-Farmland ), 690m, 07°38'32"N, 08°30'30"W, 24–30.vi.2019, 8W UV Cold Cathode, LepiLED and MV light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., Suah Dore, J., Koivagui, S., Miles, W., Sáfián, S., Warner, R. GoogleMaps , gen. slide Nos : LGNA 1286, LGNA 1287, LGNA 1548 ; 1 male, Geipa Camp, Foret de Diecke , 435m, 7°26'7.06"N, 8°50'47.87"W, 05–14.iv.2019, Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8W), leg. Sáfián, Sz., Koivogui, S. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 975; 5 males, 10 females, 619km ESE of Conakry, Nzerekore Region, Prefecture de Lola, Ziela env., 540–600m, x.2017, 7°42'N, 8°21'W, leg. local collectors GoogleMaps . Kenya. 1 male, Gatamaiyo Forest, Aberdare Mountains , 2260m, 0°58'26.2"S, 36°41'49.03"E, 22–23.vii.2017, light trap (blended bulb 250W), leg. Sáfián Sz. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 806; 1 male, Western, Kakamega F.R. Prim. For. , 0°21.34'N, 34°51.39'E, 1600m, 15 Watt Black Light, 9-I-2002, F.N. Namu, gen. slide No.: LGNA 1762 GoogleMaps . Liberia. 1 male, Lofa County, Wologizi Mts, Ridge Camp , 865m, 8°07'10"N, 9°57'11"W, 24–29.xi.2017, light trap (blended bulb 250W), leg. Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. & Smith, L. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1168; 2 females, same site, 22–30.xi.2018, Cold Cathode UV light trap (8W), leg. Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., gen. slide No.: LGNA 977; 2 males, Mount Nimba, Cellcom Road , ENNR, Nimba County, 750–1100m, 7°32'35.89"N, 8°31'20.63"W, 14– 28.xii.2017, Cold Cathode light bucket trap, leg. Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. GoogleMaps ; 1 female, Nimba County, Nimba Mts, ENNR, Cellcom road, 750m, 7°33'3.78"N, 8°31'46.49"W, 16–28.xii.2018, Cold Cathode UV light trap (8W), leg. Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1281. Republic of Congo. 2 males, Nouabale-Ndoki NP, Makao camp ( Secondary forest ), 377m, 2°35'42.2"N, 17°10'08.3"E, 15– 21.v.2023, MV light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G., Mvouende, S. GoogleMaps , gen. slide Nos : LGNA 1387, LGNA 1390 ; 1 male, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Imbalanga Camp , 480m, 00°45'47"N, 15°15'39"E, 05–09.iv.2024, MV light trap, Bashford, M., László, G., Talani, M., Yaba Ngouma, S., gen. slide No.: LGNA 1396 GoogleMaps ; 2 males, 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 1777; 1 male, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Lobo Research Camp , 390m, 00°35'04"N, 14°53'12"E, 20–27.ix.2024, MV light trap, leg. Bashford, M., László, G., Volynkin, A. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1776. Sierra Leone. 1 male, Mansonia village at the foothills of Loma Mts , 420m, N09°07'47", W11°05'06", 6.vi.2016, light trap, leg. Takano, Miles & Goff , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1251; 1 female, Kono Province, Gori Hills, Near Giehum , 373m, 08°27'47"N, 10°46'17"W, 22– 29.ii.2020, leg. Kalnoi, G., Sinyaev, V. GoogleMaps Uganda. 1 male, Bwindi Impenetrable N.P., Cuckooland Lodge , 1700m, 01°00'17"S, 29°43'06"E, 28–29.vi.2022, leg. Naumann, S., Ott, E., Schintlmeister, A., Sulak, H. GoogleMaps , gen. slide No.: LGNA 1718.

Genetic information. This species belongs to the BIN URI: BOLD AAP8746. The intraspecific divergence calculated from eight samples is 0.00-0.46%. The morphologically closest taxa are M. bispermutata cryptochra , M. bispermutata bispermutata and M. saotomeana sp. n. diverging by 3.44– 3.94%, 3.76–4.10% and 3.78–4.27%, respectively.

Taxonomic notes. Meganola pachygrapha is readily distinguished from the other members of the M. bispermutata complex by the conspicuously short and stout aedeagus of the male genitalia. This character is identical in M. murzinialis as illustrated in Hacker et al. (2012) and confirmed by dissections of topotypical specimens from the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Since M. pachygrapha and M. murzinialis display no distinctive morphological characters, the latter is considered a junior synonym: M. murzinialis syn. n.

There is multiple confusion regarding M. xantholeuca in Hacker et al. (2012: 498): The females illustrated as M. xantholeuca belong to M. pachygrapha . Additionally, the male holotype of M. xantholeuca is misclassified and actually belongs to the genus Ezishnola László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010 . Furthermore, the holotype genitalia illustrated in the original description closely resemble those of M. nyungwe Hacker, 2012 . These taxonomic issues will be addressed in detail in an upcoming paper on the genus Ezishnola (László, in prep.).

Distribution. Meganola pachygrapha is a widespread species with an equatorial distribution. It has been recorded from Ethiopia (type locality), Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Bioko Island (as M. pachygrapha ), the Republic of Congo (as M. murzinialis ), and Côte d’Ivoire (as M. xantholeuca ) ( Hacker et al. 2012). The specimens from Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone represent new country records.