Neoliparina paradoxa Schultze, 1934

Neoliparina paradoxa Schultze, 1934 View in CoL

( Figs 1 View Figures 1–6 , 7, 8 View Figures 7–12 , 13 View Figures 13–16 , 17 View FIGURES 17–20 )

Neoliparina paradoxa Schultze, 1934 View in CoL , Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift ‘Iris’, 48 (3): 107. Type locality: [ Central African Republic] Mongoumba .

Primary type material examined.

Holotype. Female ( MfN). “Typus” [red rectangular label] // “ Neoliparina / Schultze / 1934” [partially handwritten] // “paradoxa / Schultze 1934 ” [blue label] // “Lymantrid / Mongoumba / 30.IV.30” [handwritten] // “ex coll. / A. SCHULTZE” // QR code label with URI: MfN URI http://coll.mfnberlin.de/u/09c5ed

Additional material examined.

Cameroon. 1 male, North Region, Wack ( La Falaise ), 07°40’16.5”N, 13°33’18.4”E, 2–21.x.2018, Light Trap, Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. Leg., ANHRT GoogleMaps :2018.36, unique id: ANHRTUK 00234878, gen slide No.: BP 056 ( ANHRT). 1 female with same data as male, unique id: ANHRTUK 00234733, gen slide No.: BP 058 ( ANHRT) GoogleMaps .

Description.

Adult. Male ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–6 ). Forewing length 12 mm. Head large; antenna bipectinate-fasciculate, rami of antenna very long, seven to ten times longer than diameter of antennal shaft, ventral rami 1.5 times longer than dorsal rami, greyish brown, dorsal side of antennal shaft ochreous; labial palp short and broad, covered in orange piliform scales. Frons, vertex and collar orange. Tegula covered with long, orange, piliform scales turning yellow apically; mesothorax dark orange. Fore- and midleg covered in long, orange and yellow, piliform scales; hindleg pale yellow; index of spurs 0-2-4. Abdomen yellowish orange. Forewing short and broad, costal margin gently arched, apex rounded, termen smoothly convex, anal margin almost straight. Forewing ground colour reddish orange; discal spot small, black, rounded, highly contrasting; medial line zig-zagged, angled outward medially; postmedial line sinuous, both lines greyish brown; subterminal line substituted by a row of greyish brown spots; terminal line red. Cilia longish, greyish brown. Underside orange, without markings except for discal spot. Hindwing orange, darkening near outer margin. Cilia longish, yellow. Underside as on upperside, slightly paler.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 13 View Figures 13–16 ). Uncus short and broad, trapezoidal, with shallow apical notch. Arms of tegumen narrow, ribbon-like, heavily sclerotised. Valva medium-long, elongate-triangular, broad at base, costa gently concave in basal three-quarters, ventral margin gently sinuous, apical quarter of valva rounded-triangular. Juxta with broad arms and U-shaped posteromedial notch, thickened proximally. Vinculum short and broad, triangular. Phallus short, attenuated, slightly curved, coecum rounded, carina unmodified; vesica very short, basal section inflated spherical, with small rugose sclerotised area; vesica ejaculatorius narrow tubular.

Female ( Figs 7, 8 View Figures 7–12 ). Forewing length 17–18 mm. Head large; antenna bipectinate-fasciculate, length ca. two-thirds that of male, rami of antenna short, ca. half the length of those of male, three to five times longer than diameter of antennal shaft, ventral rami 1.5 times longer than dorsal rami, greyish brown, dorsal side of antennal shaft ochreous; labial palp as in male. Frons, vertex and collar pale orange. Tegula covered with long, pale orange, piliform scales turning yellow apically. Fore-, mid- and hindleg covered in long, very pale yellow, piliform scales; index of spurs 0-2-4. Abdomen yellowish orange. Forewing elongate and broad, ca. 1.5 times size of male, costal margin gently arched, apex rounded, termen smoothly convex, anal margin almost straight. Forewing ground colour dull reddish ochre; discal spot small, black, rounded, highly contrasting; medial line greyish zig-zagged, angled outward medially; terminal area pale reddish. Cilia longish, greyish brown. Underside pale ochre, without markings except for small, pale discal spot. Hindwing pale ochre, pale orange near outer margin. Cilia longish, yellowish. Underside as on upperside, slightly paler.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 17–20 ). Papilla analis short and very broad with small rounded triangular pseudopapilla; apophysis posterioris thin, medium-long, as long as apophysis anterioris. Eighth tergite very short, ribbon-like; antevaginal plate broad, rounded quadrangular. Ostium bursae wide with sclerotised margin; antrum medium-long, narrow funnel-shaped; ductus bursae 1.5 times longer than antrum, somewhat dilated proximally. Corpus bursae large, ovoid, fully membranous bearing two equally sized, somewhat small, ovoid, membranous appendices; signum absent.

Diagnosis. Neoliparina paradoxa Schultze, 1934 is readily distinguished from both N. nyonie sp. n. and N. smithi sp. n. by the paler forewing markings, the markedly smaller discal spot, the absence of a wide blackish brown hindwing margin and the uniformly orange wing underside lacking the black distal areas typical for the last two species. Compared with N. schultzei sp. n., N. paradoxa has a darker, orange forewing ground colour, the former species however, having a paler, more yellowish colouration. The female of N. paradoxa can be distinguished from N. nyonie sp. n. and N. smithi sp. n. by its paler ground colour displaying a more ochreous tint and the somewhat discernible medial transverse line, which is absent in these last two species. In comparison with N. schultzei sp. n., N. paradoxa is readily distinguished by its markedly larger size, and the paler forewing colouration lacking extensive greyish brown areas.

In the male genitalia, N. paradoxa can be distinguished from other Neoliparina species by the considerably shorter uncus with a conspicuous apical notch, and the shape of its valva, the apex of which is rounded triangular, unlike in N. nyonie sp. n. where there is an acute apical process, N. schultzei sp. n. where it is truncated and in N. smithi sp. n. where it is smoothly rounded. Although the characteristics of the phallus and vesica in Neoliparina remains somewhat similar between species, the coecum of N. paradoxa is distinctly rounded, however, in other species this character is somewhat angular.

The female genitalia can be readily distinguished by the much broader papillae anales (compared to N. nyonie sp. n. and N. smithi sp. n.); the broadest and largest, rounded quadrangular antevaginal plate; the shape of the antrum, which is narrow funnel-shaped only in N. paradoxa and the absence of a signum, which is present in N. schultzei sp. n. and N. nyonie sp. n.

Bionomics and distribution ( Fig. 21 View Figure 21 ). The species was originally described from a single female holotype from southwestern Central African Republic. A male and a female specimen were recently collected in northern Cameroon suggesting that the species is associated with the Northern Congolian Forest-Savanna Mosaic ecoregion.