Neoliparina smithi, Powell, 2024

Neoliparina smithi View in CoL sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:578F3A67-4916-48E4-A871-41D1C0020969

( Figs 4, 5 View Figures 1–6 , 10, 11 View Figures 7–12 , 15 View Figures 13–16 , 19 View FIGURES 17–20 )

Holotype. Male , “ SIERRA LEONE 470m / Kenema Province, Gori Hills, / Near Moimandu / 08°14’51”N, 10°58’17”W / 2–9.iii.2020 / Kalnoi, G., Sinyaev, V. Leg. / ANHRT:2020.14” // unique id.: ANHRTUK 00288011, gen. slide No.: BP 041 ( ANHRT). GoogleMaps

Paratypes. Ivory Coast. 1 female, Bingerville , xi.1913, leg. Melou, G., ex. coll. Oberthür, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK 015057229 About NHMUK , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332578 About NHMUK (prepared by B. Powell) ( NHMUK) . Liberia. 2 females, 883m, Wologizi Mountains , 08°07’20.79”N, 09°56’50.75”W, 22–30.xi.2018, blended bulb light trap, Leg. Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., ANHRT GoogleMaps : 2018.43, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00230695, ANHRTUK 00230533, gen. slide Nos: BP 060, BP 061 ( ANHRT) ; 1 male, Nimba, Grassfield , viii–ix.1967, Leg. Forbes-Watson, A., QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010914435 About NHMUK , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332576 About NHMUK (prepared by B. Powell) ; 1 female, same locality and collector as previous male, vi–vii.1967, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010914436 About NHMUK , gen. slide No. NHMUK 014332577 About NHMUK (prepared by B. Powell) ( NHMUK).

Description.

Adult. Male ( Figs 4, 5 View Figures 1–6 ). Forewing length 13 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, dark brown, dorsal side of antennal shaft ochreous brown; labial palp absent. Frons and vertex yellowish orange, collar pale orange. Tegula covered with long, pale orange, piliform scales turning ochreous apically; mesothorax dark orange. Foreleg absent; midleg covered in long, yellowish orange, piliform scales; hindleg pale yellow. Abdomen orange. Forewing short and broad, costal margin gently arched, apex rounded, termen smoothly convex, anal margin almost straight. Forewing ground colour reddish orange, basal and antemedial area somewhat lighter than postmedial and terminal area. Antemedial line very broad, sinuous; discal spot large, round, contrasting; medial line zig-zagged, angled outward medially; postmedial line sinuous; subterminal line consisting of a row of wedge-shaped spots pointing inwards; terminal line thin; all markings black. Cilia longish, black. Underside orange in proximal two-thirds, apical third blackish brown; discal spot large, black, highly contrasting. Hindwing orange, discal spot somewhat small, diffuse black, termen with very broad blackish brown band, dark area penetrating craniad along anal margin. Cilia longish, black. Underside as on upperside but margin somewhat narrower ending at tornus.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 15 View Figures 13–16 ). Uncus somewhat long and broad, triangular, with two small, rounded basal lobes. Arms of tegumen, heavily sclerotised, very narrow, ribbon-like. Valva medium-long, broad at base, gradually tapering, costa straight, ventral margin gently sinuous, apical section of valva smoothly rounded. Juxta moderately broad, with U-shaped posteromedial notch, somewhat thickened proximally. Vinculum very short and broad, triangular. Phallus short, thin, straight, coecum quadrangular, carina unmodified; vesica very short, basal section inflated spherical, with very small rugose sclerotised area; vesica ejaculatorius narrow tubular.

Female ( Figs 10, 11 View Figures 7–12 ). Forewing length 15–16 mm. Head large; antenna bipectinate-fasciculate, length ca. two-thirds that of male, rami 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, ochreous, dorsal side of antennal shaft ochreous; labial palp short and broad, covered in yellow piliform scales. Frons, vertex and collar covered in yellow scales. Tegula and mesothorax pale orange. Fore-, mid- and hindleg covered in hay-coloured scales; index of spurs 0-2-4. Abdomen ochreous yellow. Forewing similar shape as in male, more rounded at apex. Ground colour ochreous brown, with groups of reddish scales along anal margin near base; discal spot large, black, highly contrasting. Cilia longish, ochreous grey. Underside as on upperside, without reddish markings. Hindwing pale ochreous, discal spot present but diffuse. Cilia longish, ochreous. Underside as on upperside.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 17–20 ). Papilla analis short and narrow with small triangular pseudopapillae; 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 short, goblet-shaped; ductus bursae long, ca. 3 times longer than antrum, somewhat dilated proximally. Corpus bursae large, ovoid, fully membranous, bearing two equally medium-sized, spherical, membranous appendices; signum absent.

Diagnosis. The differences between N. smithi sp. n., N. paradoxa and N. nyonie sp. n. are discussed under their respective diagnoses. Neoliparina smithi sp. n. is readily distinguished externally from its congeners by the more prominent forewing markings and the presence of a hindwing discal spot. Neoliparina smithi sp. n. is distinguishable from N. schultzei sp. n. externally by its considerably darker orange ground colour, the dark apical third of the underside of its forewing (it is uniformly pale orange in N. schultzei sp. n.), and the dark terminal margin of the hindwing. The female of N. smithi sp. n. is distinguished from N. schultzei sp. n. by the lack of forewing markings and the presence of a hindwing discal spot, absent in N. schultzei sp. n.

In the male genitalia, N. smithi sp. n. can be distinguished from N. schultzei sp. n. by its less heavily sclerotised, rather rounded basal lobes of the uncus (these are more heavily sclerotised and tooth-like in N. schultzei sp. n.), the smoothly rounded apical part of the valvae (which are truncate in N. schultzei sp. n.) and the proximally narrower juxta.

The female genitalia of N. smithi sp. n. can be readily distinguished from N. schultzei sp. n. by the narrower papillae anales, the broader antevaginal plate, the goblet-shaped antrum (it is tubular in N. schultzei sp. n.), the considerably larger appendices of the corpus bursae and the absence of a sclerotised signum which is present in N. schultzei sp. n.

Etymology. It is with great pleasure that this new species is dedicated to Richard Smith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, African Natural History Research Trust, for his continuous commitment to African entomological research.

Bionomics and distribution ( Fig. 21 View Figure 21 ). Neoliparina smithi sp. n. is known from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast and appears to be restricted to the Upper Guinean forests; based on this distribution and its morphological characteristics, it is thought to be the West African variant of N. nyonie sp. n.