Strigivenifera Hering, 1937

Taberer, Tabitha R., 2023, Revision of the family Chrysopolomidae Aurivillius, 1895 (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea) with the description of three new genera, Bonn zoological Bulletin 72 (1), pp. 1-23 : 19-21

Strigivenifera Hering, 1937

Figs 21 , 40

Annals of the Transvaal Museum 17: 247

Type species. Chrysopoloma venata Aurivillius, 1895 (by original designation)

Holotype. ♂.

Type locality. Lambaréné, Gabon ( MfN).

Genus re-description. Medium size. Antennae bipectinate, black. Head ochreous orange, thorax beige with central ochreous orange patch, and abdomen banded with beige and ochreous orange. Forewing broad with rounded apex, ground colour beige, basal half strongly diffused with brown scales; sometimes with brown triangular patch between veins R4 and M2; veins strongly highlighted in brown along their entire length; discal spot pale beige; postmedial band pale brown, kinked at vein M1; fringe long, brown. Hindwing ground colour identical to forewing, veins strongly highlighted in brown beyond the postmedial band. Postmedial band broader than that of forewing, either straight or arcuate; fringe long, brown. Underside. Uniformly beige, legs ochreous orange; hindtibia with one pair of spurs. Male genitalia. Posterior process of transtilla medially split into two relatively narrow, apically rounded processes; anterior processes of transtilla medially fused, narrow, with two thin apically rounded proximo-lateral processes. Valve generally wide, tapered. Juxta strongly sclerotised and rounded at base, with two moderately long, apically pointed lateral processes. Phallus relatively long, membranous distally, sometimes with cornuti-like structures distally.

Diagnosis. Strigivenifera species are striking insects, easily distinguished based on the combination of fine brown venation of the wings and a pale forewing discal spot. The only other genus that displays similar venation is Diquisha, but the veins are highlighted with black scales, the moths are noticeably smaller and the juxta consists of only a single apically pointed central process.

Distribution. Species of this genus are widely distributed throughout the forests and forest-savanna mosaics of West and Central Africa extending as far south as northern Zambia.

Species content

S. venata ( Aurivillius, 1895)

S. albidiscalis ( Hampson, 1910)

= S. cruisa Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

= S. livingstonei Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013 S. bartschi Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

= S. tatooifera Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013 S. eborea Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

= S. ocellaris Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013 S. marina Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

S. neo Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

S. oris Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

S. smithi Taberer, 2022

S. tanja Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2013

Diquishia Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2016

Figs 22 , 41

Entomofauna Zeitschrift für Entomologie 37 (2): 33–40.

Type species. Diquishia morion Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2016 (by original designation)

Holotype. ♂.

Type locality. N slopes of Mt. Hole, Angola ( MWW).

Genus re-description (the unique holotype of the type species could not be examined and the re-description is based on the original description as well as through examination of the congeneric D. ansorgei ). Medium size. Ground colour of head, abdomen, thorax, wings and fringe dark grey or golden-yellow. Forewing broad, outer margin arcuate; veins highlighted with fine black scaling; sometimes with faint discal spot and curved postmedial band. Hindwing with evenly arcuate margin, veins highlighted with fine black scaling disappearing weaker in the basal section; sometimes with arcuate, postmedial band. Underside. Ground colour as upperside. Veins highlighted with light brown scales. Hindtibia with one or two pair of spurs (see diagnosis below). Male genitalia. Single posterior process of transtilla relatively narrow, apically rounded; single, central anterior process of transtilla moderately broad, obcordate. Valve wide, tapered. Juxta rounded at base, with slender, apically pointed central process. Phallus relatively short, anteriorly very wide and then medially constricted.

Diagnosis. The type species of Diquisha and D. ansorgei , which was placed in the same genus based on similar external morphology by Kurshakov & Zolotuhin (2016) are distinctive species, displaying fine black venation on both wings. Kurshakov & Zolotuhin (2016) were unable to study the male genitalia of D. ansorgei but upon dissection of several specimens as part of this current study, it appears these two species are congeneric based on the ground-plans, especially the anteriorly very wide phallus. There is however a discrepancy with the number of spurs on the hindtibia in the two species, a character that appears to hold true for every other Chrysopolomidae genus. Diquishia morion was said to possess one pair of spurs ( Kurshakov & Zolotuhin 2016) yet D. ansorgei has two pairs. Based on the photograph of the hind leg of D. morion in Kurshakov & Zolotuhin (2016), the tarsi are broken off and it could be surmised that the second pair of spurs may have been damaged and lost. Several individuals of other genera with two pairs of tibial spurs examined as part of this study were observed to possess only three spurs or one pair on one tibia but two pairs on the other, suggesting that at least in pinned museum specimens, these spurs do break off. Although it is unlikely that these two species have different spur formulae, without any further material of D. morion it is difficult to come to a confident conclusion with regard this matter.

Distribution. The two species in this genus are restricted to Angola.

Species content

D. morion Kurshakov & Zolotuhin, 2016

D. ansorgei ( Bethune-Baker, 1911)

Figures

Figs 18–23. Adults. 18. Hamartia medora, South Africa (NHMUK). 19. Erythropteryx roseotincta, DRC (RMCA). 20. Achrocerides theorini, Liberia (ANHRT).21. Strigivenifera eborea, Sierra Leone (ANHRT). 22. Diquishia ansorgei, Angola (NHMUK). 23. Auripoloma nigrociliata comb. n., Togo (ANHRT).

Figs 39–42. Male genitalia (a = clasping apparatus; b = phallus). 39. Achrocerides theorini, Gabon, genitalia slide No. TT 131 (ANHRT).40. Strigivenifera venata, Gabon, genitalia slide No. TT 119 (ANHRT). 41. Diquishia ansorgei, Angola, genitalia slide No. NHMUK 010317733 (NHMUK). 42. Auriopoloma nigrociliata, Togo, genitalia slide No. TT 187 (ANHRT).