Muscectropa, Taberer, 2023

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 : 8-9

Muscectropa gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0F8D69B7-DD29-4920-A6AF-4505C956FECC

Figs 5 , 25

Type species. Ectropa alberici Dufrane, 1945

Holotype. ♂.

Type locality. Kamituga, DRC ( RBINS).

Genus description. Small size. Antennae bipectinate, beige. Ground colour of head, thorax, abdomen and wings pale beige, heavily speckled with small dark grey scales. Forewing broad, rounded, dentate near anal margin; dark grey postmedial line arcuate, ill-defined or incomplete, strongly concave between veins giving it a zig-zagged appearance; discal spot dark grey, rounded or ovoid. Distal margin dark grey, fringe long, same as ground colour, dark grey patch between R2 and R1 of varying size; cilia sometimes dark grey in distal quarter. Hindwing angled just above vein Rs, then scalloped near anal margin; darker grey patch in costal half near distal margin, with faint, zig-zagged postmedial dark grey line; often with rounded, dark grey discal spot. Fringe long, same as ground colour, cilia sometimes black in distal quarter. Underside. Ground colour and legs greyish-beige; hindtibia with two pairs of spurs. Both wings same as upperside, with dark grey postmedial lines and discal spots. Male genitalia. Uncus narrow, elongate, strongly sclerotised apically. Posterior process of transtilla plate-like, rectangular with slight apical depression; anterior processes of transtilla paired, relatively long, narrow. Valve very broad at base then constricted, narrow, and angled dorsally in the distal portion. Juxta very broad, shield-like. Phallus straight, tube-like, with a carinal process ventrally; vesica large, without cornuti but highly scobinate.

Diagnosis. The arcuate, zig-zagged and weakly-defined postmedial band together with the dark grey speckled wings allow the single species of Muscectropa to be easily identified. In the male genitalia, the valves are similar to Ectropa but in the new genus, the phallus is straight with a carinal process.

Distribution. Distributed throughout the forest belt from Guinea to Nord-Kivu in eastern DRC. Kurshakov & Zolotuhin (2013a) were only aware of specimens from either extreme of its range, however specimens from Cameroon in ANHRT examined as part of this study suggest a continuous distribution.

Etymology. The name of this genus is derived from a combination of the Latin term for moss (‘musco’) in reference to the mottled, moss-like appearance of the wings

of the type species, and the genus Ectropa to which it is closely allied.

Species content

M. alberici ( Dufrane, 1945)

Figures

Figs 4–10. Adults.4. Ectropa ancilis, South Africa (NHMUK). 5. Muscectropa alberici, Ivory Coast (ANHRT). 6. Ectropona dargei, Tanzania (ZSM). 7. Pseudectropona revelii, Liberia (ANHRT). 8. Chrysectropa roseofascia, Ivory Coast (ANHRT). 9. Chrysopolomides nivea, Sierra Leone (ANHRT). 10. Vietteopoloma madagascariensis, Madagascar (MNHN).

Figs 24–28. Male genitalia (a = clasping apparatus; b = phallus). 24. Ectropa ancilis, South Africa, genitalia slide No. TT 216 (ANHRT). 25. Muscectropa alberici, Ivory Coast, genitalia slide No. TT 214 (ANHRT). 26. Ectropona dargei, Tanzania, genitalia slide No. ZSM Sp. 1596 (ZSM). 27. Pseudectropona revelli, Liberia, genitalia slide No. TT 213 (ANHRT). 28. Vietteopoloma madagascariensis, Madagascar, genitalia slide No. TT 218 (MNHN).