Homogyna fenestra, Bartsch & Sáfián, 2025

Bartsch, Daniel & Sáfián, Szabolcs, 2025, Two new Clearwing moths from coastal Kenya (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Melittiini, Osminiini), Zootaxa 5588 (4), pp. 573-580 : 577-579

Homogyna fenestra sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2E5939D9-7640-4FE7-83B5-4D3CC6B39C75

Figs 8–14

Material examined. Holotype: ♂ ( Figs 8,9 ) “ Kenya,A Rocha Dakatcha Nature Reserve, Kilifi District / 2°53’32.00”S, 39°49’0.00”E / 147 m asl. / 19.IV.2024 / pheromone, Sz. Sáfián leg.”; “Holotype, Homogyna fenestra, Bartsch & Safian des. 2024” ( SMNS).

Paratypes: 2 ♂ ( Figs 10–14 ) same data as holotype ( SMNS, HNHM) ; 1 ♂ Kenya, Malindi, Watamu , A Rocha, Kenya, Plot 28, 3°22’40.91”S, 39°59’21.13”E 20 m, 1.–11.X.2022, leg.: Sáfián, Sz. ; 1 ♂ Kenya, South Coast , Diani Road south of Kinondo, 4°24’46.53”S, 39°32’29.55”E, 24.VII.2018, leg.: Sáfián, Sz ; 1♂, Kenya, Mombasa-Bamburi , 1.–5.X.1993, leg. H. Riefenstahl ; 1 ♂, Kenya, Mombasa, Reef Hotel , Nyali Beach, 1.–9.X.1993, leg. H. Riefenstahl ; 4 ♂, Kenya, Marafa , “Hells Kitchen”, 03°07.062’S, 39°57.477’E, 1.VIII.2004, pheromone, S. Materna & T. Schulze leg. (1 ♂, genitalia examined by D. Bartsch, slide DB 2009-07) ( Fig. 14 ) (SMNS).

Etymology. Named after the external transparent area of the forewing, which is only present in this species within the genus.

Description. Holotype with alar expanse 15.0 mm, forewing length 6.5 mm, antenna length 4.0 mm, body 7.5 mm.

Head: labial palpus predominantly white, second palpomere distally increasingly light yellow and mixed with dark grey scales, terminal palpomere dark grey; frons white, centrally dark grey; vertex black, some orange-brown scales between antenna and ocellus, pericephalic scales dorsally orange-brown, laterally white; antenna dorsally black, ventrally yellow-brown, scapus ventrally white.

Thorax: almost completely black-grey; patagia with white patch and some yellow-brown scales laterally; tegula with white and light yellow scales caudally.

Legs: foreleg with coxa white, medially dark grey; femur black-grey, edges and distally narrow yellow-white; tibia pale yellow, proximally and distally with a narrow black lateral spot; tarsomeres pale yellow, distally black, broadest laterally. Midleg with coxa and femur black, ventral edge of femur with yellow-white, partially hair-like scales; tibia yellow with tufted scales dorsally and ventrally, laterally a large, black, longitudinal patch; first tarsomere yellow, with black distal patch dorsally; other tarsomeres yellow, dorsally and distally black. Hindleg with coxa whitish yellow; femur dark grey, laterally in ventral half whitish yellow, ventral edge with yellow-white, hair-like scales; tibia pale yellow, proximally and distally broad black, dorsally with tufted scales; tarsus black, each tarsomere ventrally with yellow, distal patch. Spurs of all legs yellow.

Wings: forewing largely opaque, black; wing base, discal spot and a longitudinal patch on discal cell orange-red; external transparent area developed, consisting of 4 cells; underside anterior of discal spot densely covered with yellow scales. Hindwing hyaline, distal margin narrow, veins and margins dark grey, discal vein and base of M2 without scales; discal spot absent; fringes of all wings dark brownish grey.

Abdomen: dorsally black-grey, yellow-white are subdorsal spots on tergite 2, posterior half of tergite 4, tergite 7 throughout, terminal tergite except for black anterior margin, sternite 2 and 4 completely, terminal sternites mottled with some yellow scales; anal tuft very short, black laterally, light yellow medially.

Male genitalia. Uncus short, without medial protrusion; saccus short and broad; valva broadly rounded, expanded distally, twice as wide as basally, distal half covered with long, simple, basad pointing setae; phallus large, more than one and a half times longer than valva, straight, regularly tapering distally.

Variation. Alar expanse 13–16 mm. The longitudinal patch on the forewing discal cell is sometimes indistinct or absent. One specimen has the mesothorax with a small orange spot dorsally.

Diagnosis. By the structure of the male genitalia, Homogyna fenestra sp. nov. belongs to the H. pygmaea species group and is close related to H. alluaudi , H. pygmaea and H. nama Bartsch, 2016 . From all these species, H. fenestra sp. nov. differs by the presence of a transparent area distal to the forewing discal spot and by the almost completely transparent hindwings. H. alluaudi and H. pygmaea are very similar to each other and may be conspecific. Both taxa have their forewings without transparent parts, lack an orange-red mark in the discal cell, and the hindwing with broad distal margin, extended between the cubitus-veins and the discal vein covered with black scales. H. nama has the forewing almost entirely black, the hindwing distally black and the abdomen with reddish markings dorsally.

The structure of male genitalia of Homogyna fenestra sp. nov. differs from that of H. nama by the much broader valva and the longer saccus, from that of H. alluaudi by the dorsally slightly more upward bent uncus and the ovoid, not triangular valva (the male of H. pygmaea is unknown).

Habitat and Behaviour. H. fenestra sp. nov. appears to be distributed along the Kenyan coast and was recorded from various habitat types including what was previously coastal rainforest and coastal thickets in the transition towards more open woodlands ( Brachystegia ) and Somali Scrub. The foodplants are likely to be smaller herbs rather than bushes or trees as the specimens approach the pheromone lures usually flying very close to the ground. Others have been seen investigating patches of herbaceous vegetation. The males caught at pheromone lures flew during the hottest midday hours during the rainy season in Dakatcha and Watamu.

Distribution. Only known from the almost entirely cleared coastal forest belt of Kenya near the Indian Ocean and from the Dakatcha Woodland slightly further west towards mainland Kenya.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Homogyna fenestra sp. nov. male genitalia, phallus below.

FIGURES 8–13. Homogyna fenestra sp. nov. (8, 9) holotype ♂. (10–13) paratypes ♂ (dorsal view left, ventral view right).