Second contribution to the knowledge of the Lithosiini of Gabon: the genus Nanna Birket-Smith (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae)

The presence of the genus Nanna in Gabon is treated. Four species are recorded, two of which are new to science (N. molouba sp. nov. and N. semigrisea sp. nov.), and the hitherto unknown female of Nannaa ceratopygia is described. A checklist and a key to the species of the genus Nanna are provided

The conservation value of artificial ponds in the Western Cape Province for aquatic beetles and bugs

Thesis (MScConsEcol (Conservation Ecology and Entomology))--University of Stellenbosc, 2007.ENGLISH ABSTRSACT: Freshwater insect species and their host ecosystems are widely threatened, particularly within agricultural and urban landscapes of Mediterranean areas, including that of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The study here determined the biodiversity value of nineteen artificial ponds (temporary and permanent) and two river margin sites in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). The aim was to determine aquatic beetle and bug abundance and species richness in these ponds, a topic which has been hardly explored in South Africa. Sites were sampled from September 2005 to September 2006. A total of 18 677 aquatic beetle and bug individuals were sampled, representing 43 genera (28 beetle and 15 bug genera), 64 species (44 aquatic beetle and 20 bug species). Different pond types had distinct species assemblages. The associated physico-chemical characteristics of these sites were also investigated. The key environmental variable affecting aquatic beetle and bug distribution was naturalness (no human and environmental impact on waterbody). The results showed that the most important determinant of aquatic beetle and bug species richness across all sites was emergent macrophytes, such as Typha capensis and Persicaria decipiens. Artificial ponds in the CFR clearly increase the area of occupancy for insects, and therefore play a major role in conserving them. This is especially so when the ponds are at moderate temperatures (i.e. 19º C). Although all ponds contributed to the aquatic beetle and bug diversity in the region, they differed in relative value, depending on the combination of environmental variables affecting each pond

Pusiola unicolor Durante & Apinda-Legnouo 2022, new species

Pusiola unicolor Durante new species (Figs 1–4, 9, 10) Holotype: ♂, GABON, Ipassa (Makokou), 500 m, 0°30’43”N 12°48’13”E, 18/ 20-11-2017, Durante leg., gen. sl. n. 989 MAD; in coll. MSNS. Paratypes: 7 ♂♂, same data as the holotype; 5 ♂♂, same locality as the holotype, 4/ 13-12-2013; 1 ♂, same locality as the holotype, 14/ 24-3-2015; 3 ♂♂, same locality as the holotype, 19/ 24-11-2017; 8 ♂♂, same locality as the holotype, 21/ 22-11-2017; 3 ♀♀, same data as the holotype; 2 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 5/ 10-4-2010; 7 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 19-2/ 11-3-2011; 1 ♀, same locality as the holotype, 16/ 28-2-2012; 3 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 4/ 13-12-2013; 14 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 14/ 24-3-2015; 3 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 18/ 20-11-2017; 5 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 19/ 24-11-2017; 14 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 21/ 22-11-2017; all Durante leg. 4 ♀♀, same locality as the holotype, 14/ 25-6-2016, Durante & Fasiello leg. All in the first author’s collection. Diagnosis. The absence of a discal dot on the forewings distinguishes Pusiola unicolor n. sp. from Pusiola celida and Pusiola cinerella (Wallengren, 1860); the pale shades of yellow (creamy, ochreous, ivory) or light grey of the majority of the congeneric species are diagnostic compared to the dark grey-brown colour of P. unicolor n. sp. The only species that could require comparison of the genitalia are P. flavicosta (Wallengren, 1860) and P. tinaeella (Kiriakoff, 1958). The former however possesses a yellow line along the forewing’s costal margin, absent in P. unicolor n. sp.; the latter is generally paler than unicolor n. sp. In any case, the following genital apparatus characters are diagnostic. Comparing P. flavicosta and P. tinaeella with P. unicolor n. sp. the differential characters are as follows: i) the valva and uncus of P. unicolor n. sp. are longer and more slender; ii) the juxta is L-shaped and protrudes caudally, while it is trapezoid and flat in flavicosta, and X-shaped and flat in tinaeella; iii) the saccus is larger and u-shaped in P. unicolor n. sp., with a larger median notch, while it is slender and bifid in flavicosta and tinaeella; iv) the aedeagus of P. unicolor n. sp. bears only granicula (graniculi in Birket-Smith (1965); see also Tuxen (1970) on the neuter grammatical gender of this noun) on the vesica, while there are granicula and a large thorn-like cornutus in flavicosta and tinaeella. Description. Wingspan ♂ 17.5–19 mm; ♀ 19-21 mm. Head frons and vertex, notum including patagia and tegulae, and abdominal tergites all same colour as forewing upperside or slightly darker; clypeus always darker; antennae ciliated (cilia longer in the male, Figs. 9A, 9B), dorsally same colour as the vertex, ventrally unpigmented; labial palpi porrect, not extending beyond the frons, as dark as the clypeus or even darker. Thorax. Thoracic sternites as dark as the forewings underside; legs same colour, with the dorsal face of the first two pairs darker; spurs formula 0-2-4. Forewing upperside ground colour grey-brown, with a faint, very small dark vaguely triangular mark half way along the costa; a few specimens slightly darkening towards the termen. Forewing underside slightly darker than the upperside, anal area paler. Hindwing upperside slightly darker than or same colour as the forewing upperside; costal area sometimes paler. Hindwing underside same colour as the upperside. Fringes concolorous. Abdomen. Abdominal sternites as dark as thoracic sternites; abdominal scales slightly darker along the pleurae; anal tuft paler; male with the eighth abdominal segment very short, about ¼ the length of the seventh, anteriorly forming shallow double-dimple-like coremata (Fig. 9D), and latero-posteriorly two dome-shaped projections (Fig. 9D); female with seventh abdominal segment slightly sclerotized, one and a half times longer than the sixth (Fig. 10E), and eighth abdominal segment the same length as the sixth, slightly sclerotized, with a V-shaped membranous notch in the middle of the sternum. Genitalia. ♂. Uncus pointed, long and slender, bent slightly backwards; tegumen pear-shaped in dorsal view, with fairly large pedunculi (sensu Diakonoff 1939); vinculum slender, U-shaped, but with the saccus notched at the ventro-cephalic end; juxta protruding caudally, more or less axe- or L-shaped with the handle pointed, dorsally directed; valvellae appearing as weak, not clearly delimitated sclerotizations, ventro-laterally with respect to the juxta. Valva slender compared to the typically stouter Pusiola valvae (e.g. P. flavicosta); distal half of the supravalva flap-like, sub-oval, ending proximally with a curved processus distalis plicae (Fig. 10A); ala valvae with slender proximal portion (sacculus) and pointed distal process, long, slender and strongly sclerified, imperceptibly distally exceeding the supravalva. Aedeagus about three times longer than wide, tubular, with an undelimited flat sclerotization at the dorsal distal end, coecum penis sub-conical, ductus seminalis inserted dorsally, vesica with globular general appearance, and a distal and a ventral lobus covered in oval-shaped scobinate granicula (Fig 10D). Female. Caudal ventral margin of the seventh abdominal segment curly and dense (lamella antevaginalis, Fig. 10E); eighth segment as long as the sixth, slightly sclerotized, with no lamella postvaginalis; papillae anales gently tapering caudally; posterior apophyses slightly longer and more slender than the anterior ones; anterior apophyses somewhat longer than the eighth segment; dorsal pheromone glands unpaired, with one caudal opening at the intersegmental membrane between A8 and A9, anteriorly bifurcated into two fairly narrow lobes not exceeding the posterior apophyses (Fig. 9C). Ostium bursae as an inconspicuous opening medially in the intersegmental membrane between A7 and A8; antrum thick and short, truncated cone-shaped, with many thin spicules in the wall (Fig 10F); ductus bursae absent; corpus bursae oval, membranous, with a dense scobination of thorn-like spicules in the tissue of the wall, thicker than those of the antrum. Thorn-like spicules are of two sizes: thinner and denser along the caudal 2/3 of the corpus (Fig 10H), stronger and more dispersed along the anterior 1/3 (Fig. 10G); no signa; appendix bursae conical, membranous, caudally with respect to the corpus bursae, the ductus seminalis initiating at the posterior part (Fig. 10E). Etymology. The name unicolor (meaning “of the same colour”) refers to the usually identical colour of the fore- and hindwings. Remarks. In this species, the morphology of the male genitalia diverges in some way from the typical pattern of the genus (i.e. from the type species P. flavicosta): in the new species presented above the uncus is slender, long and almost straight, whereas in most of Pusiola species it is stouter (i.e. shorter and less slender), and is caudally curved; the valvae are proportionally longer; the tegumen is twice as long as the vinculum (in other Pusiola species, valvae are nearly of the same length); the juxta is projecting sharply backwards. However, other characters allow us to at least tentatively include this species in the genus Pusiola, such as the overall size of the adult; shape of the wings (slightly broader than other Lithosiina genera); the general structure of the genitalia (curved process of the ala valvae, presence of the processus distalis plicae, notched saccus); and the presence of a subapical spur at the distal end of the aedeagus (in P. unicolor n. sp., the subapical spur has the shape of a flat apical sclerotization).The wing venation fits Hampson’s description (1900) for the genus, with the only exception being the apical veins in the forewing: in flavicosta is [Rs2(Rs3, Rs4)]M1, whereas in unicolor n. sp. it is [Rs2, Rs3) Rs4]M1 (Fig. 9E). In addition, it should be remarked that the new species does not fit well within any other genus in Africa (De Toulgoët 1984; Krüger 2015), or even in South-East Asia. Holloway (2001) for instance, indicates the cases of similarity, e.g. Lambula fuliginosa (Walker, 1862) with Euconosia xylinoides (Walker, 1862). Neither of both species are considered to be related to unicolor n. sp. Despite a similar uncus and bilobed saccus in all three species mentioned above, there are significant diagnostic differences: males of Lambula fuliginosa possess i) a folding on the costa of forewing, ii) a small tuft of scales on costal area of the hindwing (Holloway 2001: 298), iii) a process on the ala valvae bending over the supravalva, iv) socii present, v) a slender aedeagus and a slender cornutus. Similarly, despite the similar uncus and bilobed saccus, Euconosia xylinoides differs by: i) differently-shaped forewings, ii) distal margin of supravalva with dense hairs, iii) stout process on the ala valvae rises from a lower position than in Pusiola species, iv) presence of slender aedeagus and vesica with at least one long lobus in Euconosia species. Ultimately, it should be stressed that the placement of P. unicolor n. sp. into the genus Pusiola has to be considered somewhat doubtful at least until a robust and contemporary revision of the genus is done.Published as part of Durante, Antonio & Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette, 2022, Fifth contribution to the study of the Lithosiini of Gabon: two genera new for Gabon, with a description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), pp. 416-428 in Zootaxa 5091 (3) on pages 418-419, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/584828

Report on species of the genus Tumicla Wallengren, 1863 in Gabon (Lepidoptera Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini)

Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette (2020): Report on species of the genus Tumicla Wallengren, 1863 in Gabon (Lepidoptera Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini). Zootaxa 4868 (1): 90-116, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4868.1.

Fifth contribution to the study of the Lithosiini of Gabon: two genera new for Gabon, with a description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)

Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette (2022): Fifth contribution to the study of the Lithosiini of Gabon: two genera new for Gabon, with a description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae). Zootaxa 5091 (3): 416-428, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5091.3.

Pusiola celida

Pusiola celida (Bethune-Baker, 1911) (Fig. 5) Material. GABON: 2 ♂♂, Ipassa (Makokou), 500 m asl, 0°30’43’’N 12°48’13’’E, 24/ 25-2-2011, Durante leg., g. sl. n. 1033 MAD; 1 ♂, same data, 16/ 28-2-2012; 3 ♂♂, same data, 14/ 24-3-2015, g. sl. n. 1032 MAD; 1 ♂, same data, 18/ 20-11-2017; 1 ♂, Mondah forest, 0°34’44’’N 9°20’06’’E, 26-11-2017, Durante leg.; 1 ♂, Monts de Cristal, Kinguele, 0°27’12’’N 10°16’40’’E, 26/ 30-4-2019, Durante leg.; UGANDA: 6 ♂♂, Kibale forest, 1,500 m asl, 0°33’40’’N 30°21’24’’E, 19/ 24-10-2014, Durante leg., g. sl. n. 1030 MAD. Remarks. Species for Uganda for the first time was recorded by Kiriakoff (1958: 16). It was found at Kilembe and Fort Portal, and reported in combination with Phryganopsis Felder, 1874. This species has also recently been recorded for the Republic of Guinea (Durante & Panzera 2002a) and Kenya (Kühne 2008), having previously been recorded for Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Angola (see De Prins & De Prins 2011 –2021 for detailed bibliography). For the subspecies distribution records from the Republic of Guinea, please refer to the Discussion. Genitalia are figured in Durante & Panzera (2002a).Published as part of Durante, Antonio & Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette, 2022, Fifth contribution to the study of the Lithosiini of Gabon: two genera new for Gabon, with a description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), pp. 416-428 in Zootaxa 5091 (3) on pages 417-418, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/584828

Novilema fluminale Durante & Panzera 2001

Novilema fluminale Durante & Panzera, 2001 (Figs. 7, 8) Material. GABON: 2 ♂♂, Ipassa (Makokou), 0°30’43’’N 12°48’13’’E, 4/ 13-12-2017, Durante leg., g. sl. n. 1000 MAD and 1012 MAD; 1 ♂, same locality, 16/ 21-6-2021, Durante and Fasiello leg., g. sl. n. 1027 MAD. Remarks. This species was described on the basis of eight male specimens from south Nigeria. The specimens from Gabon considerably enlarge its range of distribution. No female was collected (the supposed discovery of a female suggested by Krüger (2015) is dealt with in the discussion). Genitalia are figured in Durante & Panzera (2001b).Published as part of Durante, Antonio & Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette, 2022, Fifth contribution to the study of the Lithosiini of Gabon: two genera new for Gabon, with a description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), pp. 416-428 in Zootaxa 5091 (3) on pages 419-424, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/584828

Nanna molouba Durante & Apinda-Legnouo & Romano 2013, sp. nov.

<i>Nanna molouba</i> sp. nov. <p>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2B2F8C94-2AA5-45E0-9A5B-DEF470A55E0D</p> <p>Figs 3J, 4D</p> Diagnosis <p> Species similar to <i>N. collinsi</i>, <i>N. colonoides</i>, <i>N. eningae</i> and <i>N. melanosticta</i>, but easily distinguishable thanks to the bipectinate antennae of <i>N. molouba</i> sp. nov. <i>Nanna magna</i> also has bipectinate antennae, but its genitalia are clearly different.</p> Etymology <p>This species is dedicated to the kind Dr. Aurelie Flore Molouba, head of the Scientific Commission of the CENAREST. Noun in apposition (ICZN article 11.9.1.2).</p> Type material <p> <b>Holotype</b></p> <p>♂, MSNS.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes</b></p> <p>5 ♂♂, 5-10 Apr. 2010; 3 ♂♂, 19 Feb.-11 Mar. 2011. Same locality as the holotype. MSNS and MAD.</p> Type locality <p>GABON: Makokou-Ipassa, 500 m, 0°30’43’’N, 12°48’13’’E, 19 Feb.-11 Mar. 2011.</p> Description <p> <b>Habitus</b></p> <p>Wingspan: ♂ 36-42 mm. Forewing upper side ground colour whitish; basal third of the costa sometimes blackish; pattern with two black dots on the median area, one on the costal margin, and another one between the CuA2 and the anal vein. Hindwing upper side ground colour white. Forewing underside ground colour slightly darker than the upper side, with a creamy fascia along the costal margin. Hindwing underside as in the upper side. Fringes of the same colour as that wing’s ground colour.</p> <p>Head yellow, labial palpi yellow, porrect or slightly downward, male antennae bipectinate, yellow along the first fourth, shading to brown toward the apex.</p> <p>Patagia yellow, tegulae whitish, notum anteriorly yellow, shading backward to whitish. Thorax ventrally yellow.</p> <p>Forelegs yellow with femur and tibia externally grayish brown, tarsus lighter; mid- and hindlegs yellow with articulation between femur and tibia grayish brown. All praetarsi brown. Spurs formula 0-2-4.</p> <p>Abdomen yellow.</p> <p> <b>Genitalia</b></p> <p>MALE. A8 tergum rectangular, slightly shorter than seventh segment; A8 sternum slightly sclerotized, bar-like, arch-shaped, with two apodemal blunt cephalad appendices.</p> <p>Uncus slender, long, caudally bent, ending in a point; tegument pear-shaped (ventral view); vinculum semicircular, strong, with a median concavity. Juxta great, upside down Y-shaped, well sclerotized.</p> <p>Basis valvae sclerotized at the junction with the juxta, with which it forms a pseudo-articulation; membranous at supravalvar level.</p> <p>Ala valvae with ventral margin sclerotized and swollen, dorsal margin membranous.</p> <p>Supravalva sclerotized with ventral margin membranous.</p> <p>Distal process of the ala valvae strongly sclerotized, with a triangular process (Fig. 4D, arrow) at the distal third of the valvar length, and a robust hook-like termination ending in a big thorn and dorsally</p> <p>covered by slim spines. Distal process of the supravalva less sclerotized than the previous one, large and spatulate.</p> <p>Aedeagus quite narrow, partially membranous (pseudaedoeagus of Birket-Smith 1965), without coecum; vesica small, with sparse tiny thorns and two lobes, one at the base and one apically on the main lobe (respectively numbered 1 and 2 in Fig. 4D).</p>Published as part of <i>Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette & Romano, Chiara, 2013, Second contribution to the knowledge of the Lithosiini of Gabon: the genus Nanna Birket-Smith (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 1-15 in European Journal of Taxonomy 65</i> on pages 12-14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2013.65, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3820726">http://zenodo.org/record/3820726</a&gt

Nanna Birket-Smith 1965

Genus <i>Nanna</i> Birket-Smith, 1965 <p> At present, the genus <i>Nanna</i> includes 13 species of which two are newly recorded for Gabon, <i>N. ceratopygia</i> Birket-Smith, 1965 and <i>N. eningae</i> (Plötz, 1880), and two are endemic in Gabon (<i>N. molouba</i> sp. nov. and <i>N. semigrisea</i> sp. nov.).</p> Remarks <p> In the original paper, Birket-Smith does not provide any information about the etymology and grammatical gender. It is very probably derived from the name “ Nanna ”, the god of the moon in Sumerian mythology. That name should be masculine, but the author treats it as feminine, making it agree with the specific names, such as <i>magna</i>. According to the art. 30.2.3 of ICZN, the genus name <i>Nanna</i> has to be considered feminine.</p> Checklist of species belonging to the genus <i>Nanna</i> <p> <i>Nanna ceratopygia</i> Birket-Smith, 1965 Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon (type in BMNH)</p> <p> <i>Nanna collinsii</i> Kühne, 2007 D.R.C., Kenya (type in RMCA)</p> <p> <i>Nanna colonoides</i> (Kiriakoff, 1963) D.R.C. (type in RMCA)</p> <p> <i>Nanna diplisticta</i> (Bethune-Baker, 1911) (type species) Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, (type in BMNH)</p> <p> <i>Nanna eningae</i> (Plötz, 1880) Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon (type in ZIM)</p> <p> <i>Nanna griseata</i> Kühne, 2007 Ivory Coast (type in RMCA)</p> <p> <i>Nanna kamerunica</i> Kühne, 2007 Cameroon (type in NKMD)</p> <p> <i>Nanna loloana</i> (Strand, 1912) Cameroon (type in ZMHB)</p> <p> <i>Nanna magna</i> Birket-Smith, 1965 Cameroon (type in its author’s collection)</p> <p> <i>Nanna melanosticta</i> (Bethune-Baker, 1911) Ghana, Angola (type in BMNH)</p> <p> <i>Nanna molouba</i> sp. nov. Gabon (type in MSNS)</p> <p> <i>Nanna naumanni</i> Kühne, 2005 Kenya (type in its author’s collection)</p> <p> <i>Nanna semigrisea</i> sp. nov. Gabon (type in MSNS)</p> Key to the males of the species of <i>Nanna</i> <p> The following key is based mainly on the genitalia because the habitus of the species included in the genus <i>Nanna</i> is very similar. Furthermore the females are not included due to our fragmented knowledge about them.</p> <p> 1. Forewings ochreous yellow.................................................. <i>Nanna ceratopygia</i> Birket-Smith, 1965</p> <p>– Forewings white or light grey............................................................................................................ 2</p> <p>2. Male antennae bipectinate................................................................................................................. 3</p> <p>– Male antennae serrate or ciliated....................................................................................................... 4</p> <p> 3. Ala valvae of the male genitalia with a triangular process at its distal third............................................................................................................................................................ <i>Nanna molouba</i> sp. nov.</p> <p> – Ala valvae of the male genitalia without a triangular process................................................................................................................................................................... <i>Nanna magna</i> Birket-Smith, 1965</p> <p>4. Male genitalia processus basalis plicae clearly noticeable (1st group of B.-S. 1965)....................... 5</p> <p>– Male genitalia processus basalis plicae not noticeable or absent (2nd group of B.-S. 1965).......... 12</p> <p>5. Processus basalis plicae from half length of valva up to longer than the entire valva...................... 6</p> <p>– Processus basalis plicae shorter than half length of valva............................................................... 10</p> <p> 6. Supravalva spatulate and clearly shorter than ala valvae.................... <i>Nanna loloana</i> (Strand, 1912)</p> <p>– Supravalva as long as or longer than ala valvae................................................................................ 7</p> <p> 7. Ala valvae distally bent in U-shape...................................... <i>Nanna ceratopygia</i> Birket-Smith, 1965</p> <p>– Ala valvae tapering and just smoothly bent....................................................................................... 8</p> <p> 8. Processus basalis plicae longer than supravalva, S-shaped.............. <i>Nanna naumanni</i> Kühne, 2005</p> <p>– Processus basalis plicae shorter than supravalva, almost straight..................................................... 9</p> <p> 9. Uncus strong and long........................................................ <i>Nanna diplisticta</i> (Bethune-Baker, 1911)</p> <p> – Uncus slender and short............................................................. <i>Nanna colonoides</i> (Kiriakoff, 1963)</p> <p> 10. Aedeagus slender (eight times longer than broad)............................... <i>Nanna griseata</i> Kühne, 2007</p> <p>– Aedeagus normally sized (less than five times longer than the average width)...............................11</p> <p> 11. Processus basalis plicae deeply falcate..................................................... <i>Nanna semigrisea</i> sp. nov.</p> <p> – Processus basalis plicae less curved and shorter.................................. <i>Nanna collinsii</i> Kühne, 2007</p> <p> 12. Supravalva very large, ear-like....................................................... <i>Nanna kamerunica</i> Kühne, 2007</p> <p>– Supravalva slender and long............................................................................................................ 13</p> <p> 13. Distal process of the ala valvae slender and long................................. <i>Nanna eningae</i> (Plötz, 1880)</p> <p> – Distal process of the ala valvae short and stubby.......... <i>Nanna melanosticta</i> (Bethune-Baker, 1911)</p>Published as part of <i>Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette & Romano, Chiara, 2013, Second contribution to the knowledge of the Lithosiini of Gabon: the genus Nanna Birket-Smith (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 1-15 in European Journal of Taxonomy 65</i> on pages 4-5, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2013.65, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3820726">http://zenodo.org/record/3820726</a&gt

Nanna eningae

Nanna eningae (Plötz, 1880) Figs 3 C-F, 4B, 5B Gnophria eningae Plötz, 1880: 80. Eilema eningae var. pia Strand, 1912: 99-100. Nanna montana Birket-Smith, 1965: 44-45; synonymized by Kühne (2005). Ilema eningae – Hampson 1900: 156. Nanna pia – Birket-Smith 1965: 43-44; synonymized by Kühne (2005). Type material Holotype, ♀, ZIM., only the picture examined. Type locality W. Africa, Eningo [Ivory Coast], 13 Jun. 1875, leg. R. Buckholz. Other material examined GHANA: Ashanti, Bobiri, 1 ♂, 25 May 2011. D.R.C: Eala, 1 ♂, Oct. 1936; Sankuru, 1 ♂, 25 Nov. 1951. NIGERIA: Odi, 1 ♂, 30-31 May 1997. GABON: Makokou-Ipassa, 500 m, 0°30’43’’N, 12°48’13’’E, 17 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 5-10 Apr. 2010; 3 ♂♂, 19 Feb.-11 Mar. 2011; 3 ♂♂ 16-28 Feb. 2012; MSNS and MAD. Distribution Ivory Coast (type locality, Plötz 1880); Ghana (RMCA coll.); Togo (Strand 1912); Nigeria (Birket- Smith 1965; Durante & Panzera 2001); Cameroon (Strand 1912; Birket-Smith 1965); DRC (RMCA coll.); Gabon (new locality). Remarks Kühne (2005) synonymized Nanna montana and N. eningae var. pia with N. eningae based on the variability of the wing colour and the colour pattern of N. eningae (see Kühne 2007: 354), and on comparisons with the type of N. eningae (Kühne 2007: 354), disregarding the male genitalic differences described by Birket-Smith between N. montana and N. pia. They were probably considered to represent only a minor intraspecific variability. According to Birket-Smith (1965: 43, 47), the types of N. eningae and N. pia were untraceable, but Kühne (2005) explained that he was able to compare his specimens of N. eningae and N. pia with the types in the Plötz collection. However, Kühne (2007) admitted to the possibility that the N. eningae -group is composed of several taxa, but he did not go further into this matter. Durante & Panzera (2001) did not provide clear distinctive characters for lack of material and classified a single specimen from Nigeria as N. montana, based on male genitalic morphology. In this respect, it should be remarked that one specimen from Ghana (RMCA collection) shows all the characteristics described by Birket-Smith (1965) about N. pia, leading to the conclusion that the variability between N. pia (eningae) and N. montana could be concrete. At present, although the examined series from Gabon does not show any genitalic variability within itself (in contrast with the above supposed “minor intraspecific variability”), the conclusions of Kühne (2005) are here cautiously accepted, since the synonymy can be supported by the similarity of the Gabonese female genitalia with the ones of N. pia figured in Birket-Smith (1965) and the similarity of the Gabonese male genitalia with the ones of N. montana, both figured in Birket-Smith (1965) and in Durante & Panzera (2001), in addition to the existing wing colour variability (see Fig. 3E).Published as part of Durante, Antonio, Apinda-Legnouo, Emelie Arlette & Romano, Chiara, 2013, Second contribution to the knowledge of the Lithosiini of Gabon: the genus Nanna Birket-Smith (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 1-15 in European Journal of Taxonomy 65 on pages 8-10, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2013.65, http://zenodo.org/record/382072