Afroracotis (Herbuloracotis) apodosima László & Hausmann & Karisch 2023, comb. n.
Creators: name: László, Gyula M.
name: Hausmann, Axel
name: Karisch, Timm
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometridae
Afroracotis
Afroracotis apodosima

description: Afroracotis (Herbuloracotis) apodosima (Prout, 1931) comb. n.   
(Figs 41–44, 151–152, 232–234, 306–307)  
 Racotis apodosima Prout, 1931, Novitates zoologicae 36 (2): 171. Holotype male (NHMUK). Type locality: Delagoa Bay [Mozambique].   
 Type material examined   
 Holotype, male, red ring label “Type” / „Delagoa Bay Mrs. Monteiro” / [with handwritten] „ Racotis apodosima ♁ Prout type”, gen. slide No.: Geometridae 5003 (NHMUK).   
 Additional material examined   
 Burundi. 1 female, Urundi, Kitega [Gitega], 3.viii.1962, leg. Dr.M. Fontaine (RMCA). DRC. 1 male, Prov.Orientale, Opala, Lomami R., March 1959, R.H. Carcasson, gen. slide No.: NHMUK010314261 (NHMUK). Gabon. 1 male, Belinga, 1000m, N. Crete Sud, 19.iii.1963, G. Bernardi leg., gen. slide No.: LG 4770 (ZSM). Kenya. 1 female, Isiolo, 2–15.iii.1969, Watulege; 2 females, Nairobi, Oct. 1967 (ZSM). Mozambique. 1 male, Maputo Special Reserve, West Gate, Sand Forest, 22m, 26°30’14.2”S, 32°42’59.6”E, 13–15.ii.2018, MV Light Trap, László, G., Mulvaney, J., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2018.2, gen. slide No.: LG 4827; 1 female, same site and collectors, but 24.ii.2018, gen. slide No.: LG 4826; long series of undissected males from Maputo Special Reserve. RSA. 1 male, Kwazulu-Natal, Maputoland, Sodwana Bay, dune forest, 20m, 27°33’S, 32°40’E, 25.iv.1999, leg. M. Boppre & O. Fischer, gen. slide No.: LG 4786, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 38566/GWOSH230-10; 1 male, Natal, Umzumba Conservancy Armadale Farm, 30.39°S – 30.31°E, 80m, 17–21.xii.1993, Forest / Grassland, H.S. Staude; 1 male, KwaZulu-Natal, 15 km NE Pietermaritzburg, 29.51°S, 30.519°E, 660m, leg. Hausmann, A. & Staude, H., DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 111484/GWOUF1228-20 (ZSM); 1 female, Transkei, Cape Colony, leg. Miss Barrett (NHMUK). Rwanda. 1 male, South Western, Nyungwe Forest Reserve, Uwinka, 02°28’44”S, 29°12’09”E, 2450m, 20–23.vi.2009, H.S. Staude leg., gen. slide No.: LG 4421, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 36207/GWOSC531-10 (ZSM). Tanzania. 1 male, Kagera Region, Minziro Forest, Kabare, 01°01.792’S, 031°34.446’E, 1156m, 9.v.2011, Ph. Darge leg., gen. slide No.: LG 4403; 1 female, Dar-es-Salaam Region, Pugu Forest, iv.2004, local collector (ex coll. Ph. Darge), gen. slide No.: LG 4767; 1 male, Amani, 1000m, 17–18.iv.1976, B. Turlin leg., gen. slide No.: LG 4772 (ZSM). Zambia. 1 male, Greystone, Kitwe, Copperbelt Province, 1179m, S12°55’50”, E28°14’29” 17–21.iv.2013, Light Trap, leg. Smith, Takano & Oram, gen. slide No.: LG 4065; 1 male, Hillwood, Ikelenge, 1400m, S11°16’02”, E24°18’59’, 30.iv.–11.v.2014, Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Chmurova, L. & Smith, L., gen. slide No.: LG 4066; 2 males, Zambia, 1147m, Lukwakwa, West Lunga NP, (Crytosepalum forest / Dambo), S12°39’40”, E24°26’13”, 9–15.xi.2018, MV, Actinic and LepiLED Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D. leg., ANHRT:2018.40, gen. slide Nos: LG 4930, LG 5009, LG 5014, LG 5015; long series of undissected males from the same locality (ANHRT).   
 Diagnosis. Forewing length 17.5–22.0 mm. Afroracotis apodosima is an unmistakeable species due to its light mossy-green colouration in contrast to the darker, brownish-greyish or pale ochreous-brown facies of the majority of other Afroracotis taxa. There are two further allopatric species having similarly pale mossy-green ground colour: A. deportata (Herbulot, 1970) endemic to Madagascar and A. dargei sp. n. confined to the High Plateau of Cameroon. Compared to A. deportata, A. apodosima has a somewhat paler, less bright green ground colour, especially when freshly hatched specimens are compared. In the male genitalia, A. apodosima is easily distinguished from A. deportata by the markedly narrower uncus and shorter vinculum, the thicker and shorter aedeagus and the substantially smaller, weakly sclerotised cornutus. In the female genitalia, A. apodosima has considerably shorter apophysis anterioris and markedly less sclerotised cervix bursae compared to those of A. deportata. The distinctive features between A. apodosima and A. dargei sp. n. are discussed below under the diagnosis of the latter species.   
 Genetic information. Afroracotis apodosima is assigned the BIN URI: BOLD:AAL6740. The intraspecific divergence of the species is 0.00–0.15%. The nearest neighbour of the species is A. dargei sp. n. with a pairwise distance in the range of 2.48–2.95%. These two allopatric siblings form a distinct lineage, sister of A. argillacea.   
 Distribution (Map 3). Afroracotis apodosima is a widespread species with predominantly south-eastern and eastern African records. Its westernmost occurrence was recorded in north-east Gabon. The species is reported here from Burundi, DRC, Gabon, Rwanda, and Zambia for the first time. Prout’s (1931) record from Madagascar is based on the misidentification of the then unknown A. deportata (Herbulot, 1970).
description: Published as part of László, Gyula M., Hausmann, Axel & Karisch, Timm, 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the African taxa of the Racotis Moore, 1887 generic complex (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae, Boarmiini), pp. 1-109 in Zootaxa 5308 (1) on pages 33-35, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5308.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8080929