Bellanola László 2022, gen. n.
Creators: name: László, Gyula M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nolidae
Bellanola

description: Bellanola gen. n.
(14–15, 28)
Type species: Bellanola mikongo sp. n.
Diagnosis. The new genus is characterised externally by the extensive creamy-white basal area of the forewing which extends towards the undulate, interrupted postmedial line and the dark brownish-grey postmedial area with the fine, interrupted, creamy-white, dentate subterminal line and the continuous terminal line. The external habitus of Bellanola gen. n. is somewhat reminiscent of Laetonima László, 2020, however the latter is larger in size (forewing length 7.5–8.5 mm in males) and it has a more quadrangular, apically more broadly rounded forewing, a considerably smaller and brighter whitish area restricted to the ventro-basal third of the forewing, as well as a large, trapezoidal ventro-medial blotch followed by an oblique bright white tornal dash which is absent in Bellanola. The small size and the narrow-triangular, apically pointed forewing of the type species of the new genus are alike in Hampsonola, and the similar ground plan of the male genitalia, i.e. the similarly bilobate valva possessing a narrow, elongate dorsal and a broad, short ventral lobe suggests certain affinities between the two genera. Nevertheless, Bellanola is readily distinguished from Hampsonola by the ventral valval lobe having a broad sclerotized margin (it is always membranous in Hampsonola) bearing two short saccular processes and the absence of the harpe. The aedeagus in Bellanola is considerably shorter and broader than in Hampsonola, lacking the coecum and possessing a robust acute carina process, while the aedeagus of Hampsonola bears a coecum penis and lacks the carina process. Comparing the male genital morphology of Bellanola to Laetonima, the type species of the new genus possesses a considerably shorter and broader, rather quadrangular ventral valval lobe, a markedly smaller distal saccular process, and bears an additional, short subbasal saccular process, while Laetonima has only a single, large apical lobe of the sacculus. The configurations of the aedeagus are substantially different in Bellanola and Laetonima: the type species of the new genus has a remarkably short and thick, distally slightly dilated aedeagus lacking the coecum penis but bearing a medium long, thorn-shaped carina process, whereas the aedeagus is tubular, relatively short and narrow with a medium long coecum penis, and with a short, triangular, weakly sclerotized carina process in Laetonima.
The female is unknown.
Description.Adult. Male (Figs 14–15). Forewing length of type species 6.7–7 mm. Head small, antenna ciliatefasciculate; labial palp very short, porrect, greyish-white; frons and vertex off-white. Collar, tegula, mesothorax and abdomen off-white. Forewing narrow, elongate-triangular, apically pointed, ground colour creamy-white in basal and medial area, with sparse greyish suffusion along costa, dark brown in postmedial and terminal area, off-white apically and subapically. Basal, subbasal, antemedial and medial transverse lines deleted, postmedial line undulate, interrupted, consisted of blackish dots. Subterminal line creamy-white, represented by short, interrupted dentate sections. Terminal line very fine, continuous, creamy-white. Cilia long, blackish brown. Hindwing off-white in proximal half, greyish-brown in distal half with darker veins; cilia long, brownish-grey. Underside of wings whitishgrey ventro-basally, dark grey elsewhere.
Male genitalia (Fig. 28). Uncus moderately long, narrow, subapically curved, apically pointed. Tegumen elongate, narrow, arms thin, somewhat dilated medially. Subscaphium weakly sclerotized, short, rounded. Valva rather broad at base, transtilla wide basally, abruptly tapered subapically. Dorsal lobe of valva moderately long, narrow proximally, dilated distally, rounded apically; costal margin sclerotized in basal half. Ventral lobe of valva short, more or less quadrangular, proximal and distal margin broadly sclerotized. Sacculus relatively broad basally, tapered distally bearing a short, triangular distal and a longer, thorn-shaped subbasal process. Juxta very thin, broad U-shaped; vinculum moderately broad basally medium long, apically produced into a thin, pointed process. Aedeagus very short, thick, distally dilated, coecum penis absent, carina with moderately long and thick, straight, pointed process; vesica without cornuti or scobination.
Female. Unknown.
Etymology. The prefix of the generic name is derived from the Latin adjective “ bella ” meaning “ beautiful ” referring to the attractive appearance of the type species of the new genus.
description: Published as part of László, Gyula M., 2022, Taxonomic studies on Afrotropical Nolinae: review of the Afrotropical taxa of the genus Hampsonola László, Ronkay & Ronkay, 2015, descriptions of five new genera and five new species and introduction of a new synonymy (Lepidoptera, Nolidae), pp. 147-164 in Zootaxa 5169 (2) on pages 155-156, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5169.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6920070