Afroracotis (Herbuloracotis) aristophanousi László & Hausmann & Karisch 2023, sp. 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 aristophanousi

description: Afroracotis (Herbuloracotis) aristophanousi sp. n.   
(Figs 69–72, 167–168, 248–249, 314–316)  
 Holotype. Male, “ Liberia, 530m, Lofa County, Foya Proposed Protected Area, 7°56’36”N, 10°16’36”W, 10– 19.xi.2017, MV Light Trap (125w),Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. & Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33”, unique id.: ANHRTUK 00084934, gen. slide No.: LG 5418 (ANHRT).   
 Paratypes. Cameroon. 1 male, Forêt de Dzeng, 33 km ESE Yaounde, 650m, 20.ii.1977, Ph. Darge leg., gen. slide No.: HERB 6141; 1 female, Massif du Manengouba, Piste Bakwat-Mwakoumel, 1240m, 11–12.iv.1972, C. Herbulot leg., gen. slide No.: LG 5045 (ZSM G 20995) (ZSM); 1 female, SW Province, Mount Kupe, 2 km SE Nyasoso, Zin Camp, 1214m, Light trap, 4°49’28.2”N, 9°41’57.8”E, 1.xii.2008, leg. M. Ochse, gen. slide No.: LG 5090, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: BC ZSM Lep 44203/GWOSO357-11 (RCMO); 1 male, Manengouba, 4°57’N, 9°52’E, 1040m, Savane et vallons forestiers d’altitude, 25.x.1973, Ph. Darge leg., gen. slide No.: GU TK 3210 (SDEI); 1 male, Mount Cameroon, Bonenza, 9°5.3’E, 4°3.6’N, 13.i. 1989, 180m, Primary lowland rain forest; 1 female, Mount Cameroon, Bonenza 9°5.6’E, 4°4.9’N, 21.i.1989, Primary forest 10m above Dr Edwards’ forest plot, gen. slide No.: LG 5849; 1 male, Nyazanga, 5/ 8.ix.1992, leg. Th. Bouyer (RMCA). Ghana. 1 female, Ashanti, Obuassi, (150 miles inland), end wet & dry season, 1902-3, G.E. Bergman, 1903-285, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK 014046331, gen. slide No.: NHMUK 010316165 (prepared by László) (NHMUK). Ivory Coast. 1 male, Cote d’Ivoire, Lamto, 20.vii.1979, leg. F. De Facq (RMCA); 1 male, Mt. Tonkoui, 10 km WNW Man, Südosthang, Sekundärregenwald [SE slope, secondary rain forest], ab. 900m, 7°26’N, 7°38W, 25.viii.1997, leg. T. Karisch, gen. slide No.: TK 3871, (SDEI). Kenya. 1 male, Kakamega, 1550m, 0°N, 34°53’E, 18.x.2001, S.C. Collins, gen. slide No.: LG 5532 (RCHS). Liberia. 2 males, with the same data as in the holotype, unique ids: ANHRTUK 00084715, 00085417, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: ANHRTUK00084715/ANLMN3668-21; 1 male, Nimba County, Nimba Mts, ENNR, Cellcom Road, 750m, 7°33’3.78”N, 8°31’46.9”W, 16–28.xii.2018, Cold Cathode UV Light Trap (8W), Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT:2018.43, unique id.: ANHRTUK00183912 (ANHRT). Republic of the Congo: 1 female, Odzala National Park, 0°23’N, 14°50’E, 29.i.–03.iii.1997, leg. S. Murzin & V. Siniaev, gen. slide No.: TK 3872 (SDEI). Uganda. 1 male, Kayonza, Kigezi, May–June 1957, T.H.E. Jackson leg., QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK 010598485, gen. slide No.: NHMUK 010315182 (prepared by László) (NHMUK); 1 male, Entebbe, Kisubi lake shore, 00°06’32.4”N, 32°32’48.1”E, 1159m, Lake Victoria moist forest, 25.xi.2005, leg. H.S. Staude, gen. slide No.: LG 5533 (RCHS).   
 Diagnosis. Forewing length 18–21 mm. Afroracotis aristophanousi sp. n. is reminiscent of A. argillacea, but noticeably smaller in size, brighter yellowish in colour and has paler transverse lines and a smaller and markedly darker postmedial patch, more contrasting subapical and subterminal dots of the forewing, and a smaller but darker postmedial dot of the hindwing. In the male genitalia, the clasping apparatus does not display any constant distinctive traits compared to the other species of the group. The aedeagus and vesica of the new species, however, are very distinctive due to the following features: A. aristophanousi has a rather short, distally dilated aedeagus (it is longer in proportion to the valva length and distally tapered in the other species of the complex), the vesica has a short and narrow medial diverticulum (the other congeners lack diverticulum) and a robust, basally broad, postmedially abruptly tapered, apically pine-shaped cornutus similar in shape to that of A. argillacea, but significantly shorter. The female genitalia of the new species are characterized by the short, but relatively thick ductus bursae and the rather spherical cervix-corpus bursae complex, with the conical, heavily sclerotised, striate cervix situated anteriorly covering approximately two-thirds of the surface of the corpus bursae, ending in a round, sclerotised plate. In all other species of the species-group, the cervix bursae is an indistinct part of the posterior half of the bursa copulatrix.   
 Genetic information. The species has been assigned the BIN URI: BOLD:AAY7528. The intraspecific divergence of the new species is rather significant with 1.7% pairwise distance between the Liberian and the Cameroonian specimens. However, despite this marked divergence, the sequenced specimens are assigned to a single BIN URI and due to the lack of morphological differences, A. aristophanousi is treated here as a single widespread species. The nearest neighbour of the species is A. longicornuta longicornuta at a pairwise distance of 5.05–5.22%.   
 Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Marios Aristophanous, accomplished Cyprian entomologist, who had led numerous ANHRT research expeditions to Sub-Saharan Africa contributing to the discoveries of countless new insect taxa.   
 Distribution (Map 4). Afroracotis aristophanousi is widely distributed from West to East Africa with confirmed records from Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
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 45-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5308.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/8080929