Neomardara mondika Laszlo 2023
Creators: name: László, Gyula M.
name: Volynkin, Anton V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Erebidae
Neomardara
Neomardara mondika

description: Neomardara mondika László, 2023   
(Figs 16–18, 29–31, 42–43, 56–58, 68–70, 80–82, 91–92)  
 Neomardara mondika László, 2023, Ecologica Montenegrina 62: 27. Type locality: Republic of Congo, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Mondika camp. Holotype, male, in coll. ANHRT.   
 Type material examined.   
 Holotype. Male, “ REPUBLIC OF CONGO 365m / Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, / Mondika camp / 02°21’50.63”N, 16°16’25.82”E / 07–14.ii.2023, LepiLED light trap / Bakala N., M., Dérozier, V., / Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg. / ANHRT:2023.3” // “ANHRTUK / 00301050”, gen. slide No.: LG 6046 (ANHRT).   
 Additional material examined.   
 Republic of Congo. 2 females, 365m, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Mondika camp, 02°21’50.63”N, 16°16’25.82”E, 07–14.ii.2023, LepiLED light trap, Bakala N., M., Dérozier, V., Kirk-Spriggs, A., László, G. leg., ANHRT:2023.3, gen. slide Nos: LG 6219, LG 6220; 6 males, Sangha Prov., Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Mbeli camp, (Gilbertiodendron forest), 372m, 02°14’23.8”N, 16°23’52.1”E, 1–10.x.2022, MV and Actinic Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Fouka, B., Kirk-Spriggs, A., Takano, H. leg., ANHRT:2022.14; 1 male, Sangha Prov., Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Ndoki formation (Secondary forest), 352m, 02°12’47.7”N, 16°23’45.8”E, 29.ix.–1.x.2022, MV Light Trap, Dérozier, V., Fouka, B., Kirk-Spriggs, A., Takano, H. leg., ANHRT:2022.14 (ANHRT). Gabon. 1 male, Mikongo (Rougier), Monts de Cristal (Secondary Forest), 430m, 0°29’47”N, 11°10’42”E, 28.vii.–12.viii.2019, MV Light Trap, Albert, J-L., Aristophanous, M., Bie Mba, J., Dérozier, V., Moretto, P. leg., ANHRT:2019.17, gen. slide No.: LG 6128 (ANHRT). Cameroon. 1 male, Obout village, 678m, 03°28’23”N, 11°44’11”E, ix.2009, coll. Ströhle, leg. Spicer (ANHRT).   
 Diagnosis. The forewing length of N. mondika is 14–16 mm in males and 18–21 mm in females. Based on its extensive creamy-white forewing markings and the postmedial patch fully fused with the subterminal band, this species is readily distinguished from all other taxa of the genus, being most similar to N. divergens where the distinctive morphological characters are discussed in the diagnosis of the latter species.   
 Bionomics and distribution. The overwhelming majority of N. mondika was sampled in the pristine Congolian lowland rainforest habitats of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park with Gilbertiodendron dewevrei stands nearby. The species seems to be on the wing exclusively in the dry season and especially frequent in the short dry season in February. Two specimens have been traced from Gabon and Cameroon displaying morphological characters matching well with the topotypical population suggesting that N. mondika likely occurs in a wider area of central Africa.
description: Published as part of László, Gyula M. & Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Review of the genus Neomardara Hering, 1926 with descriptions of two new species and updated information on the distribution of the genus (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae), pp. 103-126 in Ecologica Montenegrina 68 on pages 123-124, DOI: 10.37828/em.2023.68.11, http://zenodo.org/record/13247084