Alonina fusca Bartsch, 2013, new sp.
Creators: name: Bartsch, Daniel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Sesiidae
Alonina
Alonina fusca

description: Alonina fusca new sp.   
Figs 25–27, 112  
 Specimens examined. Holotype: ♂ (Figs 25–26) Eastern Cape, Beacon Bay, 25.Mar.1989, A. Duke leg. (gen. prep. Bartsch 2010–18, Fig. 112) (TMPS).   
 Paratype: ♀ (Fig. 27) Cape, East London, Buffalo Pass, 7.May.1985, N.J. Duke leg. (TMPS).   
 Etymology. Latin fuscus (= brown).   
 Description of the male (Fig. 25–26). Wingspan 27 mm, forewing length 12 mm, antenna 7 mm, body 17 mm. Head with labial palpus smooth, dorsally whitish-grey, ventrally pale yellow, first and second palpomere laterally brownish-black, third dorsally grey; frons grey; vertex brownish-grey, occipitally somewhat paler; pericephalic scales grey; antenna rather short, yellowish-brown, dorsally interspersed with black, scapus ventrally and tip of flagellum dorsally black. Thorax and abdomen dark brownish-grey, thorax and tergites 1–4 in particular dorsally densely interspersed with black scales; tegula anteriorly and posteriorly and posterior margin of metathorax narrow auburn; scapular spot brown, anteriorly yellow; metathorax laterally with a narrow, yellow spot; scale tufts of mesothorax dorsally brown, laterally yellow; tergite 1 black, tergite 2 dorso-laterally with oblique, yellow, black framed stripe of rough scales; tergite 3 dorso-laterally auburn; tergites 5–7 interspersed with auburn scales; posterior margin of segment 4 entirely and of sternites 2 and 3 medially fine, pale yellow. Anal tuft brown, ventroproximally mixed with auburn. Legs brownish-black; fore leg with coxa laterally and distally mixed with yellow, femur dorsally orange-red; mid leg with dorsal edge of femur orange-yellow, tibia laterally mixed with auburn, distally with narrow white ring; hind tibia tufted with distad pointing, hair-like scales, mesally dark brownish black, laterally auburn, medially a narrow white spot; mid- and hind tarsus laterally brown, distally some auburn scales, mesally orange-yellow throughout; spurs of all legs pale grey. Wings hyaline; veins, margins, discal spots and fringes merely brownish-black; forewing with narrow proximally orange-red, distally black basal spot; subcosta fine orange-red marked; anal margin auburn, except for dark brown basal part; discal spot distally fine auburn bordered; apical area very narrow, cubitus branches strongly approximated with auburn scaled interspaces; hindwing with discal spot reduced; underside of both wings somewhat paler, auburn coloration of forewing discal spot more extensive; fringes brownish-black, at hindwing dorsum distally yellow.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 112). As stated in the genus description. Valva broad, rectangular, dorso-distally slightly pointed, ventro-distally somewhat angled with almost straight margins.   
 Description of the female (Fig. 27). Somewhat larger than the male with wingspan 29 mm, pattern similar, but slightly paler; labial palpus whitish; first palpomere ventrally auburn, second and third about equal in length; frons, vertex and pericephalic scales pale grey; antenna orange-brown. Patagia laterally auburn; pro-thorax laterally with a narrow auburn stripe cranial of wing base; dorso-lateral scale tufts of mesothorax laterally white, tergites 5 and 6 as well as anal tuft brownish-grey, the latter very small. Fore leg with coxa laterally auburn, distally white; all tibiae and tarsi ventrally orange-yellow; hind tibia mesally pale brown; spurs of all legs whitish. Genitalia not dissected.   
 Variation. Unknown.   
 Diagnosis. Alonina fusca is a dark coloured, unmistakable species. The superficially somewhat similar Felderiola xanthogaster is easy to differentiate by the lack of a functional haustellum, the pale yellow anterior half of tergite 4 and the orange-yellow coloured sternites. The structure of the male genitalia of A. fusca is very similar to that of A. luteopunctata, A. rufa and A. pyrocraspis, but differs by the more rectangular valva with almost straight margins, which is ventro-distally somewhat angled, not regularly curved. A. rufa differs further by the semitransparent orange hindwing dorsum.
description: Published as part of Bartsch, Daniel, 2013, Revisionary checklist of the Southern African Sesiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) with description of new species, pp. 1-54 in Zootaxa 3741 (1) on page 12, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3741.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10099866