Lasiocesa ladislavi Revay, Saldaitis, Prozorova & Prozorov 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Revay, Edita E.
name: Prozorova, Tatiana A.
name: Junnila, Amy
name: Yakovlev, Roman V.
name: Saldaitis, Aidas
name: Volkova, Julia S.
name: Sulak, Harald
name: Müller, Günter C.
name: Prozorov, Alexey M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lasiocampidae
Lasiocesa
Lasiocesa ladislavi

description: Lasiocesa ladislavi Revay, Saldaitis, Prozorova & Prozorov sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 788610C0-1A5C-4705-A84D-68F7B35301DD
(Figs 9–12, 17–18, 23, 28)
Holotype: ♂, “ MTANGATANGA F.R. / MZIMBA DIST N. MALAWI / 1650M 11°55.6’S 33°41.8’E / 20 DEC 2014 R.J.MURPHY,” GS 1412 (CGM, to be deposited to USTTB).
Paratypes (8♂, 3♀, all CGM): 1♂, 2♀, same data as HT, GS 1410; 1♂, “ MTANGATANGA For. Res. / MZIMBA DIST. N. MALAWI / 1607M 11°55.7’S 33°41.9’E / 17 FEB 2014 R.J.MURPHY;” 1♂, “ 23- 24.12.2010 N Malawi / Rumphi Distr, Nyika NP / 10°43’40”S 33°39’11”E / h 1923 m / Kovtunovich, Ustjuzhanin,” GS 1411; 1♀, “ 23-24.12.2010 / E. Africa, N. Malawi, / Rumphi District, Nyika / N. P., S 10°43’65” E / 33°39’20”, h= 1935 m / leg. V.V.Anikin,” GS 1409; 5♂, “ 30-31.12.2011 / E. Africa, N. Malawi, / Rumphi District, Nyika / N. P., 10°43’40” S / 33°39’11”E, h= 1923 m, / on light / leg. V.V.Anikin. ”
Diagnosis. Lasiocesa ladislavi sp. n. differs from all the other congeners with contrasting white band on forewings and short distal extension of cubile with bulging surface. In details, it differs from:
1) L. fulgurata with overall darker coloration and white band in terminal field on forewing, narrower and longer forewings in male (compare Figs 1 and 9–10); smooth surface of sacculus without denticles, slightly longer apical process of phallus, lobe of cubile having longer lateral process and short distal extension with bulging surface (compare Figs 13 and 17–18); more contrasting pattern on forewings, coloration of hindwing gradually darkening towards outer margin in female (compare Figs 2 and 11–12); less sclerotized and relatively larger sterigma (compare Figs 19 and 23);
2) L. dogma with overall darker coloration and white band in terminal field on forewing, narrower and longer forewings in male (compare Figs 3 and 9–10); larger mediodorsal extension of tegumen, slightly narrower and longer sacculus, larger apical process of phallus, lobe of cubile having longer lateral process and short distal extension with bulging surface (compare Figs 14 and 17–18); more contrasting pattern on forewings, coloration of hindwing gradually darkening towards outer margin in female (compare Figs 4 and 11–12); more flattened sterigma (compare Figs 20 and 23);
3) L. occidentale with overall darker coloration and white band in terminal field on forewing, longer forewings in male (compare Figs 5 and 9–10); larger mediodorsal extension of tegumen, broader blunt distal extension of cubile (compare Figs 15 and 17–18); overall darker coloration and larger size, coloration of hindwing gradually darkening towards outer margin in female (compare Figs 6 and 11–12); sterigma with smaller inner pyramidal concavity (compare Figs 21 and 23);
4) L. lanceolata with overall darker coloration in both sexes and white band in terminal field on forewing, narrower forewings in male (compare Figs 7, 8 and 9–12); smooth surface of sacculus without denticles, shorter distal extensions of cubile (compare Figs 16 and 17–18); more flattened sterigma (compare Figs 22 and 23).
Description. Male (Figs 9–10). Flagellum mottled with white and brown scales, basally rather straw-colored. Head and thorax dorsally mottled with dark brown, rarer reddish brown and straw-colored scales; tegula mottled with brown and straw-colored scales. Abdomen dorsally mottled with brown and straw-colored scales. Forewing length: 32–34 mm. Elongated with obtuse tornal angle, crenulated outer margin and blunt apex. Medial field mottled with brown and straw-colored scales, bordered with crenulated straw-colored postmedial fascia with dark brown contour; subterminal field mottled with dark brown, brown, and straw-colored scales outlined with crenulated subterminal fascia, mottled with dark brown and brown scales with rather white posterior band; terminal field mottled with dark brown and straw-colored scales. Fringe mottled with dark brown and brown scales between veins and white at veins. Hindwing somewhat ovoid with crenulated outer margin. Costal, mediobasal, and anal areas orangish brown; subterminal and terminal area mottled with dark brown and straw-colored scales; anal angle mottled with straw-colored and brown scales. Fringe mottles with dark brown and straw-colored scales between veins and straw-colored on veins. Genitalia (Figs 17–18). Tegumen a narrow band with mediodorsal semioval extension covered with setae; dorsolaterally bears a pair of socii. Socii almost flat, densely covered with setae. Cucullus somewhat digitiform, sparsely covered with setae, slightly narrowing towards apex; apex rounded, bent upwards. Sacculus elongated about as long as cucullus, somewhat triangular with wide base and pointed apex, sparsely covered with setae. Vinculum ventromedially elongates into somewhat trapezoid saccus bearing cubile. Each lobe of cubile somewhat oval with narrowing base, lateral process (apodeme?) directed outwards, and distal sclerotized somewhat hoof-like extension with bulging surface. Juxta barely pronounced, fused with aedeagus and connected to vinculum with membrane. Phallus elongated, slightly downcurved, with apical ventrad process with blunt apex. Vesica rather compact, ovoid, mediodistally covered with tiny cornuti. Female (Figs 11–12) resembles male but larger; antennal rami shorter; tegula and medial area of forewing darker colored; mediobasal area of hindwing lighter colored. Forewing length: 53.5–60 mm. Genitalia (Fig. 23). Papillae anales oval, densely covered with chaetae. Posterior and anterior apophyses about same length. Sterigma somewhat rhomboid with rounded corners, medially somewhat dome-like with inner pyramidal concavity. Ostium wrinkled, amorphous. Ductus bursae about half a millimeter, gradually widens and seamlessly transitioning into corpus bursae. Corpus bursae periform, rather compact.
Genetics. We have at our disposal COI barcodes of L. dogma and L. ladislavi sp. nov. (Table 1). The uncorrected p -distance between them varies from 7.10 to 7.57% (Table 2).
Distribution (Fig. 28). The new species was collected from the territory of Mtangatanga Forest Reserve (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2024) and Nyika National Park (Johnson 2023) which are included into the Central Zambezian wet miombo woodlands ecoregion (Olson 2001; Dinerstein et al. 2017) in Malawi.
Biology. Adults were collected in December and February from altitudes of 1607–1935 m (Figs 29–30). Preimaginal stages unknown.
Etymology. The species is named in honor of MVDr. Ladislav Smatana, the mayor of Bojnice (Slovakia). A noun in the genitive case.
description: Published as part of Revay, Edita E., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Junnila, Amy, Yakovlev, Roman V., Saldaitis, Aidas, Volkova, Julia S., Sulak, Harald, Müller, Günter C. & Prozorov, Alexey M., 2025, Description of a new species of Lasiocesa Koçak from miombo woodlands in Malawi (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Pinarini), pp. 319-334 in Zootaxa 5631 (2) on pages 323-325, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/15370626