Sonitha ekongo Friend, Prozorov, Yakovlev, Prozorova, Saldaitis, Sulak, Volkova, Lamah, Revay & Müller, 2024, sp. n.
Creators: name: Friend, Herman L.
name: Prozorov, Alexey M.
name: Yakovlev, Roman V.
name: Prozorova, Tatiana A.
name: Saldaitis, Aidas
name: Sulak, Harald
name: Volkova, Julia S.
name: Lamah, Simon Pierre
name: Revay, Edita E.
name: Müller, Günter C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lasiocampidae
Sonitha
Sonitha ekongo

description: Sonitha ekongo sp. n.   
https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 3690AAC5-1189-4FFC-B62A-8D8AC43E1CF9  
(Figs 8, 10, 22, 28, 34)  
 Holotype: ♂, DRC, Mai- Ndombe, Ekongo camp, 2.75613 S, 20.31538 E, 350 m, XI.2017, leg. A. Prozorov, T. Prozorova et al., GS 1141 (CGM / USTTB).   
 Description. Male (Fig. 8). Flagellum covered with speckled straw and brown scales. Head and thorax straw and reddish straw. Abdomen straw. Forewing. Forewing length: 19 mm. Somewhat oval with rounded apex and smooth outer margin. Costa speckled straw and dark brown, costal area brown, subcostal and submarginal areas straw, medial and submarginal areas brown, tornal and mediobasal spots yellow. Medial lines barely visible due to worn off scales, discal dot black with straw contour. Fringe brown. Hindwing. Somewhat trapezoid with pronounced apices on Rs and CuA 2 and slightly wavy outer margin. Medial area dark brown, anal area straw, marginal area speckled with straw and brown scales; veins partially covered with pale scales. Medial lines dark brown, blurred, posterior one is barely visible; discal dot very small, black with straw contour. Genitalia (Figs 22, 28). Tegumen a narrow band, dorsally and laterally bears two pairs of socii. Dorsal socii weakly pronounced; lateral socii knob-like, both covered with setae. Cucullus elongated, finger-shaped, s-shaped; apex rounded. Sacculus compact, semispherical, covered with setae. Vinculum a narrow band, ventromedially bears saccus. Saccus elongated, narrow, somewhat rectangle with two distolateral round apices. Juxta basally fused with aedeagus. Lobes of juxta elongated, claw-like, c-shaped, narrowed in distal third, apically pointed. Aedeagus cylinder-like. Vesica divided into two equal cone-like diverticula bearing one-two cornuti. Eight sternite somewhat trapezoid, laterodistally bears a pair of claw-like dents. Female remains unknown.   
 Diagnosis. Adult male of S. ekongo sp. n. is yellowish brown (Fig. 8), has weakly pronounced dorsal socii, smaller membranous lateral socii, narrowing in distal third lobes of juxta, two equal elongated diverticula of vesica, distolateral dents on eight sternite farer from the middle in genitalia (Figs 22, 28), and spread east of the Dahomey Gap (Fig. 34); whereas adult males of S. libera have reddish tint (Fig. 1), large dorsal socii, slightly bigger sclerotized lateral socii, gradually narrowing lobes of juxta, two unequal diverticula of vesica, distolateral dents on eight sternite closer to the middle in genitalia (Figs 17–18, 23–24), and spread west of the Dahomey Gap (Fig. 32).   
 Adult male of S. ekongo sp. n. is smaller yellowish brown (Fig. 8), has slightly smaller dorsal socii, shorter cucullus, smaller lobes of juxta, and larger dents on eight sternite in genitalia (Figs 22, 28); whereas adult males of S. adedapo sp. n. are larger with pinkish tint (Figs 4–6), have slightly larger dorsal socii, longer cucullus, larger lobes of juxta, and smaller dents on eight sternite in genitalia (Figs 20, 26).   
 Adult male of S. ekongo sp. n. is yellowish brown (Fig. 8), has weakly pronounced dorsal socii, lobes of juxta without medial “swellings,” equal diverticula of vesica in genitalia (Figs 22, 28); whereas adult males of S. bekombo sp. n. have reddish tint (Fig. 7), larger dorsal socii, medially “swollen” lobes of juxta, unequal diverticula of vesica in genitalia (Figs 21, 27).   
 Adult male of S. ekongo sp. n. has yellow mediobasal spot and black discal dot (Fig. 8), shorter lobes of juxta with narrowed distal third in genitalia (Figs 22, 28); whereas adult males of S. myoctona have straw or brown mediobasal spot and white discal dot (Figs 11–12), have longer lobes of juxta gradually narrowing towards the top in genitalia (Fig. 29).   
 Adult male of S. ekongo sp. n. is yellowish brown and black discal dot (Fig. 8), shorter lobes of juxta with narrowed distal third, and trapezoid eight sternite in genitalia (Figs 22, 28); whereas adult males of S. olanrewaju sp. n. have reddish tint and white discal dot (Figs 14–15), longer lobes of juxta gradually narrowing towards the top, and sickle-shaped eight sternite in genitalia (Fig. 30–31).   
 Distribution (Fig. 34). Central Congolian lowland forests in DRC.   
 Biology. HT was collected in XI from an altitude of 350 meters a.s.l. Preimaginal stages unknown.   
 Etymology. The species is named after the research camp Ekongo (Mai-Ndombe, DRC) founded by the LuiKotale Bonobo Project which is the type locality for numerous new species of the family Lasiocampidae including this species.
description: Published as part of Friend, Herman L., Prozorov, Alexey M., Yakovlev, Roman V., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Saldaitis, Aidas, Sulak, Harald, Volkova, Julia S., Lamah, Simon Pierre, Revay, Edita E. & Müller, Günter C., 2024, Four new species close to Sonitha libera and Sonitha myoctona from the Congolian lowland forests (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae), pp. 99-116 in Ecologica Montenegrina 72 on pages 108-110, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.72.9, http://zenodo.org/record/13247809