Delorhachis wetzelae Fiebig, Taberer, Giusti and Laszlo 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Taberer, Tabitha R.
name: Fiebig, Ralf
name: Giusti, Alessandro
name: László, Gyula M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Limacodidae
Delorhachis
Delorhachis wetzelae

description: Delorhachis wetzelae Fiebig, Taberer, Giusti and László sp. nov. (Figures 30, 80,
111, 145)
Holotype. Male, [Tanzania] ′ Ukami Berge | (1200 m) Ost Africa | 3–6. 1898. Moritz ̍. || ′ Coll. | Staudinger ̍ || ′ Genitalpräparat | coll. Ralf Fiebig | RF 297.2019̍ (MfN).
Description
Male external morphology. Fore wing length 13.5 mm. Head, collar, tegula, and thorax vermillion, antenna bipectinate in basal fourth, otherwise filiform, colour as of head. Tegula with one green rounded patch. Dorsal side of thorax with a central green patch; ventral side pale beige without markings. Legs vermillion laterally, beige medially. Abdomen uniformly pale beige, first two abdominal segments with vermillion hair scales. Fore wing short, broad, triangular, with rounded apex; ground colour vermillion, veins contrasting black in postmedial area. Medio-ventral fascia pale green, narrow, elongate, undulate, margined with black on distal edge. Fringe long, slightly darker than ground colour. Hind wing uniformly pale ochreous with slightly darker, long fringe. Underside of both wings pale vermillion without markings; fringe as ground colour.
Female. Unknown.
Male genitalia. Uncus short, tapered, apically pointed. Tegumen broad. Gnathos short, basally broad, constricted medially, rounded apically. Juxta rounded basally, with two short, ventral, ribbon-like distal processes; manica with two sclerotised, relatively long, slightly curved pseudocornuti. Vinculum short and broad, rounded. Valva moderately broad at base, constricted medially, very narrow, distally forming a long, narrow, curved, dorso-apical process with a rounded point and a very short, pointed ventral process. Phallus medium-length, moderately thick, very slightly curved bearing a sclerotised, apically pointed ventral surface in its basal half. Vesica membranous without cornuti.
Diagnosis
Delorhachis wetzelae is most similar in size to D. meyi, although the former species has a lighter green, narrower, undulating fore wing fascia compared to the broader fascia of the latter species. The male genitalia of D. wetzelae has a somewhat shorter gnathos, less numerous and straighter pseudocornuti, and a medially somewhat narrower valva with a shorter, more curved, less pointed dorso-apical process compared to those of D. meyi.
Genetic information
The single known specimen of D. wetzelae was not suitable for DNA barcoding due to its age.
Etymology
Delorhachis wetzelae is named in honour of Ellen Wetzel, Arten-Schönfeld, Germany, for her contribution to entomological research.
Distribution and habitat (Figure 184)
This species is presumably endemic to the forested Uluguru Mountains of the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania. An allopatric sister taxon of D. wetzelae was found from the nearby Usambara Mountains and is described below as D. wetzelae shambaa ssp. nov.
description: Published as part of Taberer, Tabitha R., Fiebig, Ralf, Giusti, Alessandro & László, Gyula M., 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Delorhachis Karsch 1896 (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae), pp. 54-129 in Journal of Natural History 57 (1 - 4) on pages 86-87, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2157346, http://zenodo.org/record/7636801