Euproctis phaeosticta Durante 2012, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Durante, Antonio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lymantriidae
Euproctis
Euproctis phaeosticta

description: Euproctis phaeosticta (Kiriakoff, 1958) comb. nov.
(Fig. 7 A-H)
Asura phaeosticta Kiriakoff, 1958: 4.
Diagnosis
Male genitalia (figs. 7D-E) with valvae not visibly divided into supravalva and ala valvae; the latter presents a small process at half of its inner margin (also described by Kiriakoff 1958, but not illustrated in the accompanying picture); the uncus is clearly more robust and large at the base than it is in Asura and Afrasura; vesica without cornuti.
Female abdomen with A7 prominent and weakly sclerotized; A8 generally membranous, but eighth sternum sclerotized with a median incision of the caudal margin, whereas the anterior margin extends to wrap the sinus vaginalis (in Asura and in Afrasura the eighth segment is small and membranous).
Ductus bursae stiff and short (Fig. 7F), serving as point of origin of the ductus seminalis (in Asura and Afrasura the ductus seminalis arises from the cervix bursae). Anterior apophyses extremely reduced; posterior apophyses missing. The structure of abdominal segments 9-10 complex is plurilobate, with two big ventral papillae, an unpaired dorsal papillary structure, two median caudal clubbed lobes, at which base, in latero-ventral position, two other small papillary processes arise (Fig. 7G).
Finally, it should be noted that the apodemes of the sternite of A2 are short and stout (Fig. 7H), instead of long and slender as normally in the tribus Nudariini (Bendib & Minet, 1999).
Material examined
UGANDA, Ruwenzori: ♂ Arct. g.sl. n. 5740 BMNH. TANZANIA: ♀ Arct. g.sl. n. 5751 BMNH, (both in BMNH).
Type locality
Uganda (holotype ♂ examined, lacking the end of the abdomen, in BMNH).
Distribution
Uganda, Ruwenzori. Tanzania (BMNH).
Remarks
Examination of the male genitalia of this species shows that it does not belong to Asura or Afrasura, but is a representative of the Lymantriidae, which is also confirmed by the presence in males of 3-1 divergent setae at the apex of the ramus of each flagellomere (Kitching & Rawlins 1999: 386); by the plurilobate structure of abdominal segments 9-10 complex (papillae anales and pseudopapillae; see Maes 1984); and by the absence of female pheromone dorsal glands between A8 and A9 (see Holloway 1988; Bendib & Minet 1998).
The generic position of this species is not very clear. According to the wing venation, similar to Afrasura, and without considering the anastomosis between veins 11 and 12 in phaeosticta, it could be assigned to such genera as Leucoma Hübner, 1822 or Naroma Walker, 1856, however the genitalia are clearly different. The Malagasy genus Leptepilepta Collenette, 1929 (Griveaud 1977) has been considered too, whose genitalia are quite similar, mostly with regard to the shape of the valva which possesses a similar process at the inner margin. It has been, however, excluded on account of the general colour and shape of the wings, the presence of an areola in the forewing venation, the geographic distribution (only Madagascar), the female genitalia being unknown, in addition to some differences of the male genitalia.
Lastly, but not without some reservations, the genus Euproctis Hübner, [1819] has been selected since it includes species with similar general appearance, a large geographical range, and similarity of some male genitalia (e.g. E. lemuria (Hering, 1926) or E. imerina Griveaud, 1977) (particularly the general similarity of the uncus, the valvae and the aedeagus).
description: Published as part of Durante, Antonio, 2012, New genera and problematic species in African Lithosiinae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae, Lymantriidae), pp. 1-16 in European Journal of Taxonomy 22 on pages 12-14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2012.22, http://zenodo.org/record/3858303