Contribution to the knowledge of the Nolini of the Maputo Special Reserve in South Mozambique with description of two new species and several taxonomic updates (Lepidoptera, Nolidae, Nolinae)
Author
László, Gyula M.
Author
Vetina, Alvaro A.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-03-26
4571
2
225
246
journal article
28000
10.11646/zootaxa.4571.2.3
d38f7cc0-2c64-4295-aef1-a29ca1050afd
1175-5326
2608276
7397F97C-8D29-47CB-BB41-0C2E84DBA344
Mecothrix aegyptiaca cana
Hacker, 2012
stat. n.
(
Figs 11, 12
,
50
,
70
)
Nola (Mecothrix) cana
Hacker, 2012
,
Esperiana
17: 158. Type locality:
Mozambique
, Magude.
Holotype
female in coll. ZSM.
Material
examined:
Mozambique
,
Maputo
Special Reserve.
1 ♂
,
2 ♀
,
9m
,
Mangrove Camp
, Mangrove-
Woodland Mosaic
,
26°19'35.9"S
,
32°42'35.7"E
,
7–9.XII.2016
,
Light Trap
,
Aristophanous, M
.,
Cristovao, J
.,
Laszlo, G
.,
Miles, W.
leg., slide
Nos
:
LGNA
322
♂,
LGNA
308
♀,
LGNA
321
♀;
1 ♀
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Forest
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
3–13.XII.2016
,
Light Trap
,
Aristophanous, M.
,
Cristovao, J.
,
Laszlo
, G.,
Miles, W.
leg., slide
No.
:
LGNA
318
♀;
1 ♂
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Thicket
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
3–13.XII.2016
,
Light Trap
,
Aristophanous, M.
,
Cristovao, J.
,
Laszlo
, G.,
Miles, W.
leg., slide
No.
:
LGNA
423
♂;
1 ♀
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Thicket
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
21–30.XI.2016
,
Light Trap
,
Aristophanous, M.
,
Cristovao, J.
,
Laszlo
, G.,
Miles, W.
leg., slide
No.
:
LGNA
319
♀;
2 ♂
,
2 ♀
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Forest
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
21–22.ii.2018
,
Actinic Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney
, J.,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
Nos
:
LGNA
435
♂,
LGNA
436
♂,
LGNA
424
♀,
LGNA
431
♀;
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Forest
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
13–15.ii.2018
,
MV
Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney
, J.,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
Nos
:
LGNA
425
♂,
LGNA
426
♀;
3 ♂
,
1 ♀
,
17m
,
Futi Corridor
(
Sand Forest
Woodland Mosaic),
26°32'10.1"S
,
32°43'09.7"E
,
23–24.ii.2018
,
Actinic Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney
, J.,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
Nos
:
LGNA
427
♂,
LGNA
428
♂,
LGNA
429
♂,
LGNA
430
♀;
1 ♀
,
17m
,
Futi Corridor
(
Sand Forest
Woodland Mosaic)
26°32'10.1"S
,
32°43'09.7"E
,
23–24.ii.2018
,
MV
Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney
, J.,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
No
.:
437♀
;
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
,
22m
,
West Gate
,
Sand Thicket
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
24–25.ii.2018
,
Actinic Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney
, J.,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
Nos
:
LGNA
433
♀,
LGNA
438
♂;
1 ♂
,
22m
,
Maputo
Special Reserve
,
West Gate
,
Sand Thicket
,
26°30'14.2"S
,
32°42'59.6"E
,
9–17.ii.2018
,
Actinic Light Trap
,
Laszlo, G.
,
Mulvaney, J.
,
Smith, L.
leg., slide
No.
:
LGNA
439
♂ (coll. ANHRT, MHNM).
Remark.
M. cana
was originally described as a distinct species. The detailed comparison of specimens collected in South
Mozambique
and
Egypt
revealed no significant differences in the configuration of genitalia, however the Southern African specimens are uniformly paler, having graphite greyish forewing ground colour, while the North African ones are much darker, with dark brownish forewing ground colour. The species might have had in the past a continuous distribution in Eastern Africa along the coast of
Red Sea
and Indian Ocean, later it had probably been splitted into morphologically slightly different populations (
M. aegyptiaca sahelica
Hacker,
2012
in the Sahel and
Tanzania
, and
M. aegyptiaca bischoffi
Hacker,
2012
in
Yemen
). Separating the southernmost population on species rank is not justified based on these minor morphological differences, so
cana
has herewith been placed within the species
aegyptiaca
as valid subspecies.