Revision of the Metarbelodes Strand, 1909 genus-group (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea: Metarbelidae) with descriptions of two new genera and 33 new species from high elevations of eastern and southern Africa Author Lehmann, Ingo martin.husemann@uni-hamburg.de Author Zahiri, Reza reza.zahiri@gmail.com Author Husemann, Martin martin.husemann@uni-hamburg.de text Zootaxa 2023 2023-04-18 5267 1 1 106 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5267.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5267.1.1 1175-5326 7840783 9CD59054-8D7D-413F-B9FD-29EAFE7E511D Zambezia darrelplowesi Lehmann, Zahiri & Husemann sp. nov. Figs 1c , 9a , 10c urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 4919A95A-98F2-456B-8D6A-F3FCB3CD5E56 Type locality and repository: Zimbabwe , the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe , Bulawayo ( NMZB ) . Material examined. Holotype female, S. Rhodesia (‘ Southern Rhodesia’ since 1901, today Zimbabwe ), Hospital (no town mentioned), Umtali District (today Mutare District , Manica-land Province ), 11 November 1935 , P. A. Sheppard leg., on second label: “Access. No. 4485”, on third label: “ Metarbelodes Strand umtaliana Aur. A.J.T. Janse det. very large”, genitalia slide number 12/092015 I. Lehmann ( NMZB ). Description. Male. Unknown. Fermale. Head : Honey yellow mixed with sepia and cream, shiny; long, ochre, hair-like scales between compound eyes; eyes brown with many black spots; antenna 0.37× times forewing length, mostly unipectinate, but bipectinate towards tip, with branches 1.3× width of shaft, shaft covered with cream-coloured scales dorsally, few cream-coloured scales on branches; antennal tips at least as long as branch, bending slightly towards apex; labial palpi honey yellow. FIGURE 18. a. shows two fronto-clypeal projections (red arrows) of Lukeniana bergsteni , female, paratype. The projections are close together, that means the distance between the projections is ca. 1.0–1.5× of the width of the pit behind the labial palpus, and they are more pronounced in females than in males of Lukeniana and Zambezia . The two projections are more widely separated in species of Mountelgonia Lehmann, 2013 , that means the distance between the projections is ca. 2.5–3.5× of the width of the pit behind the labial palpus. b. shows an enlargement of one fronto-clypeal projection. c. shows four branches of the female antenna. The pictures were taken with a Scanning Electron Microscope at ZFMK by Karin Ulmen in March 2012. FIGURE 19 a. Collection sites of species of Lukeniana ; 2. Lukeniana rajaeii ; 3. L. timdavenporti ; 4. L. kakamegaensis ; 5. / 6. L. mikerobertsi ; 7. / 8. L. enaiposha .; 9 / 11. L. obliqualinea ; 10. L. kammeri ; 11. L. lutztoepferi ; 12. L. georgeadamsoni ; 13. / 15. L. bergsteni ; 14. L. michaelgrzimeki / L. andreashempi ; 16. L. tubiraensis ; 17. L. jankiellandi ; 18. L. tubiraensis ; 19. L. mbalaensis / L. robplowesi ; 20. L. hausmanni ; 21. L. stueningi ; 22. L. stevecollinsi ; 23. L. mzuzuensis ; 24. / 25. L. madrandelei ; 26. L. lenzi ; 27. L. carolae ; 28. L. chapmani ; 29. L. friederikebauerae ; 30. / 31. / 32. L. butleri ; 34. L. utaheidenreichae ; 38. L. kollhorsti ; 39. / 40. / 41. L. raymondrevellii (location codes in the EARS sensu McConnell (1972) , Eastern Branch and Western Branch, and associated areas sensu Oxburgh (1978) , as well as on the Southern African Plateau sensu Nyblade & Sleep (2003) ; for detailed information on geological/geomorphological ages for all areas herein cf. Lehmann (2019b , 330─341): 2. Main Ethiopian Rift (MER), Ethiopian Plateau (ca. 31 Ma), Ethiopia; 3. west of Kenya Rift (KR), Mount Elgon (ca. 20 Ma), border of Uganda and Kenya; 4. west of KR, Kakamega (ca. 20 Ma), Kenya; 5 . east of KR, on Laikipia Plateau (ca. 13.5─11 Ma), Kenya; 6 . east of KR, eastern edge of Laikipia Plateau (ca. 13.5─11 Ma), Kenya; 7 . within KR, near Lake Nakuru (ca. 2.6 Ma), Kenya; 8 . within KR, near Lake Naivasha (ca. 2.6 Ma), Kenya; 9 . east of KR, foothills zone of Mount Kenya (ca. 5.1─2.8 Ma), Kenya; 10 . / 11 . / 12 . east of KR, Kenya Dome (ca. 13.5─11 Ma), Kenya; 13 . within Northern Tanzanian Divergence Zone (NTDZ), Mount Kilimanjaro (ca. 2.5 Ma), Tanzania; 14 . / 15 . within NTDZ, Mount Meru and Usa River (ca. 2.0 Ma), Tanzania; 16. / 17. east of Tanganyika Rift (ca. 30─20 Ma), Tanzania; 18 . within Rukwa Rift, Southern Highlands (ca. 30─25 Ma), Tanzania; 19. / 20 . northeastern edge of Southern African Plateau (ca. 150 Ma); Zambia; 21. / 22. / 23 . west of Malawi Rift, on and south of Nyika Plateau (ca. 30─25 Ma), Zambia, Malawi; 24. / 25 . south and west of various rifts of EARS of unknown ages, Democratic Republic of the Congo; 26 . west of Luangwa Graben, escarpment of Muchinga Mountains (ca. 150 Ma?), Zambia; 27 . west of “Malawi Rift, Mount Ntchisi (ca. 25 Ma), Malawi; 28 . Mount Mulanje (ca. 105─138 Ma), Malawi; 29 . south of Luangwa Graben (ca. 150 Ma), Zambia; 30 . / 31. / 32 . south of Mid-Zambezi Rift, Highveld Plateau (ca. 150 Ma), Zimbabwe; 34. east of Bvumba Mountains (younger than ca. 15 Ma), Mozambique; 38. west of Urema Graben (younger than ca. 15 Ma), Zimbabwe; 39 . northwest from Waterberg Plateau (ca. 75 Ma), Namibia; 40 . on Waterberg Plateau (ca. 75 Ma), Namibia; 41 . west-central edge of Southern African Plateau (ca. 150 Ma), Namibia. b. Collection sites of species of Metarbelodes (turquoise circle, white font) and Zambesia (red circles, black font): 1. Zambezia diredaouaensis ; 30. / 32. /36. Zambezia jennyhuntae sp. nov. ; 35. Zambezia durrellbarnesi ; 33. / 36. Metarbelodes umtaliana ; 36. Z. darrelplowesi ; 37. Z. madambae (location codes: 1. East of MER, Somalian Plateau including Harar Plateau (at least 30 Ma), Ethiopia; 30. / 32. south of Mid-Zambezi Rift, Highveld Plateau ( ca. 150 Ma), Zimbabwe; 33. / 35. / 36 . areas near and on the Bvumba Mountains, Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe ( ca. 600─500 Ma), Zimbabwe; 37 . ca. 2.3 km from Zambezi River ( ca. 280 Ma) and on the termination of Southwestern Branch of EARS ( ca. 2 Ma), Botswana; for detailed information on geological/geomorphological ages for all areas herein Lehmann (2019b , 330─341)). FIGURE 20. a. Habitat of Lukeniana enaiposha with Rothschild’s Giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi Lydekker (1903) graze in a woodland site at 1.786 m elevation within Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya) ca. 1 km south of the lake dominated by tall (> 15 m) and young trees of Acacia xanthophloea Benth. ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) mixed with shrubs of Rhus natalensis Bernh. (Anacardiaceae) (right) and Solanum incanum L. ( Solanaceae ) (foreground). Picture taken by Shimoni Lehmann in March 2016. b. Between 1600 and 2000 m Lower montane Cassipourea forest sensu Hemp (2006b) covers the slopes of Mount Meru (4.566 m). The picture shows an undisturbed forest of this type comprising trees of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae) , Olea capensis L. ( Oleaceae ) and Ekebergia capensis Sparrm. (Meliaceae) with smaller trees of Vepris simplicifolia (Verd.) Mziray (Rutaceae) and Casearia battiscombei R.E. Fries (Flacourtiaceae) . Ferns are present on the ground indicating a wetter site with species of Pteris dentata Forssk. (Pteridaceae) and Asplenium aethiopicum (Burm. f.) Bech. (Aspleniaceae) . Note that Lukeniana timdavenporti occurs in a similar habitat on Mount Elgon (Kenya/Uganda), but is not closely related to L. andreashempi and L. michaelgrzimeki , that both occur on Mount Meru. Picture by Dr. Andreas Hemp. c. Habitat of Lukeniana mzuzuensis : wetter, ca. 50 years old Zambezian miombo woodland sensu White (1983) at Nkhorongo (Malawi) with diverse structure, high species diversity, e.g. leguminous trees. The treelet with broad leaves in the bottom right corner is Uapaca nitida Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) ; in the centre left is U. kirkiana Müll. Arg. ; background trees are Brachystegia utilis Burtt Davy & Hutch. , B. floribunda Benth. , B. spiciformis Benth. ( Fabaceae : Caesalpiniaceae ), Uapaca sansibarica Pax. , Julbernardia paniculata (Benth.) Troupin (Caesalpiniaceae) , Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr. (Papilionaceae) . In the top right centre is Cussonia arborea Hochst. (Araliaceae) with light green leaves. Picture by Raymond Murphy (Nkhorongo), May 2016. d. Road ca. 23 km southeast Mbala (Zambia), close to the habitat of Lukeniana hausmanni , on the Southern African Plateau with northern wet miombo sensu Chidumayo (1997) ; Brachystegia-Isoberlinia-Julbernardia association mixed with Albizia antunesiana Harms ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae). Picture by Jürgen Lenz (Leipzig), October 2009. FIGURE 21. a. Wetter type of miombo with open canopies and consequently with a high grass cover. The picture shows colourful woodland viewed from a small grassy plateau down into in the Mutinondo Wilderness Area (Zambia). The wet miombo is dominated by Brachystegia longifolia Benth. , B. spiciformis and Julbernardia paniculata (Caesalpiniaceae) . The picture was taken in October 2010 by Jürgen Lenz. b. One of the granite inselbergs (the hill in the centre) with distinctive scrub woodland in the Mutinondo Wilderness Area that is still on but close to the northeastern edge of the Southern African Plateau. Inselbergs sensu Bornhardt (1900) are rock outcrop formations occurring in a broad range of size, e.g. as single hills or as inselberg plateaus and in a varying degree of isolation. Hence, inselbergs are often least-disturbed ecosystems. The inselberg in the picture is partly covered by scrub woodland comprising, e.g. Vitex madiens Oliv. (Verbenaceae) and Ozoroa insignis Delile (Anacardiaceae) between the granite blocks and is surrounded by wet miombo. The picture was taken in October 2010 by Jürgen Lenz. c. The artificial lake of Chikamba Real (Mozambique) viewed from the Bvumba Mountains (Zimbabwe) in the West. The landscape that represents the habitat of Lukeniana utaheidenreichae is diverse and comprises Deciduous Miombo Savanna Woodland sensu Wild & Barbosa (1968) characterised by Caesalpiniaceae , e.g., Brachystegia spiciformis , B. boehmii Taub. and Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin (Jonathan Timberlake, Friston, East Dean, U.K., pers. com. to I.L. in 2015). The picture was taken in April 2006 by Jürgen Lenz (Harare, Zimbabwe). d. Habitat of Mountelgonia arcifera ( Hampson, 1909 ) and Lukeniana georgeadamsoni on the game ranch of Dr. David Hopcraft in Somalia-Masai edaphic grassland sensu White (1983) . A young tree (left) of Acacia xanthophloea Benth. is in the foreground. To the right and in the background occur small trees of Balanites glabra Mildbr. (Balanitaceae) in Themeda triandra Forssk. (Poaceae) grassland. The small light green woody plant below the Acacia is Hibiscus flavifolius Ulbr. (Malvaceae) . The picture was taken by Ingo Lehmann in March 1999. e. Habitat of Lukeniana mikerobertsi : 270–286 years old trees of Juniperus procera Hochst. (Cupressaceae) that form a Single-dominant Afromontane forest sensu White (1983) on Site 1 of Kambi ya Simba at 2.165 m (Lolldaiga Hills Ranch and Wildlife Conservancy). The smaller tree in the foreground (right) is Olea europaea L. ( Oleaceae ). Picture by Ingo Lehmann, March 2016. FIGURE 22. a. One of the biggest trees of Juniperus procera , having a dbh of 112 cm and an age of ca. 280 years on Site 1 at Kambi ya Simba. The photograph shows how huge the Juniperus trees are, if compared to the two humans, a very rare sight in present central Kenya. These huge trees represent the habitat of four genera, including Lukeniana and Mountelgonia , and at least four species of Metarbelidae . Picture by Julius Mwenda Mathiu, March 2016. b. Site 1, location of light-trapping below two trees (right half of the image) of J. procera Hochst. ( Cupressaceae , dbh 108 cm) and Olea europaea L. ( Oleaceae , dbh 59 cm with broken stem at 5.6 m). Four undescribed Metarbelidae species of the Lukeniana , Mountelgonia and two undescribed genera were found in one night in March 2016. This represents one of the highest metarbelid species richness on 625 m 2 at any known montane site in central Kenya. Collections of more than five species have only been recorded by the first author inside lowland Gogoni Forest Reserve and Kaya Muhaka (Kenya, Coast, Kwale County). Photo by Ingo Lehmann, March 2016. c. Southeastern Mpala Research Centre (MRC) with Site 1 in the foreground and Site 2 in the far distant right. The Lolldaiga Hills are in the background (left and centre) and Mount Kenya is located towards the right (not visible). The vegetation is East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket sensu White (1983) . Trees shorter 5 m are present, e.g. Acacia etbaica Brenan ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) and Boscia angustifolia A. Rich. (Capparaceae) (dark green crown on far right). Lukeniana mikerobertsi was common here in March 2016. Only one additional Metarbelidae , an undescribed species, related to Salagena Walker, 1865 , was recorded. The vegetation figured is comparable to that of 1958 (Alick Gordon Roberts pers. com. to I.L. in 2017) and indicates a long-term species composition at least for decades with little disturbance. Picture taken by Ingo Lehmann in March 2016. d. Habitat of Lukeniana mikerobertsi with Acacia etbaica Brenan ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) representing the dominant species at Site 1. To the left of this tree is Opuntia vulgaris Mill. (Cactaceae) . The grass in the foreground is mainly Chloris roxburghiana Schult (Poaceae) . The shrubby vegetation represents Acacia brevispica Harms. ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) mixed with Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori (Malvaceae) . Picture by Andrea Surmat, MRC, March 2016. e. Habitat of Lukeniana butleri : A patch of drier possibly transitional miombo at Fawlty Towers (Harare), undisturbed since 1994 and with an unusually high proportion of the succulent tree Euphorbia ingens E. Mey. (Euphorbiaceae) (left and centre). B. spiciformis Benth. (Caesalpiniaceae) is dominant mixed with Cussonia arborea Hochst. (Araliaceae) and Ochna schweinfurthiana F. Hoffm. (Ochnaceae) . Picture by Rhett Butler (Harare), May 2016. f. Habitat of Lukeniana butleri : A dry type of miombo at Fawlty Towers disturbed due to various plantings in 1981, e.g., Acacia abyssinica Hochst. (the flat-topped tree in the centre) and Acacia xanthophloea Benth. ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae), the trees with green-yellowish bark in the right. Remnants of miombo comprise Erythrina abyssinica Lam. (Papilionaceae) (the dark tree in front of the centre); to the left of this tree Ficus burkei (Miq.) Miq. (Moraceae) and Brachystegia spiciformis Benth. (Caesalpiniaceae) , the latter also appearing in the right foreground. Picture by Rhett Butler (Harare), May 2016 Thorax : Patagia and tegulae with long hair-like scales of ochre and pale cream, shiny. Small pale cream crest of scales on metathorax, glossy. Hindlegs yellow ochre with fine hair-like scales, shiny, with a pair of narrow tibial spurs of unequal length, outer spur 1.1 mm , inner spur 0.8 mm . Forewing length 23.0 mm (wingspan 49.0 mm). Forewing large, 1.4×width of hindwing, upperside with faded dark ochre coloured lines and striae on an ochre ground colour, slightly glossy towards termen; a broad white band below CuA 2 , latter narrowly edged with faint sepia above; three more-or-less continuous lines of faint sepia, straight, originating near costa and lines terminating at CuA 1 or below, costa honey yellow with striae from base to apex; veins not distinctly coloured; cilia long, 1.2 mm , pale cream with shiny; faint sepia spots at ends of veins along termen. Forewing underside roughly scaled, cream, no striae on costa, slightly glossy. Hindwing upperside cream, glossy; cilia as in forewing; underside cream, glossy, not darker along costa. Abdomen : Honey yellow mixed with cream, glossy; abdominal tuft one-third abdominal length. Genitalia with papillae anales broad, dorsal part 8-shaped in posterior view, densely covered with mainly long setae. Scattered long setae on segment 8, many long setae along posterior margin; two narrow latero-ventral sclerotized bands, fused along its posterior margin (in posterior view) and separated along its anterior margin (in anterior view), with an acuminate end towards base of anterior apophysis (in lateral view); bands covering ca. 30% of ventral side of segment 8. Dorso-anterior margin of abdominal plate without an emargination. Posterior apophyses straight, very broad, 2.0× as broad as width of anterior apophyses, from base to more than half of their length, tip narrow and rectangular. Anterior apophyses almost straight, not bent at middle, slightly bent towards rectangular tip. Anterior apophyses 1.4× longer than posterior apophyses. Ductus bursae and corpus bursae thinly membranous without processes; ductus bursae twice as long as corpus bursae, latter pear-shaped. Diagnosis. This is the largest known species of Metarbelodes genus-group. The forewing venation is similar to that of Metarbelodes umtaliana , Z. jennyhuntae , and Z. durrellbarnesi ; the three species share the following characters: an areole of medium size, not as large as upper half of cell, and the CuP vein is represented by a strong and continuous fold, similar to an intact vein particularly strong sclerotized near the wing base and towards the dorsum. The latter character is shared with Z. madambae . Of note is that Z. darrelplowesi is currently the only species of Zambezia , in which parts of the CuP are weakly sclerotized along the entire ventral edge of this vein towards the dorsum. Vein R 2 is separated from R 3 +R 4 in both Z. darrelplowesi and Z. madambae . There are two characters of the female postabdominal structure that separate Z. darrelplowesi from all other known females: (i) the anterior apophyses are 1.4× longer than the posterior apophyses, and (ii) the posterior apophyses are very broad, 2.0× as broad as the width of anterior apophyses on ca. 65% of their length. The female genitalia of Z. darrelplowesi have a pear-shaped, small corpus bursae (astonishing small for such a large female), whereas the corpus bursae of Z. durrellbarnesi is more rounded and larger, as large as segment 8. FIGURE 23. a. Habitat of Zambezia jennyhuntae : The nearly evenly aged structure of the tree layer in a drier type of open miombo woodland dominated by Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin (Caesalpiniaceae) and Brachystegia spiciformis Benth. (Caesalpiniaceae) close to Marondera (Zimbabwe) is due to anthropogenic activity since 1929. The young stand in the image is the result of protection of the miombo since the late 1960s. Photo by Rhett Butler (Harare), October 2015. b. Habitat of Zambezia durrellbarnesi: View from the summit of the Bvumba Mountains taken from Castle Beacon (1.911 m) in May 1969 by the late botanist Darrel Plowes (Mutare, Zimbabwe). Beyond the flowering Aloe arborescens Mill. (Aloaceae) (right) is the Burma Valley below and on the southeast side, the high hill in the middle distance is Leopard Rock, a so called “granite bornhardt”. Where the high Bvumba ground drops sharply down into the Burma Valley (730–880 m, both part of the post-African surface developing since 30–25 Ma) in the right centre of the picture, the Witchwood Valley forest or Bungu Forest, begins. The forests seen towards the Burma Valley and Leopard Rock are mixed submontane forests with the highest tree species diversity recorded for Zimbabwe ( Müller 2006 ). Within a few kilometers an older erosion surface (possibly African Surface) may be preserved on Castle Beacon ( Lister 1987 ; Andy Moore pers. com. to I.L. in 2016). The row of hills in the background forms the border with Mozambique and still belongs geomorphologically to the Bvumba Mountains. Distribution. Zambezia darrelplowesi is known only from Mutare ( 18°59′S , 32°40′E ; elevation 1,051 –1,341 m ), Zimbabwe . Mutare (formerly Umtali) is located in the Manica Gap, ca. 1.5 km northwest of the Bvumba Mountains (elevation 1,911 m at Castle Beacon), which belongs to the Zambezian regional centre of endemism, while the upland parts of the Bvumba Mountains belong to the Afromontane archipelago-like regional centre of endemism ( sensu White 1983 ). Zambezia darrelplowesi is defined an Afromontane near-endemic species. Habitat. See Appendix 1. Etymology. Zambezia darrelplowesi is named in honour of the late Darrel Charles Herbert Plowes. We are grateful to Darrel for sharing his unpublished information about Old Umtali and the present Mutare locations and their habitats, which unfortunately are now largely destroyed. (See Appendix 1 for full etymology). FIGURE 24 a . Potential habitat of Metarbelodes umtaliana : drier type of Brachystegia woodland below 1.500 m southeast from Mutare dominated by B. spiciformis Benth. (Caesalpiniaceae) and Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin (Caesalpiniaceae) . The FIGURE shows J. globiflora (Benth.) Troupin on the right and an area where a dry-season bush fire occurred on the lower slopes of the hill (centre of the picture). Photo by Rhett Butler (Harare), August 2015. b . Adjacent to Punda Milias Camp (Nakuru) and Soysambu Conservancy Limited occurs East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket sensu White (1983) at ca. 1.890 m. Shrubs seen are Scutia myrtina (Burm. f.) Kurz (Rhamnaceae) and Rhus natalensis with trees of Acacia xanthophloea Benth. Only one Metarbelidae species close to Mountelgonia lumbuaensis Lehmann, 2013 was recorded here in March 2016,, indicating a low diversity of Metarbelidae . Picture taken by Ingo Lehmann. c. Mount Meru (4.566 m) viewed from the southeast, February, 2015. This young volcano developed during the last 2 Ma and is dominated by dry forest types. The following nomenclature for these forest types follows Hemp (2006b) : In the foreground on both sides of the road disturbed is Submontane Croton-Calodendrum forest with scattered trees, e.g. Calodendrum capense (L.f.) Thunb. ( Rutaceae ), Croton macrostachys Hochst. (Euphorbiaceae) and small shrubs of Solanum incanum L. ( Solanaceae ) (left). Lower montane Cassipourea forest (at center) dominated by Cassipourea malosana (Baker) Alston (Rhizophoraceae) occurs between 1.600 –2.000 m. Upper montane Juniperus forest occurs from 2.000 m to ca. 2.700 m with Juniperus procera Hochst. (Cupressaceae) and Podocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) R. Br. (Podocarpaceae) . Photo by Dr. Andreas Hemp (Bayreuth, Germany). Mount Meru (4.566 m) viewed from the southeast in February, 2015. This young volcano developed during the last 2 Ma and is dominated by drier forest types. The following nomenclature for these forest types after Hemp (2006b) : In the foreground occurs on both sides of the road disturbed Submontane Croton-Calodendrum forest with scattered trees, e.g. Calodendrum capense (L.f.) Thunb. ( Rutaceae ), Croton macrostachys Hochst. (Euphorbiaceae) and small shrubs of Solanum incanum (left). Between 1.600 –2.000 m occurs Lower montane Cassipourea forest (centre of the picture) dominated by Cassipourea malosana (Baker) Alston (Rhizophoraceae) . Above 2.000 m occurs up to ca. 2.700 m Upper montane Juniperus forest with Juniperus procera and Podocarpus falcatus (Thunb.) R. Br. (Podocarpaceae) . Picture by Dr. Andreas Hemp (Bayreuth, Germany). d . Habitat of Lukeniana bergsteni on Mount Kilimanjaro (5.895 m) showing the densely populated but still biologically rich cultural zone on the southern slopes at ca. 1.500 m with typical Chagga home gardens or vihamba in the Chagga language ( Hemp 2006a ). The large tree at left (light green crown) and in front of the hut is Albizia schimperiana Oliv. ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) with smaller trees of the genus Musa L. ( Musaceae ) forming a short banana forest and Rauvolfia caffra Sond. (Apocynaceae) in the lower left. Although the cultural zone (below 1.700 m) is densely populated, it maintains a high natural tree cover with almost 50% belonging to indigenous semi-deciduous species of Albizia Durazz ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae); see the background. Photo by Dr. Andreas Hemp (Bayreuth), November 2010. e. A rare historical picture of the habitat of Zambezia madambae taken near Kasane by the F.A.O. wildlife ecologist Dr. Wolfgang von Richter (Gaborone, Botswana) in August 1967. It shows that once a narrow Riparian forest existed adjacent to the Chobe River dominated by Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC. (Myrtaceae) , Trichilia emetica Vahl (Meliaceae) and Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst. (Ebenaceae) , with a well-developed shrub layer ( Child 1968 ; Sommerlatte 1976 ); but the forest completely disappeared after 1998 ( Mosugelo et al. 2002 ; Malte Sommerlatte pers. com. to I.L. in 2016). f. An historical picture of the habitat of Zambezia madambae taken near Kasane by the F.A.O. wildlife ecologist Dr. Wolfgang von Richter (Gaborone, Botswana) in July 1967. It shows that landwards from the Riparian forest along the Chobe River once occurred dense Riparian woodland with a well-developed shrub layer. It was mainly an Acacia Association comprising once, e.g. Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) (in the right centre of the picture the tree with an umbrella-like crown) and Lonchocarpus capassa Rolfe ( Fabaceae : Papilionaceae ) (the tree to the left of A. tortilis ). Today, only small patches of degraded “Riparian woodland” remain due to movements and browsing of the African savanna elephant, Loxodonta africana ( Blumenbach, 1797 ) (Malte Sommerlatte pers. com. to I.L. in 2016). FIGURE 25 a. Habitat of Zambezia durrellbarnesi : The Witchwood Valley southeast of Leopard Rock (the high hill on the right). The picture shows drier mixed submontane forest dominated by woody leguminous trees such as Albizia gummifera (J.F. Gmel.) C.A. Sm. and Albizia schimperiana Oliv. ( Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) (the light grey trees with rather flat crowns in the centre of the foreground). The row of hills in the background are part of the Bvumba Mountains and are located south of Mutare. The picture was taken in April 2006 by Jürgen Lenz (Harare). b. Habitat of Zambezia darrelplowesi : A patch of vegetation older than 40 years at the Kopje House in Mutare still occurs on the steeper rocky area (schist) with Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin (Caesalpiniaceae) in the foreground (right) and a large Ficus sycomorus L. ( Moraceae ) mixed with smaller Combretum molle R.Br. (Combretaceae) , Ziziphus mucronata Willd. (Rhamnaceae) and Carissa bispinosa (L.) Desf. ( Apocynaceae ) in the background. Photo by the late Darrel Plowes (Mutare), November 2015. Taxonomic checklist of Metarbelodes genus-group Genus Metarbelodes Strand, 1909 umtaliana ( Aurivillius, 1901 )