Meganola monofascia (van Son, 1933)

(Figs 16–18, 63–65, 107)

Nola major var. monofascia van Son, 1933, Annals of the Transvaal Museum 15: 214. Type locality: [RSA] Transvaal, Pietersburg. Holotype, ♂ (TMSA).

= Meganola septima Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 375, syn. n.

= Meganola octava Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 377, syn. n.

= Meganola heteromorpha Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 383, syn. n.

= Meganola dissoluta Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 384, syn. n.

= Meganola brachyvalva Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17:385, syn. n.

= Meganola pseudofuscata Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 468, syn. n.

Material examined. Ivory Coast. 1 ♂, 1171 m, Mt Tonkoui Peak, N07°27’15”, W07°38’13”, 12–18.VII.2015, Light Trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Moretto, P. & Ruzzier, E., ANHRT:2017.14, slide No.: LGNA 26 ♂; 3 ♂, same site, but collected at 1–8.XI.2015, ANHRT:2017.16, slide Nos: LGNA 237 ♂, LGNA 245 ♂, LGNA 246 ♂. Liberia. 1 ♂, 1327m, Nimba county, ENNR, Nimba Mts, main ridge (montane forest), 7°31’1.3”N, 8°31’1.0”W, 9.xii.2017, Light Trap (blended bulb 250W), Aristophanous, M., Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G., Smith, L. leg., ANHRT:2017.33, slide No.: LGNA 583 ♂. Cameroon. 2 ♂, 1246m, Adamawa Region, Adamawa Plateau, 7.3km West of Bazanga, Chute de Tello, 07°13’50.6”N, 13°56’29.2”E, 24–30.ix.2018, MV Light Trap, Sáfián, Sz., Simonics, G. leg., ANHRT:2018.36, slide Nos: LGNA 568 ♂, LGNA 570 ♂. Sierra Leone. 1 ♂, 80m, Kalainkay nr. Kamabai, Northern Prov., 3–6.XI.2015, N09°10’52”, W11°56’44”, Light Trap, R. Goff coll., leg. Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT:2018.20, slide No.: LGNA 289 ♂; 1 ♂, 420m, Mansonia village at the foothills of Loma Mts, N09°07’47”, W11°05’06”, 6.vi.2016, Light Trap, leg. Takano, Miles & Goff, ANHRT:2017.18, slide No.: LGNA 471 ♂. Zambia. 1 ♂, 1400m, Hillwood, Ikelenge, S11°16’02”, E24°18’59’, 30.IV.–11. V.2014, Light Trap, leg. Smith, R., Takano, H., Chmurova, L. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2017.11, slide No.: LGNA 103 ♂; 1 ♂, same locality, but collected at 25–27.xi.2014 by Smith, R. & Takano, H., ANHRT:2017.12, slide No.: LGNA 393 ♂. Mozambique. 1 ♂, Maputo Special Reserve, 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., László, G., Miles, W. leg., ANHRT:2017.22, slide No.: LGNA 354♂; 2 ♂, same locality and collectors, but collected at 21–30.XII.2016, slide Nos: LGNA 517 ♂, LGNA 518 ♂; 1 ♂, same site, but collected at 21–22.II.2018, by László, G., Mulvaney, J. & Smith, L., ANHRT:2018.2, slide No.: LGNA 519 ♂; 1 ♂, Ponta Milibangalala, Dune Grassland, 26°26’58.6”S, 32°55’29.8”E, 25–30. V.2017, MV Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., László, G., Miles, W., Vetina, A. leg., ANHRT:2017.26 (ANHRT).

Remark. The externally variable but internally (genital morphology) fairly constant and distinctive M. monofascia has been found to be surprisingly widely distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. As the validity of the numerous related species described by Hacker (Hacker et al. 2012) in the M. monofascia species-group is not supported by any firm distinctive morphological characters (cf. Hacker et al. 2012: 366, 375, 377, 383, 384, 385, 468), M. septima, octava, heteromorpha, dissoluta, brachyvalva and pseudofuscata are synonymized here with M. monofascia. The closest relative of M. monofascia is the Madagascan taxon M. praefica (Saalmüller, 1884). Meganola monofascia is hardly distinguishable externally from the Southern African M. bispermutata Hacker, 2012 despite the considerable differences in their male genitalia (László & Vetina 2019). It is also worth noting that the three specimens identified as M. furvitincta (Hampson, 1914) from Nigeria and Ivory Coast figured by Hacker et al. (2012: 380) belong in fact to M. monofascia.

Distribution. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, D.R. Congo, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, in addition, Ivory Coast (Hacker et al. 2012), Senegal (Hacker 2014) and Mozambique (László & Vetina 2019). The specimens from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon and Zambia represent new country records.