Afrocharltona katanga Bassi 2021, sp. n.

Afrocharltona katanga sp. n.

Figs 8, 13

Material examined

Holotype: Male;[DRC], H[au]t Katanga, Tshinkolobwe, 5.x. [19]30, J. Romieux [legit], GS 5970 GB, MHNG.

Etymology: The species is named after the Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the holotype was collected and is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: The forewing with pale yellow ground colour flushed with pink grey and the brown hindwing with yellow, pink and grey suffusion distinguish A. katanga from A. oblongissima. The male genitalia are similar to those of A. oblongissima but the valva and apex of the costal arm are shorter and the phallus has two cornuti in the vesica.

Description (Fig. 8): Wingspan 36 mm. Labial palpus 2.5 x eye diameter, chestnut brown, apically paler. Maxillary palpus basally chestnut brown, apically paler. Antenna thickened, brown with costa paler. Frons rounded, slightly produced, off-white. Vertex and patagia pale yellow. Tegulae and thorax pale yellow, sprinkled with brown. Forewing and hindwing as in Fig. 8. Forewing sprinkled with brown, more intensely basally; suboval brown dot after cell; fringes bright ivory yellow. Underside pale yellow, suffused with brown dorsally in hindwing. Abdomen pale yellow. Legs yellow; tibial spurs asymmetrical, first pair longer than apical pair.

Male genitalia. (Fig. 13). Uncus as long as gnathos, strongly bulged dorsally and with apex blunt and notched. Gnathos with pointed and slightly upcurved apex. Tegumen almost twice as long as uncus, narrow. Vinculum stout, subtriangular. Pseudosaccus narrow, concave. Juxta suboval, with subtriangular protrusions medioventrally. Valva extremely elongated, narrowing apically, with rounded cucullus; costal arm slightly longer than valva, strongly sclerotized, with apical pointed thorn. Phallus with bent phallobase: vesica with two light sclerotized cornuti and minute scobinations.

Female unknown.

Biology: Unknown.

Distribution: Presently known only from the Haut- Katanga province in the DRC.