Afroracotis (Afroracotis) albitrigonis László & Hausmann & Karisch 2023, comb. n.

Afroracotis (Afroracotis) albitrigonis (Prout, 1927) comb. n.

(Figs 38–40, 149–150, 231, 305)

Cleora albitrigonis Prout, 1927, Transactions of entomological Society of London 75 (1): 195. Syntypes 4 males (NHMUK). Type locality: São Tomé.

Type material examined

Syntype, male, red ring label “Type” / “18. 26. Sao Thome, 10.I.–24.I.26. Edge of virgin forest. T.A. Barns ” / [with handwritten] “ Cleora albitrigonis Prout type”, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK 010598636, gen. slide No.: Geometridae 4945 (NHMUK).

Additional material examined

São Tomé. 2 males, 11 females, Antenna, Bom Successo, 1303m, 0°16’33.7”N, 6°36’19.7”E, 20–21, 28–29.x.2016, MV Light Trap, Turner, C.R. & Tasane, T. leg., ANHRT:2017.21, gen. slide Nos: LG 4800 (male), LG 4446 (female), DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: ANHRTUK00074372/ANLMN3662-21; 1 male, Ponta Figo, 635m, 0°17’12.7”N, 6°34’14.5”E, 27.x.2016, MV Light Trap, Turner, C.R. & Tasane, T. leg., ANHRT:2017.21; 1 male, Antenna, Bom Successo (plantation-dry scrub forest), 1321m, 0°16’31”N, 6°36’14”E, 22–25.i.2018, Actinic Light Trap, Aristophanous, M., Lima, D., Miles, W. & Turner, C.R. leg., ANHRT:2018.1, DNA barcode/BOLD process id.: ANHRTUK00034522/ANLMN3661-21 (ANHRT).

Remark. In the original description, Prout (1927) assigned the species to the genus Cleora Curtis and this generic combination was followed by Scoble (1999). Despite the rather unique external habitus, the species has genital morphology typical for Afroracotis, hence it is transferred here to this genus: Afroracotis albitrigonis comb. n.

Diagnosis. Forewing length 19.5–21 mm. Afroracotis albitrigonis is the smallest member of the A. angulosa species-group and easily distingushed from its congeners by the distinctive dark grey colouration lacking the mossy tinge typical of the other species of the A. angulosa group. The males have whitish patches sparsely scattered throughout the wings, whereas in females, the wing pattern consists of paler and darker grey elements. The clasping apparatus of A. albitrigonis is very similar to that of the other species of the species-group, the only noticeable difference being found in the configuration of the uncus which has a shallow and narrow medial incision with very short apical processes. The configuration of the vesica is most similar to that of A. fiebigi, but the main vesica chamber is narrower, lacking cornuti field and the similarly large (in proportion to the vesica length), beak-shaped distal cornutus is gently curved medially, while it is straight in A. fiebigi. In the female genitalia, the ovipositor and the antrum of A. albitrigonis display the same ground plan as in the other taxa of the group, but its ductus bursae is the shortest, the cervix bursae is the narrowest and most elongate (in proportion to the corpus bursae) and the sphaerical corpus bursae is the smallest in the A. angulosa species-group.

Genetic information. The species belongs to the BIN URI: BOLD:AEI1436. The two sequenced specimens do not show any intraspecific genetic divergence. The nearest neighbours of A. albitrigonis are A. angulosa and A. violetteae differing by 3.11–3.41% and 3.12–3.53%, respectively. The pairwise distances between A. albitrigonis and A. fiebigi and A. stadiei are in the range of 4.41–4.73% and 4.15–4.41%, respectively.

Distribution (Map 2). Afroracotis albitrigonis is a species endemic to São Tomé.