Received: 30 March 2017
Accepted: 07 May 2017
Abstract: The article gives a new indication on the species of the genus rare for the territory of Africa, Meharia Chrétien, 1915. Mehariaganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015 is indicated for the first time for the fauna of Zimbabwe, which significantly extends the habitat of the genus to the South.
Keywords: Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Meharia, new indication, Zimbabwe.
Resumen: El artículo da una nueva indicación sobre la especie para el territorio de África, del raro género Meharia Chrétien, 1915. Mehariaganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015 es indicado por primera vez para la fauna de Zimbabue, extendiendo significativamente, el hábitat del género hacia el sur.
Palabras clave: Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Meharia, nueva indicación, Zimbabue.
Introduction
The genus Meharia Chretien, 1915 (type species Meharia incurvariella Chretien, 1915) is a type genus for the monotypic subfamily Mehariinae Yakovlev, 2011. The genus Meharia consists of 15 species (YAKOVLEV & SALDAITIS, 2008; YAKOVLEV, 2011, 2014; BORTH et al., 2010; SALDAITIS & IVINSKIS, 2010; YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2015): M. acuta Wiltshire, 1982 (distributed in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman); M. avicenna Yakovlev, 2011 (distr. in Southern Iran); M. fischeri Yakovlev & Saldaitis, 2008 (distr. in Morocco); M. breithaupti Yakovlev, 2014 (distr. in UAE); M. ganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015 (distr. in Zambia); M. hackeri Saldaitis, Ivinskis & Yakovlev, 2011 (distr. on Socotra Island, Yemen); M. incurvariella Chrétien, 1915 (distr. in Algeria and Morocco); M. murphyi Yakovlev & Saldaitis, 2013 (distr. in Malawi); M. ostrauskasi Ivinskis & Saldaitis, 2013 (distr. in Kenya); M. philbyi Bradley, 1952 (distr. across the Arabian peninsula in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman); .. scythica D. Komarov & Zolotuhin, 2005 (distr. in the Southern Volga region, South- Western Russia: ); .. semilactea (Warren & Rothschild, 1905) (distr. in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Yemen, the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Northern Sudan, Morocco and Mauritania); M. tancrediiSutton, 1963 (distr. in Northern Iran); M. tanganyikaeBradley, 1952 (distr. in Tanzania); .. yakovlevi Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2010 (distr. on Socotra Island, Yemen).
The specimens of the genus are distributed from the South Volga (KOMAROV & ZOLOTUHIN, 2005) throughout Arabia and Sahara up to Malawi and Zambia (YAKOVLEV et al., 2013; YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2015). During the examination of materials on Cossidae deposited in Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa (formerly Transvaal Museum), we have discovered a male of M. ganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015, collected on the territory of Zimbabwe. This founding significantly enlarges the areal of the genus Meharia to the South.
Results and discussion
Meharia ganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015 (Figs 1-2)
Type locality: Zambia, Luangwa Valley.
Type material (holotype) in Museum Witt (Munich).
Material: 1 1, Wankie [Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, 18º 21’ 53”S 26º 30’ 00”E], S. Rhodesia [Zimbabwe].
Distribution: Southern Zambia, NE Zimbabwe.
Notes: The specimen is provided with an identifying label written by hand of J. D. Bradley “Mehariasp. nov.”. The initial data on the Cossidae fauna of Zimbabwe were published here (YAKOVLEV & LENZ, 2013). Thus, 16 Cossid species of 10 genera are currently known from the territory of Zimbabwe.
Figures 1-2.– 1.
Meharia ganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015, male, Wankie, S. Rhodesia (Ditsong NationalMuseum of Natural History). 2. Distributional map of Meharia ganslmeieri Yakovlev & Witt, 2015.
Referencias
BORTH, R., IVINSKIS, P., SALDAITIS, A. & YAKOVLEV, R. (2011). Cossidae of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen).– ZooKeys, 122: 45-69.
CHRÉTIEN, P. (1915). Contribution a la connaissance des Lépidoptères du Nord de l’Afrique.– Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 84: 290-374.
KOMAROV, D. & ZOLOTUHIN, V. (2005). A new species of Meharia Chrétien, 1915 (Cossidae) from the Lower Volga Region.– Nota lepidopterologica,28(1): 49-54.
SALDAITIS, A. & IVINSKIS, P. (2010). Meharia yakovlevi, a new species (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from Yemen.– Esperiana,15: 379-382.
YAKOVLEV, R. (2011). Catalogue of the Family Cossidae of the Old World.– Neue Entomologische Nachrichten, 66: 1-129.
YAKOVLEV, R. V., (2014). A new species of Meharia Chretien, 1915 (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from the United Arab Emirates, with a world catalogue of the genus.– Zootaxa, 3895(3): 401-410.
YAKOVLEV, R., IVINSKIS, P., RIMSAITE, J. & SALDAITIS, A. (2013). Description of two new species of Meharia Chrétien, 1915 (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) from East Africa.– Zootaxa, 3635(5): 587-590.
YAKOVLEV, R. & LENZ J. (2013). On the Fauna of Cossidae (Lepidoptera) of Zimbabwe with description of a new species.– Zootaxa, 3718(4): 387-397.
YAKOVLEV, R. V. & SALDAITIS, A. (2008). New species of Palaearctic and Oriental Cossidae (Lepidoptera) III. New species of genus Meharia Chrétien, 1915 from Morocco.– Eversmannia, 15-16: 49-52. (in Russian)
YAKOVLEV, R. V. & WITT, TH. (2015). Meharia ganslmeieri sp. nov.– a new Cossidae species from Zambia (Lepidoptera).– Zootaxa, 4032(3): 319-321.
