Abstract: The present paper provides the first data on Cossidae of Gabon (seven species) based on the materials of the collection of the African Natural History Research Trust (Leominster), Royal Museum of Central Africa (Tervuren), and Museum Witt (Munich). Four species (Macrocossus toluminus (Druce, 1887), Tarsozeuzera livingstoni Yakovlev, 2006, Aethalopteryx squameus (Distant, 1902), and Strigocossus crassa (Drury, 1782)) are recorded for the first time in the fauna of Gabon.
Keywords:LepidopteraLepidoptera, Cossidae Cossidae, new records new records, Gabon Gabon.
Resumen: El trabajo actual, proporciona los primeros datos sobre Cossidae de Gabón (siete especies) basado sobre el material de la colección del African Natural History Research Trust (Leominster), Royal Museum of Central Africa (Tervuren) y del Museum Witt (Munich). Se registran cuatro especies por primera vez para la fauna de Gabón (Macrocossus toluminus (Druce, 1887), Tarsozeuzera livingstoni Yakovlev, 2006, Aethalopteryx squameus (Distant, 1902) y Strigocossus crassa (Drury, 1782).
Palabras clave: Lepidoptera, Cossidae, nuevos registros, Gabón.
First records of Cossidae from Gabon (West Africa) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)
Primeros registros de Cossidae de Gabón (Oeste de África) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)
Received: 11/02/2019
Accepted: 03/03/2019
Published: 30/06/2019
Our knowledge on the Carpenter moths (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) fauna of West Africa is rather incomplete. Extensive faunistic research regarding the entire Afrotropical Region has only been conducted in a few countries: Zimbabwe (YAKOVLEV & LENZ, 2013), Malawi (YAKOVLEV & MURPHY, 2013), Zambia (YAKOVLEV, 2014), and Swaziland (YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2016a). MEY (2015, 2016, 2017) provided a detailed overview of the Southern African (including Namibian) Cossidae.
The Cossidae (as well as other Heterocera) fauna of Gabon is poorly known, single references on the distribution of the family representatives in this country are given in a few articles only (YAKOVLEV, 2011; YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2018a, b).
During the course of studying Afrotropical Cossidae, several materials collected in Gabon, have been located in the collections of the African Natural History Research Trust (Leominster), Royal Museum of Central Africa (Tervuren), and Museum Witt (Munich). This article presents the first check list of Cossidae recorded from Gabon to date.
ANHRT - African Natural History Research Trust, Leominster, UK
DMP - Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (formerly Transvaal Museum), Pretoria, South Africa
MNHN - Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
MWM - Museum Witt, Munich, Germany
NHMUK - (formerly BMNH) - The Natural History Museum (formerly British Museum of Natural History), London, UK
RMCA - Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
Images of adults were taken by the digital camera of Apple iPhone 7, illuminated in lightbox.
Macrocossus toluminus (Druce, 1887) (Fig. 1)
Cossus toluminusDruce, 1887: 684-685
Type locality: Gambia
Type material: Holotype in NHMUK, examined.
Material examined: 1 ♂, Gabon, Ogooue Ivindo PN, Ivindo Station de Recherche d’Ipassa, 450 m, 14-26-VI-2016, N0º 30’ 43” / E 12º 48’ 12”, Ruzzier, E., Tasane, T. leg., ANHRT: 2017.19 (coll. ANHRT).
Distribution: From Ivory Coast to Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, S. Africa (GRÜNDBERG, 1910; SCHOORL, 1990; VÁRI et al., 2002). New record for Gabon.
Tarsozeuzera livingstoni Yakovlev, 2006 (Fig. 2)
Tarsozeuzera livingstoniYakovlev, 2006: 211
Type locality: Rep. Pop. Congo, Dimonica
Type material: Holotype in MNHN, examined.
Material examined: 1 ♂, Gabon, Ogooue Ivindo PN, Ivindo Station de Recherche d’Ipassa, 450 m, 14-26-VI-2016, N0º 30’ 43” / E 12º 48’ 12”, Ruzzier, E., Tasane, T. leg., ANHRT: 2017.19 (coll. ANHRT).
Distribution: Congo, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe (YAKOVLEV, 2011; YAKOVLEV & MURPHY, 2013; YAKOVLEV, SOKOLOVA & WITT, 2018). New record for Gabon.
Pseudozeuzera biatra (Hampson, 1910) (Fig. 3)
Duomitus biatraHampson, 1910: 131-132
Type locality: S. Nigeria, Old Calabar [Calabar city]
Type material: Holotype in NHMUK, examined.
Material examined: 1 ♂, Gabon, Monila, 30-II-1964, Rec. V. Allard (coll. RMCA).
Distribution: Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Togo, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon (SCHOORL, 1990; YAKOVLEV, 2011; YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2018a).
Aethalopteryx squameus (Distant, 1902) (Fig. 4)
Duomitus squameusDistant, 1902: 213
Type locality: Transvaal, Pretoria (S. Africa)
Type material: Cotypes in coll. NHMUK and DMP, examined.
Material examined: 1 ♂, Gabon, Ogooue Ivindo PN, Ivindo Station de Recherche d’Ipassa, 450 m, 14-26-VI-2016, N0º 30’ 43” / E 12º 48’ 12”, Ruzzier, E., Tasane, T. leg., ANHRT: 2017.19 (coll. ANHRT).
Distribution: South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, Angola, Tanzania, CAR (PINHEY, 1979; VÁRI et al., 2002). New record for Gabon.
Strigocossus moderata (Walker, 1856) (Fig. 5)
Zeuzera moderataWalker, 1856: 1533
Strigocossus vosseleri; Yakovlev, 2011: 83
Strigocossus moderata; Yakovlev & Murphy, 2013: 381
Type locality: Sierra Leone
Type material: Holotype in NHMUK, examined.
Material examined: 5 ♂♂, Gabon, Monts Cristal, 5-X-1991, leg. Dr. Politzar (coll. MWM).
Distribution: South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroun, Gabon etc. (PINHEY, 1979; VÁRI et al., 2002; YAKOVLEV, 2011; YAKOVLEV & MURPHY, 2013).
Strigocossus crassa (Drury, 1782) (Fig. 6)
Phalaena (Noctua) crassaDrury, 1782: Pl. 2: fig. 1
Type locality: Sierra Leon [Sierra Leone]
Type material: It is lost.
Material examined: 2 ♂♂, Gabon, Andok foula, 0º 25’ 51”N / 10º 7’ 43”E, 19-22-V-2011, 72 m, leg. Viktor Siniaev & Yury Bezverkhov (MWM); 4 ♂♂, Gabon, Monts de Cristal, SONG, 0º 31’ 59”N / 10º 12’ 55”E, 25-V-2011, 139 m, leg. Viktor Siniaev & Yury Bezverkhov; 3 ♂♂, Baraka, 3 km NE No-Ayong Village, 0º 38’ 24” / 9º 41’ 37”E, 1-3-VI-2011, 35 m, leg. Viktor Siniaev & Yury Bezverkhov (coll. MWM).
Distribution: From Central to Southern Africa. New record for Gabon.
Eburgemellus geminatus (Gaede, 1930) (Fig. 7)
Xyleutes geminatusGaede, 1930: 546, Taf. 80c
Eburgemellus geminatus; Yakovlev & Witt, 2018: 4
Type locality: Kriby, S. Cam. [Kribi, SW Cameroon]
Type material: Holotype in NHMUK, examined.
Material examined: 2 ♂♂, Gabon, Baraka, 3 km NE No-Ayong village, 0º 36’ 24” N / 9º 41’ 37”E, 1-3-VI-2011, leg. Viktor Siniaev & Yury Bezverkhov (coll. MWM).
Distribution: Cameroon, Cot d’Ivoire, Congo, Gabon (YAKOVLEV & WITT, 2018b).

The first author is indebted to Mr. Geoff Martin and Mr. Alessandro Giusti (London) for their kind assistance provided during studying the type material of the Natural History Museum; moreover, to Mr. Richard Smith (Leominster), Dr. Joel Minet (Paris), Dr. Didier Van den Spiegel and Mrs. Alice Buset (Tervuren), Dr. Martin Krüger (Pretoria) for providing opportunity of studying the collection of their institution.
*Autor para la correspondencia / Corresponding author. E-mail: yakovlev_asu@mail.ru
