The African members of the Platyja genus group, with description of a new species and comments on other taxa currently attributed to Megacephalomana (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Abstract

Following a review of the Afrotropical species of the Platyja genus group, the following generic synonymies are established: Platyja Hübner, [1823] = Facidia Walker, 1865 syn. n., = Megacephalomana Strand, 1943 syn. n., and at the same time Facidia (= Megacephalomana) is placed as a subgenus (stat. n., limitedly to such rank by application of ICZN Code art. 61.3.1). The assemblage is found to consist of at least eight species, one of which described herein, namely Platyja (Facidia) vacillans (Walker, 1858) comb. n. (= Facidia sassana Strand, 1918 syn. rev.), P. (F.) saalmuelleri (Viette, 1965) comb. n., P. (F.) semifimbria (Walker, [1858]), P. (F.) rivulosum (Saalmüller, 1880) comb. n., P. (F.) ennomoides sp. n., P. (F.) stygium (Saalmüller, 1881) comb. n., Platyja (“Facidia”) luteilinea (Hampson, 1926) comb. n., and Platyja (“Facidia”) remaudi (Laporte, 1972) comb. n., with the last two taxa tentatively retained in Facidia due to some extraordinary features of the wing venation and pattern, respectively, that will require refinement of the topology of their phylogenetic relationships with core Facidia. As regards luteilinea, whose hitherto unknown female is also described, an unorthodox and sexually dimorphic branching pattern of the veins from the lower part of the forewing cell has been found, while remaudi shows a reversal of the proximo-distal sequence of the antemedial line and orbicular stigma of the forewing. Other taxa currently attributed to Megacephalomana, namely divisa Walker, 1865, pilosum Pagenstecher, 1888 and laportei Berio, 1974, are briefly discussed, the first two being of uncertain identity, their names being therefore registered as “nomina dubia”, the last one of doubtful position in the Platyja assemblage and therefore provisionally positioned here [provisional comb. n.], albeit as “incertae sedis”. A specimen referable to but not fully matching vacillans is illustrated and briefly commented upon. Last but not least, phenotypic variation within vacillans, showing two male morphs in W Africa, is discussed.