Meganola furvitincta subsp. poliographa Hacker 2012, stat. rev.

Meganola furvitincta poliographa Hacker, 2012 stat. rev., stat. n. (Figs 52–55, 118–119, 155) Meganola poliographa Hacker, 2012, Esperiana 17: 334. TL: Uganda, Bushenyi District, Kalinzu Forest. Holotype, male, in coll. NHMO. Synonymy. Meganola mbala Hacker, 2014, Esperiana 19: 165. TL: Zambia, Mbala. Holotype, male, in coll. NHMUK. Material examined (all in coll. ANHRT). Malawi. 2 males, Mzuzu Wildlife Sanctuary, (Afromontane forest), 1294m, 11°27'30.2"S, 34°03'11.3"E, 22–27.vi.2022, LepiLED and MV light trap, leg. Kirk-Spriggs, A., Miles, W., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 1788, LGNA 1902. Uganda. 2 females, Bwindi Impenetrable N.P., Cuckooland Lodge, 1700m, 01°00'17"S, 29°43'06"E, 28–29.vi.2022, leg. Naumann, S., Ott, E., Schintlmeister, A., Sulak, H., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 1717, LGNA 1720. Zambia. 2 females, Zambezi Rapids, (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1205m, S11°7'30", E24°11'6", 4–9.xi.2018, MV light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 758, LGNA 1009; 1 male, Kalene Hill (Miombo woodland), 1440m, S11°11'11", E24°12'5", 6.xi.2018, actinic light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D., gen. slide No.: LGNA 744; 3 males, Hillwood, Ikelenge (Miombo/Riverine forest mosaic), 1400m, S11°16'02", E24°18'59', 23–30.xi.2019, actinic and MV light trap, leg. Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R.; 1 male, same site, 28.v–4.vi.2020, leg. Chizuwa, D., Choongo, W.; 2 males, Nyangombe Falls (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1300m, 11°48'25"S, 24°32'12"E, 17–23.xi.2019, actinic and MV light trap, leg. Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R.; 1 male, Chitunta Plain (Miombo / Dambo mosaic), 1396m, 11°29'12"S, 24°24'18"E, 29.xi–4.xii.2019, actinic light trap, leg. Bashford, M., Miles, W., Mulvaney, L.; 1 female, Jiwundu Swamp (Miombo / Riverine forest mosaic), 1340m, S11°51'54", E25°33'20", 29.x–4.xi.2018, MV light trap, leg. Aristophanous, M., Dérozier, V., László, G., Oram, D.; 1 male, Lyangu, Liuwa Plain NP, 1035 m, 14°46'51"S, 22°34'44", 12–15.xi.2013, light trap, leg. Smith, Takano & Oram, gen. slide No.: LGNA 22; 1 male, Lunzua Falls, 20 km S of Mpulungu, Northern Province, 1416m, 08°55'38"S, 31°09'31"E, 11–16.v.2019, MV light trap, Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W.; 1 female, Kundalila Falls, 12 km SE of Kanona, Central Province, 1500m, 13°09'17"S, 30°42'07"E, 26–27.iv.2019, actinic light trap, Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W., gen. slide No.: LGNA 1011; 1 male, Kapishya Hot Springs, Shiwa N'gandu Estate, 1437m, S11°10'13", E31°36'00", i–iii.2017, M.T. Harvey coll., leg. Oram, D., Miles, W., Smith, L., gen. slide No.: LGNA 743; 1 female, Chilambwe Falls, Kafubu River, 1420m, 09°50'13"S, 30°43'35"E, 8–12.ii.2019, MV light trap, leg. Dérozier, V., Mulvaney, L., Smith, R., Takano, H., gen. slide No.: LGNA 934; 1 female, Mutinondo Wilderness Area, Mpika, Northern Prov., 1460m, 12°27'06"S, 31°17'30"E, 16–20.iii.2017, MV, leg. Oram, D., Miles, W., Smith, L.; 9 males, 1 female, Choma, Bruce-Miller Farm Nansai (Southern Miombo woodland), 1179m, 16°38'32"S, 27°01'47"E, 25.iv–1.v.2022, MV light trap, leg. Miles, W., Mulvaney, L.; 1 male, 2 females, Danger Hill, 30 km N of Mpika, Muchinga Province, 1684m, 11°37'38"S, 31°33'56"E, 27–30.iv.2019, actinic and MV light trap, Dérozier, V., László, G., Miles, W., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 1010 (male), LGNA 1034 (female); 7 males, 3 females, same site, 13–15.xii.2023, leg. László, G., Morgan, L., Volynkin, A., gen. slide Nos: LGNA 1972 (male), LGNA 1707, LGNA 1970, LGNA 1971 (female). Genetic information. This species has been assigned the BIN URI: BOLD AAP3225; BIN-sharing with M. furvitincta furvitincta, M. spherographata sp. n. and M. aarviki. The intraspecific divergence of M. furvitincta poliographa (n=5) ranges from 0.00% to 1.52%. It diverges from M. furvitincta furvitincta, M. spherographata sp. n. and M. aarviki by 0.11–1.24%, 0.00–2.51% and 2.17%, respectively. Additionally, M. furvitincta poliographa shows a divergence from M. trigonographa and M. fontainei of 2.35–3.15% and 2.82–3.53%, respectively. Taxonomic notes. László (2020) synonymised this taxon with M. furvitincta. However, an examination of several specimens resembling M. furvitincta from southern-central Africa revealed subtle but consistent differences in external and genital morphology between the two species. Externally, M. poliographa has much darker and more contrasting forewing markings than M. furvitincta. In the male genitalia, the former taxon has a slightly curved and ca. 20–30% shorter flap-like laminar projection of the carina than that of M. furvitincta; in addition, the dorsal margin of the distal section of the aedeagus is smooth in M. furvitincta poliographa, whilst it is slightly serrated in the nominotypical taxon. Based on these diagnostic morphological characters, the name poliographa has been reinstated as a subspecies to represent the southern-central African populations of M. furvitincta: M. furvitincta poliographa stat. rev., stat. n. Distribution. Meganola furvitincta poliographa is a southern-central African taxon expanding northward along the Rift valley, up to Uganda (type locality). The subspecies has further confirmed records from Zambia (as M. mbala (Hacker et al. 2014)) and Malawi (present study).