Amerila femina (Berio)

Description
Male. Fw length 31 mm; fw pale ochre-brown, the central area from base to the postdiscal region largely transparent; fw veins finely lined by brown scales, along the discal vein a broader border of pale brown scales; hw weakly scaled, pale pinkish ochre towards the apex, outer and anal margins. Head, thorax and base of abdomen dorsally pale brown; tegulae with a single black spot basally; outer sides of femora and tibiae dark brown, inner sides and tarsi pinkish red. Abdomen dorsally reddish, ventrally pale ochre, without obvious androconial organs.
Female. Unknown.

femina m 94-0037.JPG (6830 Byte)

Male genitalia
femina a.gif (3094 Byte) femina b.gif (8820 Byte) femina c.gif (3438 Byte) femina d.gif (7149 Byte)
view on leftside of vinculum and valva, lateral view inner side of right valva tegumen/uncus, dorsal view aedeagus with vesica everted
Uncus very short, broad and pointed. Valvae large, oval-shaped, distally with a distinct notch around the protruding inner sclerotized process, which is almost straight, smooth, and distally pointed. Vesica distally with two long, parallel, straight cornuti of unequal length fused at their base.
Distribution
Cameroon; only known from the area of Mt. Cameroon.
Comments
In the original description, the holotype is said to be a (Berio, 1935: 26). The single ¢ specimen present in the collection of MCSN, Genova, however, fits well the original description and has all corresponding labels, so the statement by Berio was presumably made erroneously.
The species is phenotypically similar to A. fennia, A. puella, A. roseomarginata, and A. vidua. Apart from its distinct ¢ genitalia, it is larger than the other species.
Material
Rhodogastria femina Berio, 1935: 26. Holotype male (examined): Buea, 800-1200 m, 21.Vi.902 / foemina, Berio / 20 / Rhod. fennia, det. Dr.a.Aurivillius / Typus / Präparat Nr. 93-87, Chr.Häuser [MCSN; abdomen dissected]. Type locality: CAMEROON: Buea.
Additional material examined. CAMEROON: Mt.Cam[eroon], 4.iv.1958 (1 male, ZMUC).