Amerila leucoptera (Hampson) 
03 leucoptera m.JPG (7896 Byte) 04 leucoptera w.JPG (5835 Byte) leucoptera m 94-0039.GIF (9196 Byte) leucoptera f 94-0043.GIF (8230 Byte)
male female male female
Description
Male. Fw length 21-25 mm; fw pale to dark brown, the discal cell and the postdiscal area between the radius and vein m2 transparent; the discal vein finely lined with dark scales; hw anteriorly of vein m3 dark brown, the posterior part pale yellowish brown, towards the inner angle dorsally with long, hair-like scales; hw shape concave along the outer margin towards the anal angle. Head, thorax, outer sides of femora and hind tibiae pale greyish brown; outer sides of fore and mid tibiae dark brown, inner sides of legs and tarsi red; tegulae with a single black conspicuous basal spot. Abdomen dorsally pale pink, the last one or two segments red, ventrally pale brown, without obvious androconial organs.
Female. Fw length 25-27 mm; wings, body, and base of abdomen white; wings weakly scaled, but veins not dark; hw shape as in male. Abdomen dorsally red, ventrally white.
Male genitalia
Male genitalia. Uncus small, triangular, and distally pointed. Valvae short and broad, almost square-shaped, distally not rounded; outer surface with a long extrusible, tube-like corema; inner sclerotized process curved, with 3-5 large spines along the outer side. Vesica basally with two large, parallel, slightly curved cornuti, and distally with an area of numerous parallel, small to medium-size, mostly straight cornuti.
Female genitalia. Bursa copulatrix with three rows of spinose signa and a plate-like sclerotization, without any appendix.
Distribution
West, Central, and East Africa; from southern Senegal to Uganda, western Tanzania, and Zambia.
Comments
The striking sexual dimorphism in this species has caused considerable taxonomic confusion in the past. Previously, both in the literature and in collections, female of A. leucoptera were generally incorrectly associated with males of other white-coloured species with a red abdomen, in particular with A. niveivitrea (see below), whereas A. pannosa has hitherto been always treated as a quite different species (Gaede, 1926; Goodger & Watson, 1995). It was only through breeding experiments in the laboratory (Boppré, unpubl.) that the conspecifity of the sexes could be demonstrated. In this respect A. leucoptera is similar to A. phaedra (see below), which is confined to Eastern Africa. As the first rearings had been conducted with the latter species, Boppré (1981b) first synonymized A. leucoptera erroneously with A. phaedra.
Material
Rhodogastria leucoptera Hampson, 1901: 506. Holotype female (examined): S.Leone, 94-214 / Rhodogastria leucoptera., type female. Hmpsn. / Type / Arctiidae female Genitalia Slide VU no. 831 / Arctiidae genitalia slide No. 3048 [BMNH; abdomen dissected]. Type locality: SIERRA LEONE.
Rhodogastria pannosa Grünberg, 1908: 62. Holotype male (examined): Uganda, Grauer S.V. / Rhogastria n. sp. / Rhodogastria pannosa Grünberg, 1908 Sitz.ber.naturf.Gs. Berlin, p.62., t.3, f.4. / 2113a / 77234 / Holotypus, Rhodogastria pannosa Grünberg, 1908, det. Chr.Häuser [MNHU]. Type locality: UGANDA. Syn.n.
Rhodogastria sarconota Hampson, 1911: 411. Synonymized with Rhodogastria pannosa by Hampson (1920: 518). Holotype male (examined): S.Nigeria., Aro, 1.iii.1910, C.M. Gray, 1910-257. / Rhodogastria sarconota., type male. Hmpsn. / Type / Arctiidae genitalia slide No. 4393 [BMNH; abdomen dissected]. Type locality: NIGERIA: Aro.
Additional material examined. SENEGAL: Casamance: Sédhiou, 4.i.1917 (1 male, BMNH); Mfak, 11 km S Ziguinchor, 8.xi.1977 (1 female, DSLU). SIERRA LEONE: (1 female, BMNH); Free Town, 4.ix.1899 (1 female, BMNH); Makeni, 27.-28.xi.1993 (3 females, DSLU). Côte d'Ivoire: Tai Nationalpark, 12.xi.1983 (1 female, ZSSM); Mankono, Marahoue Ranch, 330-400 m, 18.v.-26.vi.1986 (81 males, 14 females, RS, SMNS, ZFMK); 20 km E Bouaflé, Titekro, 25.i.1984 (1 male, ITZA). GHANA: Ashanti: Kumasi-Kwadaso, 300 m, iv.1970 (4 females, ZSSM), Kwadoso, 26.iv.-12.v.1995 (1 male, 4 females, MB); Eastern: Abetifi, 24.-31.viii.1993 (1 female, LK). BENIN: Zou, Bohicon, Lama-Forest, 14.-21.xi.1991 (8 males, 9 females, MB). NIGERIA: Oyo: Ibadan, i.-vi.1954 (2 males, ZMUC); Federal Capital Territory: Abuja, ix.1981 (2 females, ZFMK); Kaduna: Kaduna, 1.-27.vii.1970 (2 males, 6 females, ZSSM), 7.-24.ix.1970 (3 males, 3 females, ZSSM), 21.v.1971 (1 female, ZSSM), 12.-28.vii.1971 (2 males, ZSSM); Cross River: Calabar, i.1975 (1 female, ZFMK). CAMEROON: Camaroon (1 female, MNHU); Nord: Adamaoua, ca. 20 km S Minim, 6.49 N, 12.50 E, 1200 m, 12.xi.-12.xii.1979 (1 male, BGSS). ZAIRE: Leopoldville [= Kinshasa], 20.v.1949 (1 male, MRAC), 19.vii.1955 (1 male, MRAC), 12.xii.1955 (1 male, MRAC); Kasai Oriental: Lusambo, x.1950 (1 male, MRAC); Haut-Zaire: Ituri, Nioka, vi.-x.1976 (1 male, SMNS). UGANDA: Entebbe, Zika Forest, ii.-iv.1961 (1 male, NMBZ). TANZANIA: Kigoma: 5 km N Basanza, 1180 m, 5.i.1990 (1 male, BJ); Mpanda: Mpanda road, 37 km S Uvinza, 1550 m, 18.viii.1989 (1 male, BJ). ZAMBIA: N.Mwinilunga, Sakeji River, Ikelenge, 11.iv.1972 (2 males, NMBZ), 6.v.1972 (1 male, NMBZ).