Even hotter hotspot: description of seven new species of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae) from Mount Cameroon

Abstract

Mount Cameroon, SW Cameroon, has already been described as a unique hotspot of the many-plumed moth (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae), with their local diversity unrivalled in the entire Afrotropics. We confirm its importance with description of seven new species: Alucita bakweri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita jana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita bakingili Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita tatjana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita zuza Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita deja Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., and Alucita bokwango Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. These descriptions have raised the known local diversity of many-plumed moth species on Mount Cameroon to 22, i.e., over a quarter of the known Afrotropical biodiversity of this group. This study also emphasises the great conservation importance of the area.

Effects of disturbances by forest elephants on diversity of trees and insects in tropical rainforests on Mount Cameroon

“…in the Afrotropics. Belonging to the biodiversity hotspot, Mount Cameroon harbour numerous endemics 45 – 47 . With > 12,000 mm of yearly precipitation, foothills of Mount Cameroon belong among the globally wettest places 42 .…”

Does rainforest biodiversity stand on the shoulders of giants? Effect of disturbances by forest elephants on trees and insects on Mount Cameroon

“…of primary forests in the Afrotropics. Belonging to the biodiversity hotspot, Mount Cameroon harbor numerous endemics (e.g., Cable and Cheek, 1998; Ustjuzhanin et al , 2018, 2020). With >12,000 mm of yearly precipitation, foothills of Mount Cameroon belong among the globally wettest places (Maicher et al , 2020).…”

New species of the Genus Mirocossus Schoorl, 1990 from Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Lepidoptera: Cossidae, Cossinae)

“…Currently, the lepidopteran biodiversity of this ecoregion is being actively studied, numerous new taxa have been described (HERBULOT, 1999;PRZYBYL OWICZ, 2013;SÁFIÁN & TROPEK, 2016;PRZYBYLOWICZ et al, 2019;SÁFIÁN et al, 2019;PARK & KARISH, 2021), for certain groups, the faunal lists have been published (SPEARMAN et al, 2000;KARISCH, 2001). It is extremely interesting that the center of species diversity of the family Alucitidae was found on Cameroon Mount (USTJUZHANIN et al, 2018(USTJUZHANIN et al, , 2020, where our colleagues discovered over a quarter of Alucitidae species richness in Africa, wherein 16 (!) species of 22 are endemics.…”