''Cabera nathaliae'' is a species of

geometrid The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek (derivative form of or "the earth"), and "measure" in referen ...

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Sundi The Sundi (also ''Sundis,'' ''Nsundi,'' ''Basundi, Kongo-Sundi, Suundi'' and ''Manyanga'') are a Central African people established in three countries, in the Republic of Congo – particularly in the Niari department (Kimongo and Londes-Lakayes ...

on Principe

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

. It is housed in the

Zoologische Staatssammlung München The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology () or ZSM is a major German research institution for zoological systematics in Munich. It has over 20 million zoological specimens. It is one of the largest natural history collections in the world. The ...

. It belongs to the

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

''Cabera Subalba Group''.

Description

''Cabera nathaliae'' is a medium-sized '' Cabera'' species. The length of

forewing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

is 12–15 mm (0.47-0.59 in), and is broad and pointed. The

hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

resembles the forewing, but has a shorter point at anal angle. It shares morphological similarities with '' Cabera limbata'' from continental Africa, and '' Cabera toulgoeti'' from

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. It differs on the basis of well-developed and

convex Convex or convexity may refer to: Science and technology * Convex lens, in optics Mathematics * Convex set, containing the whole line segment that joins points ** Convex polygon, a polygon which encloses a convex set of points ** Convex polytop ...

basal and medial lines on both the forewings and hindwings. Additionally, there is absence of prominent white discal spots as compared to ''C. subalba'', both of which occur in the same region. It also shows mottled appearance, as a result of partial

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

, a condition shared with ''C. humbloti'' and ''C. nevillei''.

Appearance

The forewings and hindwings both display well-developed lines. In contrast, the postmedial line is only faintly visible on the forewings and is entirely absent on the hindwings. The discal spots on forewings are black, enclosed in a white ring, which stands out against the base color. The ones on the hindwing are similar (blackish) but fainter and less prominent. The

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

surface of the wings is predominantly whitish. There is a bolder terminal shade on the forewings, as compared to its

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

side. A black postmedial line is present on underside, resembling the one on the upperside. However it is more discontinuous, and widens into interneural spaces. This creates a fragmented pattern which is different from its congeners.

Female genitalia

The female genitalia comprises a tubular

bursa copulatrix Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The list of cities in Turkey, fourth-most populous city in Turkey and List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, second-most populous in the Marmara Regio ...

. The upper third of its wall has an instrate condition, which means it is covered in minute denticles. This structure extends beyond its antrum, and gradually gets slender and eventually to a fine point at the junction connecting the ductus seminalis. Unlike other ''Cabera'' species, these butterflies lack a signum.

Distribution and habitat

These butterflies are exclusively recorded in Sao Tome and Principe in

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

, particularly in the locality of Sundi.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13447176 Caberini Moths described in 1991 Moths of Africa