''Cabera nevillei'' 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 ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. It belongs to the monophylectic ''Cabera subalba'' Group.

Etymology

The species is named after Neville J. Duke.

Description

''Cabera nevillei'' is a medium-sized '' Cabera'' species. The

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 which is broad and pointed, with length ranging from 15-16 mm in males, and 16-17 mm in females. . 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, except it has a shorter point at the

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving ...

angle. Adults are on wing in

February February is the second month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years, with the February 29, 29th day being called the ''leap day''. February is the third a ...

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the ...

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôctō'' meaning "eight") after Januar ...

and

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

. It is morphologically similar to its sister species '' Cabera toulgoeti'' and '' Cabera limbata'' ''.'' From the former, it can be differentiated on the basis of having less prominent discal spots on the upperside of forewings. Furthermore, the underside bears striking resemblance of each, however, the terminal shade appears more developed in ''C. nevillei'' when observed closely. The genitals also differ in size and structure. The

socci A soccus ( pl. socci) or sýkkhos (, pl. sýkkhoi), sometimes given in translation as a slipper, was a loosely fitting slip-on shoe in Ancient Greece and Rome with a leather sole and separate leather, bound without the use of hobnails. The word ...

are shorter with a more curved

aedeagus An aedeagus ( or aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation (zoology), copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, th ...

as compared to ''C. toulgoeti.''ZIMBABWE: Aberfoyle, Honde Valley, 20.-21.IV. 1996 (N.J. Duke) From '' C. limbata,'' it is distinguished on its genitals. There are five conuti on the

, instead of a single one in the latter species. Occasionally, ''C. nevillei'' has more prominent and well-defined markings. Notably, one of the male paratypes exhibits 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 ...

, where much of the violaceous-grey coloration in the postmedian areas of both pairs of wings is replaced by a whitish-grey hue.

Appearance

Adult specimens exhibit

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

. It is mostly observed through their antennae, as the ones in males are bipectinate (comb-like), while the ones in females are

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: * Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less un ...

(thread-like). The wings are wide and large, with the forewings featuring a straight

costa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

, pointed tip, and the outermost wing edge, or

termen Termen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Brig (district), Brig in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Termen is first mentioned in 1201 as ''Terman''. Geography Termen has an ar ...

, being slightly curved outwards. The wings primarily have a greyish-white coloration, suffused with brown. They have violaceous tinges and fine grey striations.Paratypes (4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀). ZIMBABWE: l ♂, Aberfoyle, Honde Valley, 18.X. 90; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ ibidem , dated 1.X. 94 (♀), 3.-4.XII. 194 (2 ♀♀) and 20.-21.IV. 1996 (20 ♂); 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, M un Selinda, 15.X. 96; 1 ♀, ibidem, dated 14.II 95 (all N.J. Duke legit). - (TMSA, HSS) The forewings are marked with slightly curved basal and medial lines, as well as an oblique postmedial line, all of which are brown. The hindwings also have these lines; however, they are less distinct compared to the forewings. On the forewing, the discal spots are small and black, frequently encircled in a white outline (sometimes entirely white). On the hindwing, they resemble the ones on their respective forewing pair, only differing in size as they are much smaller and with more amount of white. The underside of the wings is greyish white with grey striations. This shade gradually grows darker by the terminal end, having black discal spots that are more prominent than on the forewings. The body's vestiture matches the wing coloration, and the abdominal segment A3 lacks a setal comb.

Distribution

''Cabera nevillei'' is primarily distributed across the eastern

highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

. Localities recorded with occurrence include

Vumba The Bvumba Mountains or Vumba Mountains straddle the Zimbabwe–Mozambique border, and lie some 10 km southeast of the city of Mutare. The Bvumba rise to Castle Beacon at 1,911 metres, and are, together with the Chimanimani Mountains to the ...

, Mount Selinda,

Aberfoyle Aberfoyle may refer to: * Aberfoyle, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland *Aberfoyle, Stirling Aberfoyle () is a village in the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the council area of Stirling, Scotland. The settlement li ...

, and Rusitu Forest. Its range extends into

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, where it has been documented in Serra Rolanda (East of

Chimanimani Mountains The Chimanimani Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The mountains are in the southern portion of the Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, a belt of highlands that extend north and south along the internatio ...

), and Mussapa River Forest. In conclusion, these butterflies inhabit

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

and

forested A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological functio ...

environments.Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe (Vumba . 19°05'S 32°44'E Mt. Selinda 0°27'S 32°40'E Aberfoyle . 18°30'S 32°50'E Rusitu Forest o co-ordinates available

References

{{authority control Caberini Fauna of Zimbabwe Moths described in 2000