Magnifying the hotspot: descriptions of nine new species of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae), with an identification key to all species known from Cameroon

Abstract

This study confirms Mount Cameroon as an unprecedented hotspot for the diversity of many-plumed moths, with the discovery and description of nine new species: Alucita fako Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita pyrczi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita sroczki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita potockyi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita sedlaceki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita tonda Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita erzayi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., Alucita sokolovi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov., and Alucita hirsuta Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. Additionally, four additional species are reported from the Mount Cameroon area as new for the country: Alucita agassizi, Alucita dohertyi, Alucita plumigera, and Alucita rhaptica. Of the 89 Alucitidae known from the Afrotropics, the studied area hosts 36 species, most of which are endemic to the area. This unprecedented level of diversity and endemism within this lepidopteran family highlights Mount Cameroon’s significance as a stronghold for specialised insect taxa. Efficient conservation efforts are necessary to protect these ecosystems and their associated unique microlepidopteran diversity.