Lemyra (Thyrgorina) flavalis ( Moore, 1865 )

Singh, Harsimranjeet, Raha, Angshuman, Kirti, Jagbir Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Lemyra Walker (Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India, Zootaxa 5454 (1), pp. 1-69 : 10-12

Lemyra (Thyrgorina) flavalis ( Moore, 1865) : 809 ( Spilosoma )

( Figs 12–17 , 105–114 )

TL: Darjeeling [West Bengal, India]. Lectotype designated by Thomas (1990)

= S [pilosoma] rubitincta Moore, 1865: 809 (TL: Darjeeling [West Bengal, India])

= S [pilosoma] lativitta Moore, 1865: 809 . (TL: Darjeeling [West Bengal, India])

= D [iacrisia] unilinea Rothschild, 1910: 133 (TL: Pu-tsu-fong [West China])

= Icambosida punctilinea Moore, 1879: 40 , syn. nov. (TL: Darjeeling [ India, West Bengal])

Material Examined: India, Meghalaya: [East Khasi Hill district], Shillong , 1 ♂, 5.ix.2001, J.S. Sodhi leg. ( NZCZSI; 12764/H10) ; Himachal Pradesh: [Chamba district], Saho , 1 ♂, 12.ix.2006, N.S. Gill [N. Singh] leg. ( NZCZSI; 12751/H10) ; Sikkim: [East Sikkim district], Nathula , 1 ♂, 10.vii.2003, N. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12750/ H10) ; Pangthang , 1 ♂, 2.vii.2019, S. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12761/H10) ; Jammu and Kashmir: [Ramban district], Patnitop , 1 ♂, 22.v.2014, D.P. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12765/H10) ; West Bengal: [Kalimpong district], Neora Valley NP, 1 ♂, 9.xi.2016, K. Mondal & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12759/H10) ; Arunachal Pradesh: [Dibang Valley district], Malini , 1 ♂, 27.x.2017, N. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12762/H10) ; Dihang Dibang BR, Krupra, 1 ♂, 7.vi.2018, S. Gayan & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12752/H10), 1 ♂, 8.vi.2018, S. Gayan & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12753/H10), Ahipu , 1 ♂, 9.vi.2018, S. Gayan & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12754/H10) ; [West Kameng district], Bomdila , 1 ♀, 25.vi.2018, H. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12760/H10) ; Tenga , 1 ♂, 7.vii.2018, H. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12763/H10) ; Uttarakhand: [Chamoli district], Ghangaria , 2 ♂, 11.vii.2018, J. Saini & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12755/H10), 1 ♂, 14.vii.2018, J. Saini & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12757/H10) ; 1 ♂, 30.viii.2018, H. Kumar & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12756/H10) ; [Pithoragarh district], Askot WLS, Vayman , 1 ♂, 3.vii.2018, A. Sanyal and Nandi Das leg. ( NZCZSI; 12758/H10) .

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 21 mm. Lemyra (T.) flavalis ( Figs 12–17 ) is a variable species having a form with yellowish forewing and white hindwing ( S. lativitta , Figs 12, 14 ) and another with reddish yellow forewing and reddish tinged hindwing ( S. rubitincta , Fig. 17 ). Lemyra (T.) flavalis was studied as a member of L. jankowskiiflavalis species group (s. str. Saldaitis et al. 2018), comprising seven species. Of which, L. (T.) flavalis is most closely similar to L. (T.) heringi ( Daniel, 1943) ( Saldaitis et al. 2018, Figs 7 , 16 ) from China due to the presence of a lateral spined plate and a patch of spines, whereas, the lateral spined plate is absent in other species i.e., L. (T.) jankowskii jankowskii ( Oberthür, 1880) ( Saldaitis et al. 2018, Figs 3 , 14 ), L. (T.) jankowskii soror ( Leech, 1899) ( Saldaitis et al. 2018, Figs 4–6 , 15 ), L. (T.) hanoica ( Daniel, 1953) ( Saldaitis et al. 2018, Figs 10 , 19 ) and L. (T.) elena Saldaitis, Volynkin & Duda, 2018 ( Saldaitis et al. 2018, Figs 1, 2, 11–13 ). Lemyra (T.) heringi is clearly distinct by smaller size, paler forewing with less pointed apex, complete postmedial maculate band touching costa of apex and a series of small submarginal spots. In male genitalia, L. (T.) flavalis ( Figs 105–114 ) is distinct by the vesica having a typical arcuate, strong, sclerotized lateral spined plate of minute spines. While in L. (T.) heringi , the lateral spined plate is straighter and vesica has a larger distal patch of dense, minute spines.

Distribution. Indian records: Sikkim, West Bengal (Darjeeling) ( Dubatolov 2010, Singh et al. 2021), Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand (present study). Global records: Bhutan, Myanmar, southern and eastern Tibet, China (Sichuan, Yunnan), Nepal ( Dubatolov 2010, de Freina & Thomas 2015).

Remarks: Herein, we synonymise L. (T.) punctilinea ( Moore, 1879) ( Figs 111, 112 ) with L. (T.) flavalis ( Figs 105–110, 113, 114 ) as the male genitalia of both the species did not reveal any significant species level difference. During the study, we found another, pure white specimen from the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand with male genitalia identical to L. (T.) flavalis . In India, L. (T.) flavalis is known from the Central Himalaya (Sikkim and Darjeeling) up to an altitude of 2200 m and thus, its present reports from the East and Northwest Himalaya expand its known range both geographically and altitudinally. The species is found to inhabit West Himalayan subalpine birch/fir forest in West Himalaya and East Himalayan subalpine birch/fir forest in East Himalaya at an altitude range of 498–3660 m.

Figures

FIGURES 12–20. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 12–13. L. flavalis, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Pangthang, Sikkim, India); 14. ditto. Male, dorsal side (Krupra, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 15. ditto. (White form), male, dorsal side (Ghangaria, Uttarakhand, India); 16. L. punctilinea, syn. nov., male, dorsal side (Askot Vayman, Uttarakhand, India); 17. L. flavalis (red form), male, dorsal side (Ahipu, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 18–19. L. obliquivitta, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Zamuang, Mizoram, India); 20. L. obliquivitta, female, dorsal side (Manebhanjyang, West Bengal, India).

FIGURES 95–106. Genitalia of Lemyra spp. 95–96. L. neglecta, male: 95, ventral view, 96. Aedeagus; 97–98. ditto; 99–100. L. rubripecta sp. nov., holotype male: 99, ventral view, 100, Aedeagus; 101–102. L. biseriata, male: 101, ventral view, 102, Aedeagus; 103–104. L. densimacula sp. nov., holotype male: 103, ventral view, 104, Aedeagus; 105–106. L. flavalis, male: 105, ventral view, 106, Aedeagus.

FIGURES 107–118. Genitalia of Lemyra spp. 107–108. L. flavalis, male: 107, ventral view, 108, Aedeagus; 109–110, ditto (white form), male: 109, ventral view, 110,Aedeagus; 111–112. L. punctilinea, syn. nov., male:111, ventral view, 112,Aedeagus; 113–114. L. flavalis (red form), male: 113, ventral view, 114, Aedeagus; 115–116. L. obliquivitta, male: 115, ventral view, 116, Aedeagus; 117–118. L. rubidorsa, male: 117, ventral view, 118, Aedeagus.

FIGURES 1–11. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 1–2, L. neglecta, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Jang, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 3. ditto, dorsal side, male (Pfutsero, Nagaland, India); 4–5, L. rubripecta sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and ventral sides (Old Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 6. L. rubripecta sp. nov., female, dorsal side (Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 7. L. biseriata, female, dorsal side, (Jatinga, Assam, India); 8–9. ditto, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Kohima, Nagaland, India); 10–11. L. densimacula sp. nov., male, dorsal and ventral sides (Kohima, Nagaland, India).