Prozorovia, Spitsyn, 2024

Spitsyn, Vitaly M., 2024, Description of Prozorovia, a new genus from Pakistan and India (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5399 (1), pp. 97-100 : 98-99

Prozorovia gen. nov.

Type species: Prozorovia kailashi (Singh & Kirti, 2016) (original designation: Wittia kailashi Singh & Kirti, 2016 )

Diagnosis. Small moths with yellow or light brown colouration. The male genital capsule of Prozorovia gen. nov. is characterized by a long thin uncus, elongated and slightly curved apical part of the valva, and a large broad sacculus with two apical and one medial spinulose process.

The species of the new genus are externally reminiscent of Eilema -like lichen-moth of certain genera distributed in the Palearctic, as well as species of genera Bucsekia Dubatolov & Kishida, 2012 and Microlithosia Daniel, 1954 distributed in the Oriental region but differ from these taxa by male genitalia structure (see Dubatolov & Zolotuhin 2011; Dubatolov & Kishida 2012; and Fig. 2 ). The male genitalia of the new genus are remotely similar to those of Teulisna Walker, 1862 but the genus Teulisna has a specific structure of the forewings and lacks spine-like processes (see Holloway 2001; Bucsek 2012).

Description. Male morphology: Wingspan 22–26 mm. The color varies from light yellow to yellow-brown. Eye black. Antenna brown. Proboscis well developed. Forewing yellow, with a row of androconial scales along the central cell. Male genitalia: Uncus long, thin. Tegumen narrow. Valva narrow apically. Sacculus wide, with two apical and one medial spinulose process. Aedeagus straight, short. Vesica with one сornutus. Females of P. freinai and P. neokailashi are unknown. The description of the female of P. kailashi (Singh & Kirti, 2016) comb. nov. is provided below for the first time.

Etymology. This new genus is dedicated to Alexey M. Prozorov, an excellent expert in the family Lasiocampidae ( Lepidoptera ).

Species content of Prozorovia gen. nov.

P. kailashi (Singh & Kirti, 2016) comb. nov. ( India: Himachal Pradesh; Pakistan)

P. freinai (Singh, Kirti & Joshi, 2016) comb. nov. ( India: Arunachal Pradesh)

P. neokailashi (Singh & Kirti, 2016) comb. nov. ( India: Jharkhand)

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Wittia sororcula (Hufnagel, 1766) from Krasnodar Territory, Russia and Prozorovia kailashi (Singh & Kirti, 2016) comb. nov. from Pakistan: 1–2) W. sororcula: 1) male; 2) male genitalia; 3–6) P. kailashi comb. nov.: 3) male; 4) male genitalia; 5) female; 6) female genitalia.