Paraseptis, Mustelin, Tomas & Crabo, Lars G., 2015

Mustelin, Tomas & Crabo, Lars G., 2015, Revision of the genus Aseptis McDunnough (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Xylenini) with a description of two new genera, Paraseptis and Viridiseptis, ZooKeys 527, pp. 57-102 : 79-81

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Noctuidae

Genus Paraseptis gen. n.

Type species.

Hadena adnixa Grote.

Etymology.

The name Paraseptis is derived from para meaning next to and septis by analogy to Aseptis . The name is feminine.

Diagnosis.

Paraseptis is a monotypic genus whose sole member occurs near the Pacific Coast of North America. It is mottled brown with typical noctuid wing markings, including a basal dash and dark wedges near the outer margin, and a pale off-white to ochre postreniform patch. The outer edge of the hindwing is concave focally between M1 and M3 as in Aseptis and Viridiseptis . The male genitalia resemble those of Aseptis but differ as follows: the valve has a much larger sacculus that extends above the costal margin, a twisted upright ampulla, a rod-like digitus arising near the base of the cucullus from a longitudinal bar near the costa; a long curved aedeagus with distal spine patches of small spines; and a coiled vesica with basal and medial cornuti, but no long apical cornutus (occasional specimens with a minute apical cornutus). The female genitalia are also similar to those of Aseptis but differ in having more narrow papillae anales and a strongly sclerotized posterior ductus bursae. CO1 DNA barcodes of Paraseptis are not similar to those of Aseptis and cluster variably with other genera in the Xylenini when representatives from a large number of species are included in the sample set.

Description.

Adults: Head: Eye rounded, normal sized. Antenna filiform in both sexes. Labial palpus unmodified with longer second segment and short third segment. Frons slightly convex, smooth. Thorax: Paired moderate-sized dorsal mesothoracic and smaller metathoracic tufts. Legs without tibial spines; tarsal segments with three rows of short spine-like setae. Abdomen: Male with coremata at base of abdomen, complete with lever, pocket, and Stobbe’s gland; proximal segments with weak dorsal tufts. Forewing: Venation as typical for subfamily, approximately 0.6 × as wide as long, with brownish, black, and off-white scales, appearing mottled brown with black typical noctuid markings including a basal dash. Hindwing: Venation trifine as typical for subfamily, M2 weak but usually visible, clustered close to M3 and CuA1; outer margin contour concave between veins M1 and M3. Male genitalia (Fig. 74): Tegumen narrow near base of uncus; penicillus large, quadrate. Uncus smoothly downcurved, narrow, tapering smoothly from base to acute tip. Juxta rectangular, circa 2/3 × as wide as long. Valve weakly S-shaped, tapered from base to mid-portion then even in width to base of cucullus; sacculus strong, moderately sclerotized, 0.4 × valve length and 2 × valve width at base of ampulla, extending above costa; cucullus weakly constricted at base and expanded to 1.5 –1.7× valve width, slightly rounded with blunt apex, corona of circa 30 claw-like setae; clasper on mesial third, ampulla oriented perpendicular to valve and extending above costa, rod-like with slightly twist to mediolaterally flattened tip; digitus at distal end of an evenly-thick sclerotized ridge located slightly below costa from clasper to digitus origin near cucullus base, rod-like with blunt tip, oriented 45° to valve, ending near ventral cucullus. Aedeagus narrower and more robustly sclerotized than in Aseptis , 7 × as long as wide, distal half bent ventrad approximately 60°, small patches of small spines near dorsal and ventral apex; vesica slightly wider than aedeagus, coiled 360° to right and ventrad to end posterior, ventrad, and left of aedeagus tip, with subbasal patch of short cornuti on right, single spike-like diverticulum perpendicular to axis on anterior distal third, minute spike-like cornutus directed basad at apex in a few specimens, and very small dome-like mesial diverticulum. Female genitalia (Fig. 90): Papillae anales weakly sclerotized, asymmetrically cone-shaped with point near dorsum, circa 1.7 × as long as wide, covered posteriorly and apically with short thin setae that are slightly shorter near tip, lacking hair-like basal setae; apophyses moderately long, posterior apophysis 1.7 × anterior apophysis; ostium bursae membranous except for thin weak band in ventral wall; ductus bursae tubular, 1 × corpus bursae length, proximal 2/3 sclerotized with longitudinal ridge in dorsum, distal 1/3 membranous; corpus bursae ovoid, 0.75 × as wide as long, with four long signa evenly spaced on anterior, posterior, and lateral sides; appendix bursae arising from right paramedial ventral posterior corpus bursae, moderately sclerotized, rugose, 0.75 × corpus bursae length, conical with 45-60° rightward bend to end ventral to, or slightly to right and ventral to, distal ductus bursae, with ductus seminalis near apex.

Discussion.

The structural differences of Paraseptis and Aseptis are surprising given the nearly identical habitus of Paraseptis adnixa and Aseptis binotata , which are often mixed in collections.

Several similar features of Paraseptis and Aseptis , including the hindwing shape and superficial resemblance, suggest that these genera are related closely. The hindwing shape is rare in other genera in the Xylenini . It is a prominent feature of the Eurasian monotypic genus Atypha Hübner. The male genitalia of Atypha pulmonaris (Esper), illustrated by Fibiger and Hacker (2007), are similar to those of Aseptis fumosa and Aseptis characta in having a simple valve, horizontal ampulla, and no digitus, suggesting that these three genera might share a common ancestor.