Heliocheilus translucens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874

Volynkin, Anton V., Stüning, Dieter & Matov, Alexej Yu., 2015, A review of the Palaearctic Heliocheilus translucens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 species-group with description of a new species from West Mongolia (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Heliothinae), Zootaxa 3915 (2), pp. 279-286 : 280-282

Heliocheilus translucens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874

( Figs 5–8 , 13 , 15 )

Heliocheilus translucens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 , Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1859. Zoologischer Teil 1874: pl. 108, fig. 49 (Type locality: Himalaya, Urni).

Material examined. Photographs of the holotype ( Fig. 1 ): Urni, Stolurka / CVIII f. 49 Heliocheilus translucens, Himal. u. / translucens / Genus Heliocheilus Grote, Antherm. cys. / male / Felder coll. / 570 / Type / BMNH (E) #987440 (Coll. BMNH). Other material examined: 20 males, 17 females, Batang. (Tibet). Im Tal des Yangtze (ca. 2800 m), H. Höne, 5.vi., 6.vi. (2), 8.vi., 9.vi., 10.vi., 11.vi., 15.vi., 29.vi. (2), 2.vii., 6.vii., 10.vii. (2), 13.vii., 14.vii. (4), 15.vii., 18.vii., 23.vii., 30.vii. (2), 1.viii., 9.viii., 11.viii., 12.viii. (2), 13.viii. (2), 15.viii., 19.viii., 20.viii. (2) and 21.viii. (2) 1936 (Coll. ZFMK).

Slides 2278-DS Stüning (male), 2279-DS Stüning (females).

Diagnosis. Wingspan 27–29 mm. Externally, specimens of H. translucens are close to H. tengri ; males differ from those of H. tengri in the reduced or absent pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing, the more brownish ground colour of forewing, the darker terminal area; from H. fervens they differ in the brownish head, thorax and ground colour of forewing and reduced pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing; females differ from H. tengri in the somewhat narrower forewing, the somewhat paler reniform and orbicular stigmata without blackish suffusion, and the reduced pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing; from H. fervens they differ in the brownish ground colour of forewing, the paler and more contrasting orbicular and reniform stigmata and the reduced pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing. The male genitalia are close to those of H. tengri , but differ in the slightly broader and apically less pointed cucullus, the somewhat longer vesica and the larger subbasal diverticuli; from H. fervens they differ in the apically stronger pointed cucullus and somewhat larger subbasal diverticuli in the vesica. The female genitalia differ from those of H. tengri in the longer apophyses posteriores, the strongly sclerotised anterior part of ductus bursae and the posterior part of corpus bursae, the larger corpus bursae and the appendix bursae, presence of second long band-like ventral signum and a small dorsal signum; from H. fervens differ in the longer sclerotised part of ductus bursae and the broader sclerotised area in the basal part of the appendix bursae, the larger corpus bursae and appendix bursae, presence of second band-like ventral signum.

Distribution. Himalaya and the Tibet region.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Heliocheilus spp. adults. 1, H. tengri, holotype male, Mongolia (ZISP); 2, H. tengri, paratype male, Mongolia (AVB); 3, H. tengri, paratype female, Mongolia (AVB); 4, H. tengri, paratype male, Mongolia (ZISP); 5, H. translucens, holotype male, Himalaya (© BMNH) (photo by M. Honey); 6, H. translucens, male, China, Tibet (ZFMK); 7, H. translucens, female, China, Tibet (ZFMK); 8, H. translucens, female, China, Tibet (ZFMK); 9, H. fervens, male, Russian Far East (IBSS) (photo by V. S. Kononenko); 10, H. fervens, female, Russian Far East (ZISP).

FIGURES 11 – 14. Heliocheilus spp. male genitalia. 11, H. tengri, holotype, Mongolia, slide AV 1270 Volynkin; 12, H. tengri, paratype, Mongolia, slide AV 0240 Volynkin; 13, H. translucens, China, Tibet, slide 2278 - DS Stüning; 14, H. fervens, Russian Far East, gen. prep. Volynkin.

FIGURES 15 – 19. Heliocheilus spp., female genitalia and habitat. 15, H. translucens, China, Tibet, slide 2279 - DS Stüning; 16, H. tengri, paratype, Mongolia, slide AV 0323 Volynkin; 17, H. fervens, Russian Far East, slide AV 0185 Volynkin; 18, H. fervens, Russian Far East, gen. prep. Kononenko (photo by V. S. Kononenko); 19, W Mongolia, Hovd aimak, Uenchijn-Gol river valley, 50 km N. of Uench vill., 1500 m, the type-locality of H. tengri (photo by R. V. Yakovlev).