Heliocheilus tengri Volynkin & Matov

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 : 284-285

Heliocheilus tengri Volynkin & Matov , sp. n.

( Figs 1–4 , 11,12, 16)

Type material. Holotype: male, 22.vii.2009, W Mongolia, Hovd aimak, Uenchijn-Gol river valley, 50 km N. of Uench vill., 1500 m, arid mountain steppe near Salix -thrickets in a valley of the river, Yakovlev R.V. & Guskova E.V. leg. (Coll. ZISP). Slide AV1270 Volynkin.

Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female, with the same data, as the holotype (Coll. AVB); 1 female, 06.vii.2007, same locality (Coll. ZISP); 1 male, 02.vii.2009, W Mongolia, Hovd aimak, middle stream of Uenchijn-Gol river, 1750 m. Yakovlev R.V. leg. (Coll. ZISP); 1 male, 06.vii.2009, SW Mongolia, Hovd aimak, Bodonchijn-Gol basin, Hundijn-Gol river valley, 1600 m, Yakovlev R.V. & Guskova E.V. leg. (Coll. AVB).

Slides AV0183, AV0240 Volynkin (males), AV0184, AV0323 Volynkin (females).

Diagnosis. Externally, the new species is close to H. translucens , but male differs in the well expressed large pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing, the paler terminal area of forewing, the smaller elliptical transparent hyaline area devoid of scales and the more olive ground colour of forewing; from H. fervens it differs in the brownish-olive head and thorax colouration, the brownish-olive ground colour of forewings and the more expressed pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing; female of the new species differs from H. translucens in the somewhat broader forewing, the darker reniform and orbicular stigmata having blackish suffusion, and the well expressed large pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing; from H. fervens it differs in the brownish-olive head and thorax colouration, the brownish-olive ground colour of forewings and larger pale triangular patches in the terminal area of hindwing. The male genitalia of H. tengri differ from those of H. translucens in the somewhat narrower cucullus, the somewhat shorter vesica and the smaller subbasal diverticuli; from H. fervens they differ in the somewhat narrower cucullus having a more pointed apical part, in a shorter vesica and smaller subbasal diverticuli. The female genitalia of H. tengri differ more clearly from those of the two other species of the species-group: from H. translucens they differ in the shorter apophyses posteriores, the less sclerotised anterior part of the ductus bursae and the posterior part of the corpus bursae, the much smaller corpus bursae and the appendix bursae, absence of one band-like signum on ventral side and a small signum on dorsal side of the corpus bursae; from H. fervens they differ in the shorter apophyses posteriores, the more sclerotised basal part of appendix bursae, the much less sclerotised anterior part of the ductus bursae and the posterior part of the corpus bursae, the larger corpus bursae and the appendix bursae, absence of a small dorsal signum.

Description. External morphology ( Figs 1–4 ). Wingspan 28–29 mm. Sex dimorphism expressed: male has swollen forewing costa and elliptical and elongate transparent hyaline areas devoid of scales in the distal part of dilated area between R1 and R2 and in the cell. Eyes orbicular. Labial palps short, upcurved, covered with olivebrown scales, their 3rd segment one-fourth length of 2nd. Antennae filiform. Head, thorax and abdomen olivebrown or orange-brown. Ground colour of forewing olive greenish-brown or orange-brown. Wing pattern diffuse. Reniform stigma large, oval, dark, olive-brown or orange-brown with blackish diffusion; orbicular stigma indistinct, surrounded with dark, olive-brown or orange-brown diffused spot in median area behind from orbicular. Antemedial line indistinct. Postmedial and subterminal lines olive-brown or orange-brown, arcuate. Areas behind from cell and reniform pale, ochreous. Submarginal area dark, olive-brown or orange-brown. Terminal line thin, dark, olive-brown or orange-brown. Terminal area pale, ochreous. Cilia olive-brown or orange-brown. Hindwing pale, creamy-ochreous, with wide blackish-brown terminal field with 2 ochreous merged spots between M3 and Cu2. In Cu1 pale spot restricted by trigonal stroke. Discal spot large, blackish-brown. Basal area and anal margin with blackish-brown irroration. Cilia creamy-ochreous, with dark basal band. Male genitalia ( Figs 11, 12 ). Uncus long and narrow, somewhat extended in medial part. Tegumen moderately long. Penicular lobes wide, weak. Juxta wide, shield-like. Vinculum short, relatively wide, weak, V-shaped. Valva elongate, narrow, slightly curved and extended apically. Sacculus weak, narrow, short. Aedeagus short, straight. Lamina of carina trigonal, robust. Vesica long, twisted, upturned anteriorly and dorsally, distally gradually tapered, with two moderately large subbasal diverticuli and longitudinal sclerotised band in medial part. Female genitalia ( Fig. 16 ). Ovipositor relatively short, subconical. Papillae anales trigonal, with large setae. Apophyses relatively long, thin. Apophyses anteriores longer than apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae sclerotised, relatively short, wide, more or less trapezoidal, with strongly sclerotised lateral margins. Ductus bursae moderately long, extended at junction to corpus bursae; right side of its anterior part sclerotised and ribbed. Right side of posterior part of corpus bursae strongly sclerotised and ribbed. Anterior part of corpus bursae sack-like, with one long band-like signum on ventral side. Appendix bursae relatively large, ovoid, heavily sclerotised at junction to cervix bursae; its posterior part conically narrowed. Distribution. The new species is known from southwestern, Dzhungarian part of Mongolian Altai Mts. ( Yakovlev 2012). H. tengri inhabits dry stony steppe biotopes at medium altitudes ( Fig. 19 ).

Etymology. Tengri is the presiding deity in Mongolian mythology.

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).