Loxopamea augustasi, Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015

Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015, Two new species of the genus Loxopamea Hreblay & Plante 1995 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from China, Zootaxa 4032 (3), pp. 345-350 : 345-349

Loxopamea augustasi sp. n. ( Figs 1, 2 , 7 , 11–13 )

Type material. Holotype: Female ( Figs 1 , 11 ), China, North Sichuan, road Jiuzhaigou-Songpan, 2900 m, N29°87.340’, E102°30.970’, 27.viii.2014, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis; slide No PGY4131f (coll. PGM, later to be deposited in the HNHM).

Paratypes: 2 males, 6 females ( Figs 2 , 7 , 12, 13 ), with the same data as the holotype; slide Nos PGY 4163m, PGY4088f, PGY4107f (colls AFM & ASV).

Diagnosis and description. Wingspan 29–31 mm, length of forewing 14–16 mm. The new species is the sister species of the poorly known Loxopamea albistigma Hreblay & Ronkay, 1998 ( Hreblay et al., 1998: pp 146–147 and p. 862, figs. 113, 114 and Zilli et al. 2009: p 117, pl. 33, figs 1, 2; pl. 33, figs 9, 10), however, the two species are much dissimilar externally. The vesture of the head and body, the ground colour of the forewing in the L. augustasi sp. n. are the various shades of ochre brown, the middle and the marginal area are the darkest, however the vertex, the collar and the basal area of forewing are with rufous tone. The orbicular spot is tiny, circular; the reniform stigma and the claviform spot are regular and also brown, with some white or ochre scales in the reniform stigma. The antemedial and postmedial crosslines are clearly visible, defined by blackish and ochreous-brown scales. The ground plan of the wing pattern and coloration of the wings resembles apparently Loxopamea brunnea (Leech, 1900) , which is less close relative species by the genitalia armatures; in the new species the forewing apex is more elongated, the ground colour much lighter and unicolorous and the transversal crosslines are more distinctly marked and somewhat differently shaped, the lunulate discal spot in the hindwing less defined or conjectural. By comparison the closest relative L. albistigma , the distinctive external features for the separation of the two species are as follows: L. augustasi has much more unicolorous, less variegated, ochre brown ground colour of the forewing, however darker middle area; regular, brown orbicular spot and claviform stigma; almost lack of the white filling in the reniform stigma, more distinctive transverse lines and the rufous tone of the vertex, collar and the basal area of forewing. The new species is somewhat smaller on average, with the wingspan 29–31mm (versus 32–34 mm of L. albistigma ).

The distribution of the two sister-species is not known exactly due to the very few found specimens, therefore the collecting locality cannot help in the identification. However, the differences between the genitalia of the two species are remarkably large in case of both sexes, therefore the study of the genitalia can easily confirm the species identity of the examined specimen(s). The armature of both male and female genitalia clearly indicates that the sister species of L. augustasi is the L. albistigma and not the externally more similar L. brunnea .

Male genitalia. ( Fig. 7 ) The genitalia ground plan of the new species apparently is almost the same as in the known species of Loxopamea , but the armature of the vesica having two, almost parallel longitudinal cornuti field with a great number of spinules clearly indicates the close relationship to L. albistigma (see Hreblay et al. (1998): 181, gen. fig. 161 and Zilli et al. (2009): 345, gen. fig. 127). L. augustasi can be easily separated from its twin species by a series of conspicuous differences. The key features are in the shape and configuration of the digitus, juxta, vesica and in the length of aedeagus. The digitus is much shorter in the L. augustasi , cca. half sized; the juxta is much lower, weak and broadly cup-like, ventrally rounded, with two dorso-lateral long appendages; the vinculum longer, the aedeagus much shorter and ventrally curved, medio-distally with a strongly sclerotized, finely serrate-toothed field; the vesica is shorter, the two, almost parallel longitudinal cornuti field with a great number of spinules are much shorter and of almost the same length, positioned subbasally and not distally. Female genitalia. ( Figs 11–13 ) The key features are in the shape and configuration of the ostium-antrum complex, the ductus bursae, and the appendix bursae. L. augustasi ( Figs 11–13 ) differs strikingly from L. albistigma (see Hreblay et al. (1998): 181, gen. fig. 164 and Zilli et al. (2009): 345, gen. fig. 127), by its less calycular, broader, more robust ostium-antrum complex; posteriorly broaden, longer, stronger sclerotized ductus bursae; the stick-like, more ample, larger, almost evenly broad, less sclerotized-ribbed appendix bursae and the more globular corpus bursae.

Bionomy and distribution. The two males and seven females were collected at ultraviolet light on 27 August 2014 in southwest China Sichuan province in a remote, area located at the southern end of the Minshan mountain range. The collecting area is near the incomparable Jiuzhaigou National Park. The climate in the valley is cool, with a mean annual temperature of 7.2 °C and total annual rainfall is 661 mm, 80% of which occurs between May and October. Jiuzhaigou's ecosystem is classified as temperate broad-leaved forest and woodlands, with mixed mountain and highland systems. The 300 km ² heart of this scenic area is covered by virgin mixed forests including oaks and endemic varieties of rhododendron and bamboo.

Etymology. The new species is named after the son of second author, Augustas Saldaitis (Vilnius, Lithuania) for his enthusiasm and patience during the China trip.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Loxopamea ssp. adults. 1. L. augustasi sp. n., female, holotype, China, N. Sichuan (PGM / HNHM); 2. L. augustasi sp. n., male, paratype, China, N. Sichuan, (ASV); 3. L. jakobi sp. n., female, holotype, China, W. Sichuan (PGM / HNHM); 4. L. jakobi sp. n. male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan (PGM); 5. L. rufus, female, Taiwan, Taichung Mts. (NSMT); 6. L. rufus, male, Taiwan, Taichung Mts. (NSMT).

FIGURES 7 – 10. Loxopamea ssp. male genitalia. 7. L. augustasi sp. n., male, paratype, China, N. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4163 m, (ASV); 8. L. jakobi sp. n., male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4040 m, (PGM); 9. L. jakobi sp. n., male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4090 m (AFM); 10. L. rufus, male, Taiwan, Nantou County, Hehuanshan, 3002, 11 - IX- 2012, S. Wu & W. C. Chang leg., prep. TFRI-SW- 145046 (TFRI).

FIGURES 11 – 16. Loxopamea ssp. female genitalia. 11. L. augustasi sp. n., female, holotype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4131 f, (PGM / HNHM); 12. L. augustasi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4107 f, (AFM); 13. L. augustasi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4088 f, (ASV); 14. L. jakobi sp. n., female, holotype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4094 f (PGM / HNHM); 15. L. jakobi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4043 f (ASV); 16. L. rufus, female, Taiwan, Nantou, prep. PGY 4117 f (PGM).