Rhodambulyx kitchingi Brechlin, 2015

Xu, Zhen-Bang, Melichar, Tomáš, He, Ji-Bai, Zhang, Chao, Zhang, Xin-Yu, Feng, Du & Hu, Shao-Ji, 2022, A new species of Rhodambulyx Mell, 1939 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Southwest Chongqing, China, Zootaxa 5105 (1), pp. 48-62 : 56-57

Rhodambulyx kitchingi Brechlin, 2015

Male ( Figure 3 E–H ). Forewing length 43–49 mm, brownish ochre. Body brownish. Antenna about one-third of forewing length, beige with brownish pectinations. Forewing upperside: Ground colour reddish-beige, with three distinctly transverse darker brown bands overlain by a faintly silvery sheen. Discal spot creamy yellow. Postdiscal band straight, running from costa to inner margin. Terminal band inwardly wavy with silvery sheen. Apical patch brownish with obscure boundary inwardly. Forewing underside: Buff-brown peppered with darker scales, basal half covered with reddish hair forming a patch. Discal band darker and distinct, running from costa into the basal reddish patch. Submarginal line distinct, Y-shaped running from apex and costa to cell CuA 1, bifurcating in cell M 1. Hindwing upperside: Ground colour brownish-red. Darker postdiscal line obscure, with narrow black outer margin. Hindwing underside: Postdiscal and submarginal bands brownish-red, distinctly delineated. Cilia creamy yellow.

Male genitalia. In total, seven genitalia were dissected. Overall heavily sclerotized. Tegumen and vinculum broad, the latter with a short saccus ( Figure 3C and D ); uncus broadest at base, elongate towards a bifurcate tip ( Figure 7G ); apical third ventrally with a median ridge that bifurcate into two apical ridges, and which is individually variable in shape (see Figure 7J ). Valve broad in basal half, nearly rhombic, elongate and more membranous in the distal half, covered with dense setae, harpe triangular, broad at base and gradually narrowed, then abruptly downward into hooked tip ( Figure 7H and K ). Phallus of moderate length, straight; basal half narrower; distal half approximately of equal width; tip elongated and pointed with smooth cornuti ( Figure 7I and L ).

Diagnostic characters: The two known species ( R. davidi and R. kitchingi ) can be distinguished by the following characters: (1) R. kitchingi is more reddish than R. davidi in external appearance. (2) The brownish apical patch of forewing upperside in R. davidi more distinct than R. kitchingi . (3) The postdiscal band of forewing in R. kitchingi is straighter than that of R. davidi . (4) The discal band on the forewing underside in R. kitchingi is more distinct than that of R. davidi . (5) The postdiscal and submarginal bands in hindwing underside are more distinct in R. kitchingi ( Figure 3 ). Genitally: (1) The pointed triangular tip in the uncus of R. davidi is far less obvious, appearing almost rounded. (2) The harpe is thinner and sharper in R. davidi than in R. kitchingi ( Figure 4 and Figure 7 ).

The new species resembles R. kitchingi from central Vietnam but can be distinguished from the following characteristics: (1) Its smaller size on average, (2) the brownish apical patch of forewing upperside more distinct than R. kitchingi , (3) the duller silvery sheen on the forewing upperside in new species. (4) The discal band on the forewing underside in the new species is not as distinct as that in R. kitchingi . (5) The narrow black margin fades inwardly in hindwing upperside of new species, but this feature is not obvious in R. kitchingi ( Figure 3 ). In male genitalia, the diagnostic differences are: (1) the uncus of the new species is not gradually tapered distally as it is in R. kitchingi (2) the dorsal margin of harpe is smoother rather than wavy in R. kitchingi (3) the phallus is shorter with a shorter tip ( Figure 4 and Figure7 ).

Rhodambulyx xinyuae sp. nov. is also similar to R. davidi . However: (1) The delimited subquadrate creamy yellow patch on the forewing in the new species is more evident than that in R. davidi . (2) The postdiscal band of forewing upperside in the new species, straighter than that in R. davidi . (3) The postmedial and submarginal bands on hindwing underside of the new species are more distinct than those of R. davidi . (4) The narrow black outer margin of the hindwing fades inwardly in the new species, which is not obvious in R. davidi ( Figure 3 ). In male genitalia, the diagnostic differences are: (1) The pointed triangular tip in the uncus of R. davidi is far less obvious, appearing almost rounded. (2) The harpe is sharper in R. davidi than in R. xinyuae sp. nov. ( Figure 4 and Figure 7 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Rhodambulyx xinyuae Xu, Melichar & He sp. nov. (A–D) and three similar taxa, R. kitchingi Brechlin, 2015 (E–H) R. davidi Mell, 1939 (I–J), and R. davidi ‘namvui’ (K–L).A–B: ♂, HOLOTYPE, Simianshan, Chongqing, China; C–D: ♂, PARA- TYPE, same locality as holotype; E–F: ♂, Da Nang, Lam Dong, Vietnam; G–H: ♂, Bach Ma, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam; I–J: ♂, Dayao shan, Guangxi China; K–L: ♂, HOLOTYPE, Phia Den, Cao Bang, Vietnam, © Ulf Eitschberger. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Rhodambulyx xinyuae Xu, Melichar & He sp. nov., Simianshan, Chongqing, China (A–B); R. kitchingi Brechlin, 2015, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam (C–D); and R. davidi Mell, 1939, Dayao shan, Guangxi, China (E).

FIGURE 7. Enlarged uncus, valve, and phallus of male genitalia of Rhodambulyx xinyuae Xu, Melichar & He sp. nov., Simianshan, Chongqing, China (A–F); R. kitchingi Brechlin, 2015, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam (G–L); and R. davidi Mell, 1939, Dayao Shan, Guangxi, China (M–O). A, D, G, J, and M: ventral-lateral view of uncus; B, E, H, K, and N: posterior view of valve and harpe; C, F, I, L, and O: lateral view of phallus.