Lemyra (Thyrgorina) spilosomata (Walker, 1865)

Singh, Harsimranjeet, Raha, Angshuman, Kirti, Jagbir Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Lemyra Walker (Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India, Zootaxa 5454 (1), pp. 1-69 : 25

Lemyra (Thyrgorina) spilosomata ( Walker, 1864 [ 1865]): 318 ( Thyrgorina )

( Figs 63, 64 , 165, 166 )

TL: South Hindostan [South India]

= Echlida subjecta Walker, 1865: 387 (TL: South Hindostan [South India])

= D[iacrisia] albens Rothschild, 1910: 137 (TL: Permoad [Pirmad], Travancore [ India])

= D[iacrisia] flavifrons Rothschild, 1910: 122 (TL: Shevaroy Hills, Madras [Servarayan hills, Tamil Nadu, India])

= Diacrisia indica ab. mediosimplex; Strand, 1919: 182. (Infrasubspecific name)

= Diacrisia indica ab. angularis ; Strand, 1919: 182, stat. rev. (Infrasubspecific name)

Material Examined: India, Gujarat: [Dang district], Ahwa , 2 ♂, 28.ix.2005, N. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 5369/ H10, 12531/H10) ; Kerala: [Idukki district], Devikulam , 1 ♂, 13.ix.2004, N. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 5368/H10) ;

Maharashtra: [ Satara district], Mahabaleshwar , 1 ♂, 8.x.2005, N. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI; 12533/H10) .

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 14 mm. Female, 17 mm. Externally, L. (T.) spilosomata ( Figs 63, 64 ) resembles L. (T.) neglecta ( Figs 1 – 3 ), L. (T.) nigrifrons ( Figs 59, 60 ) and L. (T.) melanosoma ( Figs 70, 71 ) due to white wings and yellow abdomen, but is distinct from its closely similar congeners by the forewing having basal half of costa black brown and terminal half yellowish, hindwing creamy white with two sooty grey spots on tornus, abdomen yellow with dorsal and lateral rows of black spots. In male genitalia, aedeagus is moderately long and broad, vesica with a large patch of small spines.

Distribution. Indian records: Gujarat (Ahwa, Saputara), Maharashtra (Mahabaleshwar, Malshej Ghat), Kerala (Devikulam), South India (Travancore, Madras) ( Kirti & Gill 2008a, Dubatolov 2010, Singh et al. 2021). Global records: unknown.

Remarks: Thomas (1990) treated L. (T.) indica and L. (T.) angularis as forms of L. (T.) spilosomata . Lemyra (T.) angularis ( Strand, 1919) was resurrected as a good species by Kirti & Gill (2008a), but herein, after close examination of its habitus and male genitalia, we consider it as a synonym of L. (T.) spilosomata .

Figures

FIGURES 63–73. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 63–64. L. spilosomata, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Ahwa, Gujarat, India); 65–66. L. multivittata, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Jhandi, West Bengal, India); 67. ditto, female, dorsal side (Manebhanjyang, West Bengal, India); 68–69. L. pseudoburmanica, male, dorsal side and ventral sides (Devikulam, Kerala, India). 70–71. L. melanosoma, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Mangan, Sikkim, India); 72–73. L. persephone, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Yoksum, Sikkim, India).

FIGURES 155–166. Genitalia of Lemyra spp. 155–156. L. fortiorspina sp. nov., male: 155, ventral view, 156, Aedeagus; 157–158. L. apatani sp. nov., holotype male: 157, ventral view, 158, Aedeagus. 159–160. L. adunca sp. nov., paratype male: 159, ventral view, 160, Aedeagus; 161–162. L. nigrifrons, male: 161, ventral view, 162, Aedeagus; 163–164. L. kaikarisi, male: 163, ventral view, 164, Aedeagus; 165–166. L. spilosomata, male: 165, ventral view, 166, Aedeagus.

FIGURES 1–11. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 1–2, L. neglecta, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Jang, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 3. ditto, dorsal side, male (Pfutsero, Nagaland, India); 4–5, L. rubripecta sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and ventral sides (Old Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 6. L. rubripecta sp. nov., female, dorsal side (Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 7. L. biseriata, female, dorsal side, (Jatinga, Assam, India); 8–9. ditto, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Kohima, Nagaland, India); 10–11. L. densimacula sp. nov., male, dorsal and ventral sides (Kohima, Nagaland, India).

FIGURES 53–62. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 53–54. L. fortiorspina sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and ventral sides (Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 55–56. L. apatani sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and ventral sides (Old Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, India); 57–58. L. adunca sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and ventral sides (Rishop, West Bengal, India); 59–60. L. nigrifrons, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Singalila NP, Gairibas, West Bengal, India); 61–62. L. kaikarisi, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Pfutsero, Nagaland, India).