Mohacolora, Stüning, Dieter & László, Gyula M., 2015

Stüning, Dieter & László, Gyula M., 2015, Mohacolora gen. n., a new genus of Ennominae (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from South-East Asia, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 3914 (2), pp. 195-200 : 196-197

Mohacolora gen. n.

Type species: M. bezverkhovi sp. n., by present designation.

Diagnosis. The external appearance of the species of Mohacolora is rather unique, resembling certain species of Arichanna but according to the genital structure, the new genus shows a closer relationship with Doratoptera (type species: D. nicevillei Hampson, 1895 ). The features of the new genus shared with Doratoptera are the bifurcate uncus, the characteristically stout costal arm of valva without a basal process—the latter is a character of the also related genus Descoreba ( Sato, Stüning & Fu, 2011) —and the similar, more or less rectangular shape of valva with apically pointed ventral part (= sacculus).

The distinctive features of the male genitalia of Mohacolora gen. n. and Doratoptera are as follows: The costal arm of valva is much longer in Mohacolora , being conspicuously arcuate with convex margin and a broadened apical lobe, that of Doratoptera is shorter, almost straight and apically tapering. Also the configuration of aedeagus and vesica is rather different in the two related genera: Mohacolora has a simple, almost straight, elongate, tubular aedeagus without a sclerotized apical process, the ductus ejaculatorius arising from its anterior end; the aedeagus of Doratoptera is curved, apically tapering, with a very strongly sclerotized, pointed, claw-like process, the ductus ejaculatorius arising close to the middle of the shaft. The vesica of Mohacolora lacks cornuti while that of Doratoptera is armed with a bunch of rather long, needle-like cornuti in the type-species (two very long, needlelike cornuti in the other species).

The bifid uncus of the new genus is relatively short, medially deeply incised, forming two slender, apically pointed arms, situated close to each other, while the uncus is rather variable in Doratoptera : the type species has a very short, quadrangular, medially very slightly incised uncus, since the other Doratoptera species have a deeply incised bifid uncus with longer, well separated, apically rounded arms. The bifid juxta of Mohacolora with a pair of long, curved arms distally is, at first glance, similar to the juxta of certain species of Doratoptera (except the typespecies which has a distally bilobed furca), but is exceptional in being divided into a larger ventral and a smaller, very similar dorsal furca, only the latter supporting the aedeagus.

The female genitalia of Mohacolora are generally similar to those of Doratoptera and Descoreba , mainly in size and shape of bursa and signum, but in detail there are important differences: those of Doratoptera are readily distinguished by the elongated antrum which is tapering to an acute point and bears a membranous appendage distally (clearly expressed in D. virescens Marumo , D. lutea (Kiriakoff) and D. amabilis (Yazaki) , less clearly in the type-species D. nicevillei Hampson ). In Mohacolora the antrum is quadrangular to rectangular, without tapering processes. The ductus bursae is short and membranous in Doratoptera , long, straight and heavily sclerotized in Mohacolora . The shape of the corpus bursae is similar in both genera, but in Mohacolora the proximal part is larger and rather quadrangular. The shape of the signum bursae is very characteristic in Mohacolora (see the figs 11–12): it consists of a large, round, simple, dentate disc with a triangular, marginally strongly dentate process distally. In Doratoptera , the signum looks ring-like, with a round opening at surface of bursa and a minutely dentate internal margin and surface. In both genera the signa are not stalked mushroom-like which makes the difference to Descoreba .

Description. External features of body and wings ( Figs 1–6 ). Length of forewing 22–25 mm (males), 24–25 mm (females), wingspan 42–50 mm (males), 48–50 mm (females). Male antenna bipectinate, pectinated throughout from base to tip except a few (4–5) terminal segments; branches dark brown arising sub-ventrally close to the proximal margin of the flagellum segments, with ventral surface densely covered with fine, silky setae. The longest branch is about eight times as long as the length of a segment. Dorsally, the branches are unscaled and most flagellum segments are covered with pale brownish-white scales and sparsely scattered with dark brown scales, only the apical section has completely dark brown covering; female antenna filiform, segments red-brown, very shortly setose, with a few longer bristles ventrally, chequered with pale brownish-white and dark brown dorsally. Head moderately large, proboscis well-developed; compound eyes large, somewhat smaller in females, dark metallic-green, spotted with small, rounded or elongated, very variable spots; chaetosemata small, round, close to the eye-margin; labial palpi rather short and broad, with long vertical scales in the basal two segments, covered laterally with blackish, medially with pale yellowish-brown hair-scales, third segment small, oval, tapering. Frons strongly protruding (even more so in females), covered with long, dense yellowish-brown (laterally blackish) hairlike scales, with a medial parting on ventral half; vertex and collar (patagia) with longer, upright, greyish-green hair-like scales, most of them cleft at tip; thorax and tegulae somewhat darker, with much longer hair-like scales and true hair-scales, with greyish-green shining but mixed with brown and black hair-scales in both sexes. Legs chequered with pale yellowish-brown and dark brown. Hindlegs rather small, tibia not dilated, without a scentbrush. Index of spurs 0-2-4. Forewing relatively long and narrow, apex slightly pointed, costal margin very slightly arcuate, outer margin gently curved, ventral margin straight. Forewing. Fovea absent. Ground colour dark blackishgreen, suffused with mossy green, giving the whole forewing a greenish appearance. Basal line absent, antemedial line broad, whitish, sharply defined by a black, distal border, medially angled, upper and lower sections more or less straight. Medial line absent; postmedial line rather thick, upper and lower part whitish, medially interrupted, arcuate (anterior part bent outwards, posterior part bent inwards); subterminal line slightly wavy, interrupted by the green-scaled veins, represented by wide whitish dashes between veins. Fringe-scales relatively long, yellowishgreen, dark brown at veins. Underside like upperside, but somewhat paler with a rather striking, unicolorously greenish-black, triangular patch in the middle of the wing (roughly between the basal halfs of CuA1 and CuA2, but extending anteriorly to the base of M3). Another striking pattern element is a broad, shining white band (with only moderate grey striation more distally) between CuA2 and the posterior margin of the wing, but excluding the subterminal area. Hindwing whitish grey, with the outer half densely suffused with greenish-grey scales; discal spot present, pale grey. Cilia rather long, yellowish-green, chequered with dark grey stripes at veins. Underside of hindwing similar to upperside, but with more sharply defined discal spot, a distinct postmedial line and dense greenish-grey suffusion. Venation. Forewing: Vein R1 anastomozing with Sc for a short distance (~ 1mm), R2 free, R3, R4 and R5 stalked. CuP absent, but indicated as a fold, visible from underside. Hindwing: Rs and M1, M3 and CuA1 not stalked. CuP absent, but indicated as a fold, 1A+2A and also a long 3A present. Pregenital abdomen. Greyish-green, scattered with black scales, without distinct pattern. Tergites 1 and 2 and sternite 1+2 sclerotized, all other segments rather membranous, weak. Tympanal bullae hemispherical, with distinct, lens-shaped laciniae ( Figs 7, 8 ).

Setal comb on sternite 3 absent, as well as sterno-tympanal process laterally on sternite 1+2. Coremata not developed, last tergite and sternite unmodified.

Male genitalia ( Figs 9, 10, 13, 14 ). Uncus relatively short, bifurcate, arms slender, tapering, apically pointed. Tegumen very short, relatively broad, distinctly globular in lateral view. Valva large, more or less rectangular, with strongly sclerotized, well-developed, curved, setose, stout costal arm, apically broadened with rounded apex, the ventral part of the latter free of setae. Ventral part of valve (sacculus) sclerotized medially and along the ventral margin, membranous basally and dorsally; apex of sacculus pointed, extending close to apical lobe of costal arm. Juxta consisting of two parts: a large ventral part, well-developed and strongly sclerotized, distally bifurcate, with long, curved, finely and shortly setose lateral arms, the left one broader at basal half; a dorsal, much smaller part, also distally bifurcate, but with a medially separated, rather quadrangular base. The arms of this smaller part are embracing and supporting the aedeagus. Saccus rather short, relatively broad. Aedeagus tubular, slender, relatively long, without apical process, ductus ejaculatorius inserting at its anterior end; vesica membranous, without cornuti, but with a large, transverse diverticulum, formed like a hand or pad, if fully everted, with finger-like, irregular rows and lines of sclerotization.

Female genitalia ( Figs 11–12 ). Ovipositor moderately long, papillae anales oval or rather quadrangular, apophyses posteriores rather long and thin. Eighth tergite simple, weakly sclerotized, scobinated, apophyses anteriores very short, but robust, thorn-like. Antrum quadrangular or slightly rectangular. Ductus bursae long, straight and heavily sclerotized. Proximal part of corpus bursae quadrangular rather than rounded. Shape of signum very characteristic, consisting of a large, round, simple, dentate disc with a distal triangular, marginally strongly dentate process.

Etymology. “Moha” is the Hungarian word for “moss”, referring to the conspicuous forewing-colouration of the type-species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Mohacolora bezverkhovi, adult moths. 1 – 2 — holotype, male (Vietnam, Fan-si-pan, coll. ZFMK); 3 — paratype, female (Vietnam, Fan-si-pan, coll. HNHM); 4 – 5 — paratype, male (Nepal, Taplejung area, coll. Gy. M. László); 6 — paratype, female (Nepal, Taplejung area, coll. Gy. M. László). 2, 5 — underside.

FIGURES 7 – 14. Mohacolora bezverkhovi, pregenital abdomen and genitalia (paratypes). 7 — sternites 1 + 2, with tympanal organ (male, Bhutan); 8 — tergites 1 – 3 (male, Bhutan); 9 — male, Nepal (slide No. LG 2435); 10 — male, Vietnam (slide No. LG 2840); 11 — female, Nepal (slide No. LG 2843); 12 — female, Vietnam (slide No. LG 2842); 13 — male, Bhutan (slide 2267 – DS); 14 — ibid. (enlarged section of Fig. 13). Scale bar: 1 mm.