Periphalera albicauda ( Bryk, 1949 )

Mazumder, Arna, Sanyal, Abesh Kumar, Schintlmeister, Alexander, Gayen, Subrata, Chandra, Kailash & Raha, Angshuman, 2022, New records of Notodontidae Stephens, 1829 (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from India, Zootaxa 5092 (2), pp. 191-208 : 200-202

Periphalera albicauda ( Bryk, 1949)

[ Fig. 6 I ; Fig. 9 D–F ]

1949. Phalera albicauda Bryk, Arkiv Zool. , 42 A: 8.

2013. Periphalera albicauda ; Schintlmeister, World Cat. Ins., 11: 324.

TL: Myanmar; TD: SRMNH

Material examined: India: 1 ♂, Arunachal Pradesh, Dibang Valley dist., Dihang-Dibang BR, Anini , Etabe , 1397 m, 28.8070 °N, 95.9347 °E, 16. V. 2018, leg. S. Gayen & Team.

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 31 mm. The genus Periphalera is known globally by three species, all sympatrically flying in the South China and Myanmar, viz. P. albicauda ( Bryk, 1949) , P. spadixa Wu & Fang, 2003 and P. melanius Schintlmeister, 1997 , among which P. albicauda most closely resembles P. spadixa by having the contrastingly patterned grey-brown and white ground colour, instead of darker, blackish-brown ground colour of P. melanius . The species, P. albicauda differs from P. spadixa by slightly narrower and more prominently patterned forewing with the following characters: highly crenulated antemedian line; prominent horizontal cell-streak; slightly crenulated double postmedial line followed by broad white region which extends up to the margin below vein M 3; a broad submarginal grey-brown patch from costa to M 3, followed below by two large white interneural annuli between M 3 and Cu 2; a prominent marginal white line; checkered brown and white cilia. In male genitalia, the uncus in P. albicauda is shorter and ends in a pointed tip unlike its other congeners. The major distinguishing character is the asymmetrically bifurcated socii of P. albicauda . The phallus of P. albicauda lacks the spine-like process of P. spadixa , instead it possesses a single serrated plate on the vesica. The 8 th sternite of P. albicauda is slightly asymmetrical, more heavily sclerotized than P. spadixa and P. melanius . The phallus in our specimen is much narrower than that in the Vietnamese specimen pictured in Schintlmeister (2008).

Remarks: The species sympatrically occurs with its congeners in Southern China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand ( Schintlmeister 2008) and is currently being reported from the Subtropical Wet Evergreen Forest habitat of Dihang-Dibang BR within its known altitudinal limit up to 1500 m ( Fig. 5 ). The genus Periphalera is also being recorded for the first time from India.

FIGURe 7. Male genitalia of Notodontidae spp. new records to India, (A–C) Tarsolepis (Tarsolepis) taiwana : A. 8 th abdominal segment, B. Ventral view, C. Aedeagus; (D–F) Ogulina ochrocinerea : D. 8 th abdominal segment, E. Ventral view, F. Aedeagus; (G–I) Odnarda leechi : G. 8 th abdominal segment, H. Ventral view, I. Aedeagus; (J–L) Torona lucida : J. 8 th abdominal segment, K. Ventral view, L. Aedeagus.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Map showing distributions of Periphalera albicauda and Ptilodon amplius with their Type localities.

FIGURE 6. Adult males of Notodontidae spp. new records to India,A. Tarsolepis (Tarsolepis) taiwana, B. Ogulina ochrocinerea, C. Odnarda leechi, D. Torona lucida, E. Syntypistis synechochlora, F. S. witoldi, G. Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu, H. Himalodontosia mahendra, I. Periphalera albicauda, J. Ptilodon amplius.

FIGURE 9. Male genitalia of Notodontidae spp. new records to India, (A–C) Himalodontosia mahendra: A. 8th abdominal segment, B. Ventral view, C. Aedeagus; (D–F) Periphalera albicauda: D. 8th abdominal segment, E. Ventral view, F. Aedeagus; (G–I) Ptilodon amplius: G. 8th abdominal segment, H. Ventral view, I. Aedeagus.