Catocala solntsevi Sviridov, 1997

Kons Jr, Hugo L., Borth, Robert J., Saldaitis, Aidas & Didenko, Sergei, 2017, The Catocala naganoi species group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), with a new species from Vietnam, Zootaxa 4358 (1), pp. 79-106 : 104

Catocala solntsevi Sviridov, 1997

( Figs. 1 : M–R, 2: A–C, 5: M, 6: F–H, 7: E, F, 8: E, F, 9: F–H, 10: F–H, 11: D, E, 12: B, G, 13: D, E, N & O, 15: C)

Catocala solntsevi Sviridov, 1997 , Russian Journal of Zoology , 76(6), 763–765, (TL: North Vietnam, Tam Dao [HT: coll. Zoological Museum of Moscow University).

This species is recorded from South China (Guangdong, Hunan and Guizhou Provinces) and Vietnam (Kon Tum, Quàng Nam, Thừa Thiên–Huế, Lâm Ðồng Provinces and Da Nang Municipality). The male holotype ( Sviridov & Korb, 2010, Fig. 16 ) exhibits the forewing phenotype with a whitish medial area, similar to Fig. 1 :Q. Drawings of the holotype valvae and phallus ( Sviridov, 1997, Fig. 1 ) are consistent with our dissections, including the tapering costal apex of the left valve, in contrast to the flared costal apex of all of the other C. naganoi group species. However, Sviridov's (1997, Fig. 1 ) drawing of the left anellus plate differs from our dissections by lacking an abrupt tapering and elongate, narrow terminus, and we suspect this difference is an artifact of limitations of the type drawing or dissection (note that care is needed during dissection to recover intact the fragile termini of the anellar plates when separating the anellus/juxta from the valvae).

Sequenced specimens of C. solntsevi from China and Vietnam form separate clades with four consistent COI 5' character state differences, but we found these to be indistinguishable by both external pattern and male genitalic morphology. In contrast, C. katsumii and C. naganoi have three consistent COI 5' character state differences, yet have numerous genitalic differences as elaborated above. This is yet another cautionary example of why degree of divergence in COI 5’ sequences can be problematic when making species–level decisions, even within a group of closely related species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Imagos of C. katsumii, C. naganoi, & C. solntsevi.

FIGURE 16. Diagnostic unique combinations of COI 5' characters for the Catocala naganoi species group and its constituent species.Diagnostic characters are mapped on the strict consensus of most parsimonious cladograms.