Euplexia pali continentalis, Gyulai & Ronkay, 2018

Gyulai, Péter & Ronkay, László, 2018, A new species and a new subspecies of Euplexia Stephens, 1829 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Xyleninae) from China, Zootaxa 4374 (4), pp. 579-593 : 583-592

Euplexia pali continentalis ssp. n.

( Figs 14–16 , 25–26 , 34 )

Holotype ( Fig. 14 ): male, China, Sichuan, Volong Reserve, Siguliang Shan , N31°09', E103°06, 1500–1800 m, 1– 10.V.2006, leg. V. Siniaev; slide No.: PGY 4577 (coll. PGM) . Paratypes: 106 specimens, with the following data. China. Prov. Sichuan: 2 males, 2 females, with the same data as the holotype (coll. PGM) ; 1 male, 2 females, Qionglai Shan, 1400 m, 31°13’N, 102°23’E, 1–31.V.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) ; 5 males 3 females, Volong Reserve , Siguliang Shan, 31°09’N, 103°20’E, 1500–1800 m, 1–30.IV.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) ; 23 males, 8 females, from the same locality, 1–31.V.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) ; 4 males, Xiling Xue Shan Mts, 90 km W of Chengdu , 1800 m, 25–31.VIII.2007, leg. S. Murzin (coll. PGM) ; 3 males, 1 female, Qing –cheng Shan, 1500–1800 m, 31°12'N, 102°47'E, 1–30.IX.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) ; 5 males, 2 females, 10 km NW of Miansi , 1300 m, 4–10.IV.2007, leg. V. Siniaev (coll. PGM) ; 2 males, 30 km SE from Ping Wu , 1420 m, 32°20.725’N, 104°36.650’E 19–20.IV.2015, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. AFM and ASV) ; 2 males, 30 km SE from Ping Wu , 1150 m, 32°25.217’N, 104°20.661’E, 27.VII.2011, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. ASV and PGM) ; 6 males, 1 female, 30 km SE from Ping Wu , 1150 m, 32°20.725’N, 104°36.650’E, 1.VIII.2016, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. AFM and ASV) ; 2 males, from the same locality, 7.VIII.2016, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. AFM and ASV) ; 7 males, 10 km S from Tianquan , 880 m, 30°00.456’N, 102°45.277’E, 23.IV.2015, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. MDS, JSG and AFM) ; 7 males, 20 km N Maoxian , 1820 m, 31°46.310’N, 103°42.898’E, 30.VII.2016, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. AFM and ASV) ; 3 males, Xiling Xue Shan Mt. , 1150 m, 30°40.087’N, 103°13.251’E, 21– 23.IV.2010, leg. Chen Gun (coll. AFM) ; 6 males, 1 female, from the same locality, 11–12.VII.2010, leg. Chen Gun (coll. AFM) , 1 male, road Ya’an to Kangding, near Labahe National Park , 20.IV.2010, leg. Chen Gun (coll. AFM) . Prov. Shaanxi: 5 males, 1 female, Tsinling Mts, Fopin Mt, 33°35'N, 108°01'E, 1400 m, 1–31.V.2005, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) ; 31°12'N, 102°47'E, 1–30.IX.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM); 1 male, Lue Yang , 23–26.VI.2004, leg. E. Kucera (coll. PGM) ; 1 male, N from Foping , 33°42.546‘N, 107°56.418‘E, 1480 m, 3–5.VIII.2016, leg A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis (coll. AFM and ASV) . Prov. Hubei: 3 males, 1 female, 1500 m, Daba Shan, Songluohe, 31°37’N, 110°33’E; 1–31.V.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & his team (coll. PGM) .

Slide Nos: PGY 2880, 3272, 3277, 3275, 4353, 4377, 4565 (males); PGY 4554, 4562, 4563 (females).

Diagnosis. The adults of the new subspecies are separable from the Taiwanese ssp. pali Hreblay & Ronkay, 1998 by their regularly darker forewings, brown coloured and faint violet–shaded submarginal area, without or with only weak ochreous suffusion, conspicuously shorter reniform stigmata and by the darker, more extensive brown suffusion of the marginal area of the hindwings; the other elements of the wing pattern show no remarkable differences. The new subspecies ( Figs 14–16 ) is somewhat larger in size than the insular ssp. pali (wingspan 30–35 mm, length of forewing 16–18 mm, versus 28–32 mm and 14–16 mm, respectively) ( Fig. 13 ). Nevertheless, the proper separation is strongly supported by the geographical distribution, since the nominotypical subspecies is endemic in Taiwan while the new subspecies occurs in continental China.

The male genitalia of the two subspecies, ssp. pali and ssp. continentalis , are almost identical. Euplexia pali continentalis ssp. n. ( Figs 25, 26 ) can be separated from the Taiwanese nominotypical subspecies ( Fig. 24 ) by its larger cucullus, somewhat ventrally crooked lateral process of the harpe, finely hooked aedeagus and the stronger longitudinal sclerotization of vesica.

The female genitalia of the new subspecies ( Fig. 34 ) are also similar to those of the nominotypical subspecies ( Fig. 33 ), but the sclerotized plate of the antrum is trapezoidal, the distal section of ductus bursae is more sclerotized-wrinkled than in the insular ssp. pali , having two (a small and a larger, rather mushroom–shaped) strongly sclerotized plates, and the appendix bursae is somewhat smaller. In the ssp. pali , the antrum is almost evenly broad, the sclerotised plates of the distal section of ductus bursae are remarkably smaller, and the appendix bursae is larger than in the ssp. continentalis .

Biology and distribution. The new subspecies of E. pali is known from continental China, from the provinces Shaanxi, Hubei and Sichuan. It occurs in medium–high altitude woodlands; the specimens of the type–series were collected between 1150–1820 m elevations.

Etymology. The name refers to the occurrence of the new taxon in the continental China.

Figures

FIGURES13–17. Euplexia spp.Adults.13. E.pali, male, paratype Taiwan, Hualien (coll.PGM); 14. E. pali continentalis ssp. n. male, holotype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4577 (coll. PGM); 15. E. pali continentalis ssp. n. female, paratype, China, Shaanxi (coll. PGM); 16. E. pali continentalis ssp. n. paratype female, China, Sichuan, PGY 4562 (coll. PGM). Male genitalia. 17. E. spica sp. n. holotype, China, Sichuan, Wang Shan, PGY 3282 (coll.PGM).

FIGURES 24–26. Euplexia spp. Male genitalia. 24. E. pali paratype, Taiwan, RL 11024 (HNHM); 25. E. pali continentalis ssp. n. holotype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4577 (coll. PGM); 26. E. pali continentalis ssp n. paratype, China, Shaanxi, PGY 3275 (coll. PGM);

FIGURES 31–34. Euplexia spp. Female genitalia. 31. E. annapurna holotype, Nepal, RL 5694 (HNHM); 32. E. lilacina Nepal, RL 11879 (HNHM); 33. E. pali Taiwan, RL 12088 (HNHM); 34. E. pali continentalis ssp. n. paratype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4554 (coll. PGM).