Longarista Volynkin, 2019

Volynkin, Anton V., 2019, Description of the new genus Longarista Volynkin, gen. nov., with a new species from northern Indochina (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 20 (2019), pp. 97-104 : 98

Longarista Volynkin , gen. nov.

Type species: Miltochrista longaria Daniel, 1951 .

Etymology. The genus name is a combination of the name of the type species, longaria , and the generic name Miltochrista . Gender is feminine.

Diagnosis. Members of the new genus ( Figs 1 –9) resemble some species of the genus Barsine , especially females of the Vietnamese Barsine bachma bachma Volynkin & Černý, 2018 (Figs 13, 21, 28), males of the Chinese Barsine delineata (Walker, 1854) (Figs 10–12, 20, 27) and both sexes of Taiwanese Barsine convexa (Wileman, 1910) comb. nov. (Figs 14, 15, 22, 29) as well. Nevertheless, species of Longarista can be easily distinguished from female specimens of B. bachma bachma by their broader forewing, presence of yellow suffusion and red hindwing cilia at outer and anal margin. Unlike B. delineata and B. convexa , species of Longarista have no discal spot of forewing. Despite the external similarity, the male genitalia of Longarista ( Figs 16–19 ) differ clearly from those of Barsine ( Figs 20–23 ) by the absence of a medial costal process, the presence of which is the main synapomorphy of the genus Barsine and its allies ( Cyme Felder, 1861 , Melanaema Butler, 1877 , Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, 2017 , Nebulene Volynkin & Černý, 2018 and Asura Walker, 1854 ). Compared to those of members of the genus Miltochrista ( Figs 24, 25 ), the male genitalia of Longarista have no distal membranous lobe of valva. In addition, the vesica of Longarista is armed with numerous small but robust cornuti, the feature bringing it closer to most Barsine (the vesica of Miltochrista has one or several large, thorn- or blade-like cornuti). The autapomorphic feature of Longarista is the structure of its juxta, which is swollen, heavily sclerotised and densely covered with small denticles, whereas other members of the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex have flattened juxta, which is moderately or weakly sclerotised and has no denticles. The female genitalia of the new genus ( Fig. 26 ) are characterized by the presence of a swollen postvaginal plate, which is absent or flattened in Barsine and Miltochrista ( Figs 27–31 ) and other genera of the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex as well.

Description. Adults ( Figs 1 –9). Medium-sized moths; male antennae ciliate, female antennae filiform. Wings red with slight yellow suffusion. Forewing pattern dark grey or blackish, consists of two small subbasal spots, antemedial line angled in the cell, wavy medial line, curved and shortly dentate postmedial line and a series of longitudinal strokes of different length between the veins. Forewing cilia blackish. Hindwing without pattern, sometimes with slight dark grey suffusion along veins in the subterminal and terminal areas. Hindwing cilia blackish at apex and red at outer and anal margin. Male genitalia ( Figs 16– 19 ). Uncus robust, laterally flattened, curved subapically, pointed apically. Tuba analis broad, membranous; scaphium narrow and weakly sclerotised. Tegumen moderately sclerotised, shorter than valva, its distal half strongly angled dorsally; vinculum U-shaped, short; juxta bilobate, heavily sclerotised, strongly swollen, its dorsal surface densely dentate. Valva heavily sclerotized, lobe-like, with short broadly trigonal costal process directed distally and narrower thorn-like medial process directed distally-ventrally. Sacculus broad, weakly setose, without processes. Aedeagus elongated, narrow, slightly broadened and dentate distally. Vesica short, membranous, has long medial cluster of short but robust cornuti and several short diverticula with small short cornuti or granulation. Female genitalia ( Fig. 26 ). Papillae anales trapezoidal. Apophyses thin; apophyses anteriores ca. 2 times shorter than apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae broad. Postvaginal plate rounded, rugose, swollen dorsally. Ductus bursae elongated, dorso-ventrally flattened, heavily sclerotised. Corpus bursae ovoid, its inner surface with strong spinulose scobination. Appendix bursae small, globular, situated postero-laterally, with granulation laterally.

Distribution. Species of the genus are distributed in southern China and northern Indochina.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Longarista (1–9) and Barsine (10–15) spp.: adults. 1, L. longaria, holotype male, China, Zhejiang (ZFMK); 2, L. longaria, male, China, Hainan (MWM/ZSM); 3, L. longaria, female, China, Guangdong (ZMB); 4, L. kareli, holotype male, N Myanmar (MWM/ZSM); 5, L. kareli, paratype male, N Myanmar (MWM/ZSM); 6, L. kareli, paratype male, N Myanmar (MWM/ZSM); 7, L. kareli, paratype male, N Thailand (MWM/ZSM); 8, L. kareli, paratype male, N Laos (MWM/ZSM); 9, L. kareli, paratype male, N Virtnam (MWM/ZSM); 10, B. delineata, male, China, Zhejiang (ZFMK); 11, B. delineata, male, China, Jiangxi (MWM/ZSM); 12, B. delineata, female, China, Shanghai (ZFMK); 13, B. bachma bachma, paratype female, S Vietnam (CAV); 14, B. convexa, male, Taiwan (MWM/ZSM); 15, B. convexa, female, Taiwan (MWM/ZSM).

Figures 16–19. Longarista spp.: male genitalia. 16, L. longaria, China, Guangdong, slide AV4241 Volynkin; 17, L. longaria, China, Hainan, slide MWM 33570 Volynkin; 18, L. kareli, holotype, N Myanmar, slide MWM 33597 Volynkin; 19, 18, L. kareli, paratype, N Vietnam, slide MWM 33571 Volynkin.

Figures 20–23. Barsine spp.: male genitalia. 20, B. delineata, China, Jiangxi, slide MWM 33574 Volynkin; 21, B. bachma bachma, holotype, C Vietnam; 22, B. convexa, Taiwan, slide MWM 33589 Volynkin; 23, B. defecta defecta, type species of Barsine, Nepal, slide MWM 33925 Volynkin.

Figures 24–28. Miltochrista spp.: male genitalia (24–25), Longarista (26) and Barsine (27–28): female genitalia. 24, M. miniata, type species of Miltochrista, Russia, slide AV2289 Volynkin; 25, M. humilis, Nepal, slide AV2351 Volynkin; 26, L. longaria, SE China, slide AV4242 Volynkin; 27, B. delineata, E China, slide AV1929 Volynkin; 28, B. bachma bachma, paratype, C Vietnam, slide AV2511 Volynkin.