Pulcheria catomelas Alphéraky, 1887

Volynkin, Anton V. & Matov, Alexej Yu., 2015, A review of the genus Pulcheria Alphéraky, 1887 with description of a new species from southeastern Kazakhstan (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Zootaxa 3974 (2), pp. 196-202 : 197-198

Pulcheria catomelas Alphéraky, 1887

( Figs 1–3 , 9, 10 , 15, 18, 21 )

Pulcheria catomelas Alphéraky, 1887 , Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 48: 170 (Type locality: "Turkestan").

Type material examined. Lectotype ( Figs 1 , 9 ) (hereby designated in order to stabilize nomenclature): male, handwritten pink label " Pulcheria Catomelas " / handwritten white label with a black frame "Kashgar" / handwritten grey label " 1.vi. [18]86, Myn'-gol" (in Russian) / printed white label "Coll. Gr. Prince Nikolaj Mikhajlovich" (in Russian). Slide 0342 Matov (Coll. ZISP); paralectotype ( Figs 3 , 21 ): female, handwritten pink label " Pulcheria Catomelas Alph. ♀ Origin." / handwritten white label with a black frame "Kashgar" / printed white label "Coll. Gr. Prince Nikolaj Mikhajlovich" (in Russian). Slide 0344 Matov (Coll. ZISP).

Other material examined: 5 males, Kashgar, Coll. Gr. Prince Nikolaj Mikhajlovich (coll. ZISP); 2 males, Chotan, vi.1890, leg. Conradt, Coll. Gr. Prince Nikolaj Mikhajlovich (coll. ZISP); 1 male, Lob-nor, v.1905, leg. Rueckbeil, Coll. Gr. Prince Nikolaj Mikhajlovich (coll. ZISP); 1 male, Myn'-gol, vii.1886, ex coll. Erschov (coll. ZISP); 1 male, MNR [ Mongolia], Bajan-Khongor aimak, 40 km S of Shine-Dzhinst, oasis Ekhijn-Gol, 27.vi.1981, leg. A. Lvovskij, slide 4077 L. Ronkay (coll. ZISP); 3 males, Ili-Gebiet, coll. Tancré (coll. ZSM); 1 male, Aksu, ex coll. Tancré / Coll. L. Osthelder (coll. ZSM); 1 female, Asia centr., Ost-Turkestan, Kisil-Jart, Rückbeil, August (coll. ZMHU); 1 female, Thianshan, Aksutal / Coll. J. v. Sterneck / No. / 8401 e. coll. Staudgr. (coll. NHMW); 1 male, Ost-Turkestan (Aksu), Rückbeil, An. vi.1900 (coll. ZMHU); 1 male, Asia centr., Lob-Noor (Tscharlik) Rückbeil ji.1907 (coll. ZMHU); 2 males, Kaschgaria / Kashgar. / Pulcheria Catomelas Alph. (coll. ZMHU); 1 male, Kaschgar [18]86 Grum. / Myn’-Gol, 7.vi. [19]86 / Pulcheria Alph. Catomelas Alph. (coll. ZMHU); 1 male, Aksu / collectio Dr. Schawerda (coll. NHMW); 5 males, China, Xinjiang, W Taklimakan desert, Yarkan He riv. valley, tugay forest, h- 1140 m, N39’’21.953’, E078’’11.639’, 9–12.vi.2013, Floriani leg. (coll. PGM).

Slides ZSM 4429, AV1345 Volynkin, RL4077 L. Ronkay, 0351 Matov (males).

Diagnosis. Wingspan 33–35 mm in males and 36 mm in females. P. catomelas is easily separated from the other two Pulcheria species by the pale ochreous brown ground colour of its body and forewing and the blackish ground colour of hindwing. In the male genitalia, the penicular lobes pointed, the distal part of valva is much narrower and corona is much shorter than those of the other two species, the clasper is wider, the harpe much broader, the vesica has broader subbasal diverticulum. In addition, male of P. catomelas differs from the other two Pulcheria species by the shape of 1st sternite ( Fig. 18 ) and 8th sternite and tergite ( Fig. 15 ). In the female genitalia, the ostium bursae stronger sclerotised than that of the other species, anterior part of the ductus bursae is broader, the corpus bursae is much shorter and broader anteriorly.

Distribution. Tien Shan mountain system ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China, Xinjiang) and southwestern Mongolia ( Varga 1982).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Pulcheria spp. adults. 1, P. catomelas, lectotype male, Kashgar (ZISP); 2, P. catomelas, male, China, Xinjiang (ZISP); 3, P. catomelas, paralectotype female, Kashgar (ZISP); 4, P. kasymkhani, holotype male, SE Kazakhstan (ZSM); 5, P. kasymkhani, paratype male, SE Kazakhstan (ZSM); 6, P. kasymkhani, paratype female, SE Kazakhstan (ZSM); 7, P. cinescens, neotype male, S Kazakhstan, Syr-Darya river (ZISP); 8, P. cinescens, female, Syr-Darya river (ZISP).

FIGURES 9 – 14. Pulcheria spp. male genitalia. 9, P. catomelas, lectotype, slide 0342 Matov; 10, P. catomelas, China, slide 0351 Matov; 11, P. kasymkhani, holotype, Kazakhstan, slide ZSM 4082 Volynkin; 12, P. kasymkhani, paratype, Kazakhstan, slide AV 1342 Volynkin; 13, P. cinescens, neotype, slide 0352 Matov; 14, P. cinescens, S Kazakhstan, slide 0343 Matov.

FIGURES 15 – 23. Pulcheria spp.: tergite and sternite 8 of males (15 – 17); basal abdominal segments of males (18 – 20), and female genitalia (21 – 23). 15, P. catomelas, lectotype, slide 0342 Matov; 16, P. kasymkhani, paratype, slide AV 1342 Volynkin; 17, P. cinescens, neotype, slide 0352 Matov; 18, P. catomelas, slide 0351 Matov; 19, P. kasymkhani, paratype, slide AV 1342 Volynkin; 20, P. cinescens, neotype, slide 0352 Matov; 21, P. catomelas, paralectotype, slide 0344 Matov; 22, P. kasymkhani, paratype, slide AV 1343 Volynkin; 23, P. cinescens, slide 0346 Matov.