Xenophysa junctimacula ( Christoph, 1887 )

Varga, Zoltán, 2011, Revision of the genus Xenophysa Boursin, 1969 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Zootaxa 3094, pp. 1-29 : 4

Xenophysa junctimacula ( Christoph, 1887)

Agrotis junctimacula Christoph, 1887 , Romanoff, Mémoires sur les Lépidoptères 3: 67, pl. 3, f. 11.

Redescription. Male: The unique male specimen (which was unfortunately not a syntype) externally completely agrees with the lectotype female (Plate 1, Figs 1–2). Antennae much stronger bipectinate than in the closely related and sympatrically occurring X. cacumena Brandt (see: note of Corti on the label of the X. cacumena 3 in the coll. ZSM: “ junctimacula var., andere Fühler, Corti det.”). Head and thorax dark greyish brown, collar with light grey margin. Abdomen light greyish brown. Forewing apically elongate and acute, fairly unicolorous greyish brown with blackish line and longitudinal lighter “wash” basally. Reniform regular with dark brownish-grey filling and with a double whitish line basally, connected with the orbicular spot (see: name of the species). Orbicular spot narrow, oblique; claviform spot faint. Subterminal line only weakly crenulate, with fine dark brownish-grey arrowheads. Antemedial and postmedian lines faint. Male genitalia: Uncus strong, relatively thick with “anchor”-shaped bilateral hook apically and with short and rounded transversal extensions basally. Tegumen with small and rounded bilateral lobes densely covered by small spinules. Costal extension of the valve with a hump-like and with a more acute protuberance dorsally. Distal end of valve with spatulate digitus and with a short, acute pseudopollex laterally. Juxta with strongly sclerotised tongue-shaped extension dorsally. Aedeagus simple, slender, ampulla slighly bulbous, slighly arcuate. Vesica with a long subbasal diverticulum (Plate 6, Figs 32 a, b). Female genitalia: Papillae anales triangular with fine, long setae. Antrum strongly sclerotised, slightly asymmetrical, with stronger left “arm” and with broad and shallow U-shaped incision. Bursa simple without signa (Plate 11, Figs 50–51).

Taxonomic notes. These specimens show similar genital characters with X. junctimacula huberi in E. Turkey. The re-examination of large materials from Iran has shown that in the Alborz Mts. two externally similar species occur sympatrically.

Biological notes. X. junctimacula is restricted to the higher parts of the central and eastern Alborz Mts., with high mountain Iranian steppe vegetation and with Caspian influences ( Iris, Astragalus, Artemisia spp., numerous tall Apiaceae and Poaceae ). Its flight period is relatively early (mostly the second half of June). In the lower part of the mountains (2400 m.) it occurs sympatrically with X. cacumena ( Brandt, 1938) , but the latter species is more widely distributed and more frequent in the Alborz Mts. and the flight period is about 2–3 weeks later (in July).