Nephelomilta yasunorikishidai Huang & Wang, 2019

Huang, Si-Yao, Volynkin, Anton V., Xiong, Yun, Li, Ying-Chun, Saldaitis, Aidas & Li, Xian-Fu, 2023, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Nephelomilta Hampson, 1900 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) from China with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 5351 (5), pp. 534-542 : 537

Nephelomilta yasunorikishidai Huang & Wang, 2019

( Figs 7–10 , 20–22 , 25 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 7 , 20 ): male, 21–24. VII. 2006, Gongshan County, Yunnan Province, P. R. China, Min Wang & Xiao-ling Fan leg. (Coll. SCAU).

Additional material examined: 1 male, altitude 2150 m, 18. VII. 2017, 80K (Bononggong), Motuo County, Xizang Autonomous Region , China, slide NMT02 (Coll. CHSY) ; 1 male, same locality, but 13. VII. 2017 (Coll. CHSY) ; 1 male, same locality, but 17. VII. 2017 (Coll. CHSY) ; 2 males, same locality, but 28. VII. 2018, En-yong Chen & Zhao-hui Pan leg. (Coll. CHSY) ; 1 female, same locality, but 30. VII. 2016, Zhao-hui Pan leg. (Coll. CHSY) ; 1 male, China, Xizang, Motuo County, north of Ani bridge, 1800 m, 25–30. VII. 2005, local collector leg., slide AV 6495 (Coll. WIGJ) .

Remarks. (1) This species was described based on a single male specimen from western Yunnan and a living adult from southeastern Xizang was also imaged and illustrated ( Huang & Wang 2019). Subsequently, more individuals of this species including the previously unknown female from southeastern Xizang became available to the authors. The genitalia structures of the two known populations of the species display no remarkable differences. (2) Among the genus Nephelomilta , N. yasunorikishidai is most reminiscent of N. sumatrana (van Eecke, 1927) ( Figs. 11–14 , 23, 24, 26, 27 ) and can be reliably distinguished by the markedly larger size in both sexes (the forewing length is 15–18 mm in males and 24. 5 mm in female vs. 10–11.5 mm in males and 12–14.5 mm in females in N. sumatrana ), and the terminal line of the forewing consisting of distinct blackish dots whereas it is concolourous with the other markings in N. sumatrana . The male genitalia of N. yasunorikishidai differ from N. sumatrana in the lack of the subapical saccular process, and the considerably larger and broader subbasal diverticulum. According to the differences mentioned above, as well as the fundamentally different antrum structure (see below), it is worthy to erect N. yasunorikishidai into a separate species group, namely the N. yasunorikishidai species group.

Diagnosis of the female. The female of the species is significantly larger than the male (the forewing length is 24. 5 mm vs. 15–18 mm). In the female genitalia of N. yasunorikishidai , unlike N. sumatrana , the antrum has a strongly elongated anterior section with parallel margins and a considerably broader posterior section bearing two postero-lateral semicircular lobes ventrally whereas it is caliciform in the congener. Additionally, compared to N. sumatrana , the corpus bursae of the current species is narrower and smaller and with a markedly larger and more elongated signum.

Figures

FIGURES 1–14. Nephelomilta spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1, 2 and 7 in SCAU; 3, 8–10 in CHSY; 6 in INU (after Bayarsaikhan et al. 2023); 4, 5, 11, 12 in MWM/ZSM, 13 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK), 14 in CKC.

FIGURES 20–22. Male genitalia of Nephelomilta yasunorikishidai: Depositories of the slides: 20 in SCAU; 21 in CHSY, 22 in WIGJ.

FIGURES 23–27. Male and female genitalia of Nephelomilta spp.: Depositories of the slides: 23 in MWM/ZSM, 24 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK), 25 in CHSY, 26 in MWM/ZSM, 27 in CKC.