Bryoleuca granitalis (Butler, 1881)

An, Jeong-Seop, Choi, Sei-Woong & Ronkay, László, 2013, New Noctuidae (s. l.) species from the Korean fauna with description of a new species of Bryophila Treitschke, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae and Noctuidae), Zootaxa 3734 (3), pp. 345-361 : 347

Bryoleuca granitalis (Butler, 1881)

(Plate 1, figs 5–6; gen. fig. 2)

Gerbatha granitalis Butler, 1881 , Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1881: 194. Type locality: Japan, Tokyo.

Diagnosis. Bryoleuca granitalis differs externally from B. albimixta by the absence of the whitish definition of the basal and marginal areas and the surrounding of the reniform stigma and the more unicolorous but paler hindwings; from B. orthogramma by the arcuate antemedial line, the stronger postmedial line, the larger, more sharply defined reniform stigma, and the darker brown hindwings; from B. parva by its larger size, darker colouration of both wings, sharper defined crosslines and stigmata. The detailed comparison of B. granitalis and B. volodia sp. n. is given in the diagnosis of the newly described species. The typical feature of the male genitalia is the shortened, serrate-dentate cornutus of the vesica that is a shared character with B. albimixta . Bryoleuca granitalis differs from its close relative by the distally less dilated and less quadrangular valva, more thickened uncus, narrower juxta, longer and more pointed ampulla, larger basal bulb of vesica and longer cornutus. In B. orthogramma and B. volodia the cornutus is acutely pointed and not serrated while B. parva has very small, almost fully reduced terminal cornutus.

Distribution. The species is rather widespread in the Manchurian-Pacific subregion; it occurs in the Russian Far East, North-east China, Korea and Japan; the taxonomic identity of the Taiwanese populations requires further investigation.