Ctenoceratoda persephone, Varga & Gyulai & Ronkay & Ronkay, 2018

Varga, Zoltán, Gyulai, Péter, Ronkay, Gábor & Ronkay, László, 2018, Review Of The Species Groups Of The Genus Ctenoceratoda Varga, 1992 With Description Of Four New Species And A New Subspecies (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 64 (1), pp. 51-74 : 59

Ctenoceratoda persephone sp. n.

( Figs 1–4 , 25 , 33, 34 , 39 )

Holotype:male, Mongolia, Khovd aimak, 60 km E of Altay somon centre, 1600 m, 45°48’N, 92°50’N, 19.V.1990. leg. Gy. Fábián, M. Hreblay, L. Peregovits & G. Ronkay (coll. HNHM).

Paratypes. Mongolia. 14 males, 5 females, from the same locality and date (coll. Gy. Fábián, P. Gyulai, G. Ronkay & HNHM) ; 7 males, Ömnögovi aimak, Mts Noyon , 22 km SE of Gurvantös, 1800 m, N43°14’, E101°47’, 13. V.1990, leg. Gy. Fábián, M. Hreblay, L. Peregovits & G. Ronkay (coll. Gy. Fábián, G. Ronkay & HNHM) ; 3 males, Govi Altay aimak, Mts Adz Bogd, valley of Ih-gol , 2100 m, N44°45’, E95°00’, 17. V.1990, leg. Gy. Fábián, M. Hreblay, L. Peregovits & G. Ronkay (coll. G. Ronkay, Z. Varga & HNHM) ; 1 female, Govi Altai aimak, 1880 m, 7. VI.2004, leg. Saldaitis (coll. P. Gyulai) ; 3 males, Govi Altay aimak, N slopes of Adz Bogd Mts , 1880 m, 8. VI.2004, leg. Saldaitis (coll. P. Gyulai) ; 1 male, 1 female, Govi Altai, 20 km NWW of Bidzh village, Hundlengijn-Shin place, 1650 m, 5. VI.2011, leg. R. Yakovlev (coll. NHM Wien) ; 1 male, 1 female, Mongolian Altai Mts, S slope Mongoljn-Gol valley , 1800 m, 31. V.2011, leg. R. Yakovlev (coll. NHM Wien) , 1 male, Govi Altay Aimak, S. of Mongolian Altay, Mogoin gol river, 1920 m, 8–9.VII.2004, leg. Saldaitis (coll. P. Gyulai) .

Slide Nos: VZ 5931m, VZ 5932m, VZ 9489m, VZ 9502m (males), VZ9510f (female).

Diagnosis – Ctenoceratoda persephone is on average the largest species of the khorgossi -group (with its wingspan 38–42 mm) and is externally also most similar to C. khorgossi ( Figs 5–6 ) but the whole appearance is more robust, the colouration is grey, in fresh specimens often with some light bluish hue but never ochreous-brown as in C. khorgossi . The dark markings are blackish graphite-grey; the lighter parts of the wing are whitish-grey. Reniform stigma slightly curved, with a pipe-shaped acute whitish stripe at lower extremity; claviform stigma very short, with whitish-grey “wish” terminally. Brush organ of the male reduced.

The most important specific differences in the male genitalia of C. persephone ( Figs 33, 34 ) are as follows: ampulla elongate and slightly falcate, not acute and plate-shaped as in C. khorgossi ( Figs 35, 36 ); head of cucullus relatively large and not inflated terminally as in C. argyrea ( Figs 37, 38 ).

In the female genitalia, the appendix bursae is larger and longer than in the related species ( Figs 39–42 ).

Bionomics and distribution – Mostly unknown. The type-series was collected at medium-high altitude of the Mongolian Altai (Mongol and Govi Altai) Mts. The species has an early appearance in the year, the flight period is the late spring, in most parts of Mongolia it is in May–early June.

Etymology. Persephone is a spirit of the spring in Greek mythology.

Figures

Figs 1–8. Ctenoceratoda spp. 1–4 = C. persephone sp. n., Mongolia: 1 = paratype, male, Khovd aimak, 2 = holotype, male, Govi Altay aimak, 3 = paratype female, Khovd aimak, 4 = paratype, female, Khovd aimak; 5–6 = C. khorgossi (Alphéraky, 1882), Kirghisia, Issyk-Kul: 5 = male, 6 = female; 7–8 = C. argyrea (Varga, 1992), Mongolia, Govi Altay aimak: 7 = holotype, male, 8 = paratype female

Figs 25–32. Ctenoceratoda spp. antennae. 25 = C. persephone sp. n., paratype, male, Mongolia, 26 = C. khorgossi (Alphéraky, 1882), male, Kazakhstan, 27 = C. scotosparsa sp. n., paratype, male, Mongolia, 28 = C. argyrea (Varga, 1992) holotype, male, Mongolia, 29 = C. cyanochrea sp. n., paratype, male, Mongolia, 30 = C. tancrei (Graeser, 1892), male, Kazakhstan, 31 = C. mallopyga mallopyga sp. n., paratype, male, Pakistan, 32 = C. contempta (Püngeler, 1914), male, Kirghisia

Figs 33–38. Ctenoceratoda spp. male genitalia. 33–34 = C. persephone sp. n., paratype, Mongolia, slide No.: VZ9489; 35–36 = C. khorgossi (Alphéraky, 1882), Kirghisia, slide No.: VZ9488; 37–38 = C. argyrea (Varga, 1992), paratype, Mongolia, slide No.: VZ5109

Figs 39–41. Ctenoceratoda spp. female genitalia. 39 = C. persephone sp. n., paratype, Mongolia, slide No.: VZ5942; 40 = C. khorgossi (Alphéraky, 1882), Kazakhstan, slide No.: VZ9506; 41 = C. argyrea (Varga, 1992), paratype, Mongolia, slide No.: VZ5153