Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa, 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 : 69-73

Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa ssp. n.

( Figs 23, 24 , 57, 58 , 61 )

Holotype: male, India Himachal Pradesh, Spiti, Spiti valley , 6 km SE Kaza, 4100 m, 1.VII.1994, No. 21, leg. P. Kautt & V. Weisz (coll. G. Ronkay).

Paratypes. India, Himachal Pradesh. Spiti, Spiti valley: 4 males, 3 females, with the same data as the holotype; 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 19. VI.1994 ( No. 4) ; 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 29. VI.1994 ( No. 19) ; 1 male, 2 females, 3 km SE Kaza, 3900 m, 30. VI.1994 ( No 20) ; 1 male, 2 females, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 4.VII.1994 ( No. 25) ; 5 males, 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 5.VII.1994 ( No. 27) ; 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 6.VII.1994 ( No. 29) ; 1 male, 5 km WNW Kaza, 4350 m, 10.VII.1994 ( No. 33) ; 1 male, 1 km SW Komik, 4400 m, 11.VII.1994 ( No. 34) ; 1 male, Kaza , 3600 m, 12.VII.1994 No. 35); 3 males, 2 females, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 13.VII.1994 ( No. 36) ; 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 14.VII.1994 ( No. 38) ; 2 females, 1 km NW Kaza, 3550 m, 15.VII.1994 ( No. 39) ; 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 15.VII.1994 ( No. 40) ; 6 males, 2 females, 6 km SE Kaza, 4100 m, 17.VII.1994 ( No. 41) ; 2 males, 7 km SE Kaza, 4150 m, 18.VII.1994 ( No. 42) ; 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 6.VIII.1994 ( No. 50) , 1 female, Kaza , 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 7.VIII.1994 (No. 52) (coll. P. Gyulai, G. Ronkay and HNHM); altogether 45 specimens from the above-mentioned localities, in coll. H. Hacker.

Slide Nos: VZ 7681m, VZ 8008m, VZ 9530m (males), VZ7485f (female).

Diagnosis – The subspecies has the same appearance and regular pattern as the nominotypical subspecies but is essentially smaller in size (wingspan 42–46 mm) and lacks the bluish-grey colouration of body and forewings which is typical of the ssp. mallopyga . The body and the wings are unicolorous clay-grey, thorax with scattered blackish-brownish hairs, abdomen slightly lighter, somewhat more ochreous. Pattern of forewing regular, maculation finely defined with black scales, basal part of reniform stigma and the entire claviform stigma stronger defined; basal dash black, root-shaped.

Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa can be distinguished from the other members of the lupa -group by the rather unicolorous forewings with complete and regular pattern.

The male genitalia ( Figs 57, 58 ) are proportionally smaller than those of the ssp. mallopyga , displaying no mentionable differences between the two subspecies.

Distribution and bionomics. The new subspecies is confined to a relatively small, semi-arid area in the south-western Himalaya Mts in India (Himachal Pradesh). It seems to be locally frequent at the high altitude regions (between 3500–4200 m a.s.l.).

Figures

Figs 17–24. Ctenoceratoda spp. 17–19 = Ctenoceratoda mallopyga mallopyga sp. n., 17–18 = paratype, male, Pakistan, 19 = paratype, female, Pakistan, Hindukush Mts; 20 = C. contempta (Püngeler, 1914), lectotypel male, [China, Xinjiang] “Ost-Turkestan, Aksu”; 21 = C. septemlacustris Gaal-Haszler, Lödl, Ronkay, Ronkay & Varga, 2012, holotype, male, Afghanistan, Koh-i-Baba Mts; 22 = C. lupa (Christoph, 1893), lectotype, male, [Iran] Hyrcania, Shahkuh; 23–24 = C. mallopyga dyschroa ssp. n., India, Himachal Pradesh: 23 = holotype, male, 24 = paratype, female

Figs 53–58. Ctenoceratoda spp. male genitalia. 53–54 = C. septemlacustris Gaal–Haszler, Lödl, Ronkay, Ronkay et Varga, 2012, paratype, Afghanistan, slide No.: RL10476; 55–56 = C. lupa (Christoph, 1893), Iran, slide No.: RL11753; 57–58 = C. mallopyga dyschroa sp. n., paratype, India Himachal Pradesh, slide No.: VZ9530

Figs 59–61. Ctenoceratoda spp. female genitalia. 59 = C. cyanochrea sp. n., paratype, Mongolia, slide No.: VZ9507; 60 = C. mallopyga mallopyga sp. n., paratype, Pakistan, slide No.: VZ7487; 61 = C. mallopyga dyschroa sp. n., paratype, India Himachal Pradesh, slide No.: VZ7485