Hierochthonia Prout, 1912

Viidalepp, Jaan & Kostjuk, Igor, 2021, Taxonomic notes on two endemic geometrine genera from Middle Asia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 5052 (1), pp. 137-144 : 140

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5052.1.9

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3E6DA6AB-32EB-473A-BD67-C8C59D4357BF

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5699320

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D48798-FFA0-3475-54FB-1D3BEC03F838

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Hierochthonia Prout, 1912
status

 

Hierochthonia Prout, 1912 View in CoL and “ H.” alexandraria Prout, 1912

Prout diagnosed the genus Hierochthonia (Type species: Microloxia pulverata Warren, 1901 ) using external characters as antennae bipectinate up to the last apical segments; hindwing with the subcostal vein fused with the fore margin of the discal cell near to its end; hindtibia provided with one pair of spurs (Prout 1912: 204). Hausmann (1996) redescribed the genus Hierochthonia using H. pulverata Warren and H. semitaria Püngeler. Comparison of the characteristics of H. alexandraria (also Figs 9–11 View FIGURES 1–13 , 23 View FIGURES 22–26 ) with those of southern species ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 1–13 , 22 View FIGURES 22–26 ) indicates the following differences.

Both Hierochthonia-- H. pulverata and H. semitaria-- possess long, flat postvaginal lamellae and roundish lateral sclerites attached to the ostium in female genitalia ( Hausmann 1996, Figs 144, 145). These structures are missing in “ H.” alexandraria and “H.” petitaria females ( Figs 24, 25 View FIGURES 22–26 ).

The valva in male genitalia of typical Hierochthonia has a medial harpe ( Figs 22 View FIGURES 22–26 ), and aedeagus is spoon shaped (distally dilated) with a complex apical sclerotization. However, “ H.” alexandraria has a tubular aedeagus with two thorn shaped cornuti on the vesica, and a simple valva ( Fig. 23 View FIGURES 22–26 ). Prout (1912) stressed the peculiar venation of hindwing with Sc free when characterizing “ Hierochthonia alexandraria . We use this synergy of differences in wing venation and in male and female genitalia characteristics to separate “ H.” alexandraria in a new genus of its own, Ratsa Viidalepp & Kostjuk , gen. nov. will be described below for this species.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Geometridae

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