Manulea (Churingosia) chrysophleps ( Hampson, 1895 ) Volynkin & Černý, 2022

Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2022, Churingosia, a new subgenus of the genus Manulea Wallengren with descriptions of four new species from the Oriental realm (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Zootaxa 5205 (2), pp. 162-176 : 164-165

Manulea (Churingosia) chrysophleps ( Hampson, 1895) , comb. n.

( Figs 1–4 , 17, 18 , 27, 28 )

Lithosia chrysophleps Hampson, 1895 , Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1895: 294 (Type locality: [SW Bhutan or Kalimpong District of West Bengal State of India] “ Bhután ”).

Type material examined. Lectotype (hereby designated) ( Fig. 1 ): female, “ Bhutan. | 95–37. | 20.8.92” / “ Lithosia | chrysophleps. | type ♀. Hmpsn.” / red ring “ Type | H. T.” label / QR-code label with unique number: “ NHMUK010401801 ” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. INDIA: 1 female, Gopaldhara, Darjeeling, 3440–5800’ ( H. Stevens ) / Rothschild Bequest B. M. 1939-1, unique number: NHMUK010916174 , gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010317585 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK) ; 1 male, Sikkim, Gangtok, 15. VI.[19]38, Exped. Schäfer / Agylla sp. det. F. Daniel 19, gen. prep. No.: MfN-344 (prepared by Volynkin) ( MfN) ; 1 male, Kumaon-Himalaya, Distr. NainiTal, Bhim Tal, 1500m, 01.VII.1971, de Freina leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 2021-074 (prepared by Volynkin) ( MWM / ZSM) ; NEPAL: 5 males, 12 females, Annapurna Himal, 1200m, 1 km N of Syange , 28°24′N 84°25′E, 07. VI.1996, Hreblay & Szaboky leg., gen. prep. Nos.: ZSM Arct. 2021-018, ZSM Arct. 2021-258 (males), Nos.: ZSM Arct. 2021-105 (female) ( MWM / ZSM) ; 1 male, Katmandu, 1910, More / Brit. Mus. 1926-142, unique number: NHMUK010916168 ( NHMUK) .

Notes. (1) In the original description, Hampson (1895) mentioned G. C. Dudgeon as a person who provided the specimen(s). The label of the type specimen contains only the name of the country, Bhutan without exact locality data. In the first part of his ‘Catalogue of the Heterocera of Sikhim and Bhutan’, Dudgeon (1898) provided a map from which it can be concluded that his collectors have penetrated only shallowly into the southwestern part of the country bordering Darjeeling. Additionally, Dudgeon wrote, that “... by reason of the climatic similarity of the adjoining portion of the Darjeeling district, known as the Daling Division, I include the same under the name of Bhutan, of which, previous to 1866, it formed a part.” and “By far the greater proportion of moths recorded from Bhutan in this catalogue have been obtained in the Daling Division of Darjeeling, or as it sometimes called, British Bhutan ”. The territory formerly called Daling Division currently belongs to the Kalimpong District of West Bengal. Based on this sparse information, we can delineate a possible type locality as south-western Bhutan or the Kalimpong District of West Bengal State ( Northeast India). (2) The species was described from a single sex (female) but Hampson (1895) did not mention the number of specimens. In order to stabilise the nomenclature we hereby designate the female specimen labelled as “Type” and preserved in the NHMUK collection as lectotype .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 15.5–16.5 mm in males and 18.0– 19.5 mm in females. The species is morphologically most similar to M. fardyftera sp. n., the differences are discussed in detail below in the diagnosis of the latter species.

Distribution. Nepal ( Kishida 1994), North and Northeast India, and Bhutan ( Hampson 1895; Smetacek 2008).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Manulea (Churingosia subgen. n.) spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 and 2 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 3 in MfN; 4–8 in MWM/ZSM.

FIGURES 17–19. Manulea (Churingosia subgen. n.) spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 17 in MfN; 18 and 19 in MWM/ZSM.

FIGURES 27–30. Manulea (Churingosia subgen. n.) spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 27 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 28–30 in MWM/ZSM.