Miltochrista inconspicua ( Moore, 1878 )

Volynkin, Anton V. & Huang, Si-Yao, 2022, On the taxonomy of the genus Miltochrista Hübner with descriptions of five new species from India and China and notes on the genus Arctelene Kirti & Gill (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 58, pp. 86-108 : 93-94

Miltochrista inconspicua ( Moore, 1878)

( Figs 13–17 , 47, 48 , 63 )

Lyclene inconspicua Moore, 1878 , Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London , 1878: 32 (Type locality: “Northern India ”).

Type material examined. Lectotype (hereby designated) ( Fig. 13 ): male, “N. India | Farr. | 658” / “Moore Coll. | 94–106.” / “ Lyclene | inconspicua | type) Moore” / red ring “ Type ” label / QR- code label with unique number: “ NHMUK010598186 ” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. INDIA: WEST BENGAL: 1 male, 1 female, Darjeeling, Mangpu road, 1800m, 31.VII.1990, W. Thomas leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV3429 (male), AV3430 (female) (prepared by Volynkin) ( CKC) ; TAMIL NADU: 1 male, 1 female, Coimbatore road, 1100m, Lf , 15.VIII.1989, W. Thomas leg., gen. prep. Nos.: ZSM Arct. 327/2017 (male), ZSM Arct. 328/2017 (female) (prepared by Volynkin) ( MWM / ZSM) .

Notes. (1) In the original description, Moore (1878) did not specify the number of specimens. In order to stabilise the nomenclature, we hereby designate the male syntype labeled as “Type” and preserved in the NHMUK collection as lectotype. (2) Kirti & Singh (2016: 101) illustrated this species as ‘ Miltochrista arcuata ’ by misidentification.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.5–10.00 mm in males and 11.5–12.5 mm in females. The species is variable in size and the degree of expression of the forewing pattern. The small specimens with thin forewing markings are externally similar to M. aurora but differ in the somewhat broader forewing. The genitalia structures of both sexes of M. inconspicua are similar to M. hogani sp. n., the detailed comparison is provided above in the diagnosis of the latter species.

Distribution. North, Northeast and South India (Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Manipur, and Tamil Nadu) ( Kirti & Singh 2016, as ‘ Miltochrista arcuata ’).

Figures

Figures 13–27. Miltochrista spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 13, 18, 22 and 25 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 14 and 15 in CKC; 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26 and 27 in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 47–50. Miltochrista spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 47 in CKC; 48 and 49 in MWM/ZSM; 50 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 63–66. Miltochrista spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 63 in CKC; 64 in OUMNH; 65 and 66 in MWM/ZSM.