Miltochrista aurora ( Hampson, 1891 )

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 : 95-96

Miltochrista aurora ( Hampson, 1891) , stat. n.

( Figs 25–31 , 52 , 66 )

Lyclene aurora Hampson, 1891 , Illustrations of typical specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection of the British Museum, 8: 50, pl. 139, fig. 20 (Type locality: “the Nilgiri District of Southern India... S. slopes, 3000 feet ” ( Hampson 1891: Preface and page 5)).

= Lyclene rosea Hampson, 1891 , Illustrations of typical specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection of the British Museum, 8: 50, pl. 139, fig. 19 (Type locality: “the Nilgiri District of Southern India... W. slopes, 300–3000 feet ... S. slopes 3000 feet ” ( Hampson 1891: Preface and page 5)), syn. n.

Type material examined. Holotype of Lyclene aurora (by monotypy) ( Fig. 25 ): male, “Nilgiris. | HampsonColl. | 89–129.” / 406. | A.” / “ Lyclene | aurora | Hampson | type ♂ ” / red ring “Type” label / “Original body. | teste Wats.” / QR- code label with unique number: “ NHMUK010604777 ” ( NHMUK) . Lectotype of Lyclene rosea (hereby designated) ( Fig. 31 ): female, “Nilgiris. | HampsonColl. | 89–129.” / 888. | 73” / “ Lyclene | rosea | Hampson | type ♀ ” / red ring “Type” label / “Original body. | teste Wats.” / QR-code label with unique number: “ NHMUK010604776 ” ( NHMUK) .

Additional material examined. INDIA: TAMIL NADU: 1 male, 1 female, Kalkad Wildlife Sanctuary, Manimtar-Kodear , 1300m, 8.IV.1997, Sinyaev & Schintlmeister leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 23/2017 (male), ZSM Arct. 24/2017 (female) (prepared by Volynkin) ( MWM / ZSM) ; 4 males, 2 females, 1000m, Kalkad Wildlife Sanctuary, Manjolai , 6–7.IV.1997, 8°15'N 77°27'E, tea estate / rainforest, Sinyaev & Schintlmeister, gen. prep. Nos.: ZSM Arct. 329/2017, ZSM Arct. 331/2017, ZSM Arct. 333/2017, ZSM Arct. 340/2017 (males), ZSM Arct. 330/2017, ZSM Arct. 332/2017 (females) (prepared by Volynkin) ( MWM / ZSM) .

Notes. (1) The species is hereby revived from the synonymy with Arctelene arcuata , comb. n. (2) The species is externally polymorphic, and Lyclene aurora and Lyclene rosea have been described from the same locality and represent two extremities of its range of variability. As First Revisers (see the ICZN (1999) Article 24.2), we determine the precedence of Lyclene aurora over Lyclene rosea . (3) Hampson (1891) described Lyclene aurora from male and Lyclene rosea from female but has not specified the number of specimens. However, subsequently Hampson (1900: 457) cited one male and two females as “types rosea and aurora ” therefore we can conclude that Lyclene aurora was described from a single male, which is a holotype by monotypy, whereas Lyclene rosea was described from two males, which are syntypes. In order to stabilise the nomenclature, we hereby designate the syntype of Lyclene rosea labeled as “Type” and preserved in the NHMUK collection as lectotype.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.0–11.0 mm in males and 10.0–11.0 mm in females. The species is variable in the shade of the forewing ground colour and the degree of expression of the forewing pattern, and differs from the similar M. monoklina sp. n. and M. kerala sp. n. in the narrower forewing and the less diffuse forewing pattern, respectively. The male genital capsule of M. aurora is distinguished from the related congeners in the short distal section of the valca with a short, thorn-shaped distal costal process, and the presence of two long cornuti in the phallus vesica. In the female genitalia, the elongate antrum with almost parallel margins, and the postero-lateral sclerotised plate of the corpus bursae positioned on the right side and encircled with large spinules are characteristic of the species.

Distribution. South India (Tamil Nadu).

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 28–42. Miltochrista (28–37) and Arctelene (38–42) spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 28–30, 32–35, and 42 in MWM/ZSM; 31, 38–41 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 36 and 37 in ZFMK.

Figures 51–54. Miltochrista spp.: male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in MWM/ZSM.

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