Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890

Zhang, Dandan, Cai, Yanpeng & Li, Houhun, 2014, Taxonomic review of the genus Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Pyraustinae) from China, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 3753 (2), pp. 118-132 : 119-121

Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890

Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890: 438 (key), 440.

Type species: Botyodes ussurialis Bremer, 1864 . Subsequent designation by Hampson, 1899. Microstega Meyrick, 1890: 439 (key), 450.

Type species: Epicorsia pandalis Hübner, 1825 . By monotypy.

Diagnosis. Species of Paratalanta can be recognized superficially by the pale yellow ground colour, the wing maculation, and the unusually narrow and elongate fore wing in male of some species. Paratalanta is characterized by several synapomorphies: the ventro-distally directed, spicula-shaped sella, and the cornutus placed at the distal end of the phallus in the male genitalia; the irregularly quadrangular antrum with spines on the posterior margin, or with lateral processes, or with membranous sac or sacs protruding from joint of the antrum and the ductus bursae in the female genitalia.

General characters. Frons nearly rounded. Labial palpus upturned obliquely; third segment porrect forward. Fore wing slightly pointed at apex; termen slightly concave below apex, or obliquely straight; cell about half length of wing; R1 from 3/5 of anterior margin, R3 and R4 stalked about 1/3 distance from anterior angle of cell to apex; orbicular and reniform stigmata present in some species; M2, M3 and CuA1 from posterior angle of cell; CuA2 from 4/5 of posterior margin of cell. Hind wing subtriangular, with cell about 1/3 length of wing; posterior angle of cell pointed; S c+R1 and R s anastomosed for 1/3 of R s; M2, M3 and CuA1 basally approximated or evenly aligned; CuA2 from 3/4 of posterior margin of cell. Mid leg with tibia thickened in some males.

Male genitalia. Uncus nearly triangular or trapezoidal, setose. Gnathos or pseudognathos absent. Valva short and wide, with margins almost parallel dorso-ventrally, rounded at apex; editum densely covered with thick specialized setae; sella spicula-shaped, protruding from base of editum and extending ventro-distally; sacculus inflated. Phallus slightly curved, with a cornutus at distal end.

Female genitalia. Apophysis anterior longer than apophysis posterior. Antrum sclerotized, and forming a nearly tubular shape, sometimes with spines or setae at posterior margin, or with lateromedial processes, or with membranous sac or sacs protruding from joint of antrum and ductus bursae. Ductus bursae long and membranous, often sclerotized at posterior end. Corpus bursae with appendix bursae. Signum narrow rhomboid.

Biology. Little is known about the biology. Hostplants of Paratalanta pandalis include Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. et Zucc. , P. nigra var. henonis Stape , P. pubescens Mazel , P. nigra Munro ( Kim & Lee 1986) .

Distribution. Paratalanta is widely distributed in China ( Fig. 1 ). It has also been reported to occur in Korea, Japan, Armenia, Iran, Russia, Europe ( Toll & Wojtusiak 1957, Inoue 1982, Kim & Lee 1986, Maes 1994, 1995, Kirpichnikova 1986).

Remarks. The wing pattern of Paratalanta species can be divided into two types. Some species of the genus bear a serrate subterminal line, and the male and female are not differentiate in the fore wing pattern and shape. Other species of the genus have a prominent subterminal band, and the male and female show considerable variations in the fore wing pattern and shape; fore wings in male are narrowly elongate, acute at apex, and the termen is strongly oblique.

Bänziger (1995) transferred Botys aureolalis Lederer, 1863 , Paliga contractalis Warren, 1896 and Pionea acutangulata Swinhoe, 1901 to Microstega , and described M. homoculorum Bänziger. But in the same paper, Bänziger pointed out that the four species could be divided into two distinct groups and they possibly belong to different genera. Our study shows that the above four species of Bänziger apparently do not share any potential synapomorphic character with Paratalanta: Pionea acutangulata and M. homoculorum are more similar, and they differ from members of Paratalanta in having a much larger and sparsely setose uncus and a valva gradually narrowed to the tip, the pointed setae of the editum, the absence of the sella, the sacculus with a pointed process at middle, and the phallus with clustered apical spines in the male genitalia, as well as the very short ductus bursae, the nearly triangular antrum with neither process nor membranous sac in the female genitalia; Botys aureolalis and Paliga contractalis are more closely related, and they differ from members of Paratalanta in the bifid uncus with two tufted distal spines, the transtilla with thick setae, the curved and long strip-shaped editum, the absence of the sella, and the phallus with fine apical spines in the male genitalia, as well as the antrum without either process or membranous sac in the female genitalia. Considering the huge differences between the four species treated by Bänziger and the type species P. ussurialis (Bremer) of Paratalanta , we exclude the above four species from Paratalanta in the present paper. A comprehensive revision of all related genera is needed to clarify their status.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Paratalanta species in China. ● P. annulata sp. nov.; ■ P. cultralis amurensis; ▲ P. f urc a t a sp. nov.; ● P. pandalis; ■ P. stachialis; ▲ P. taiwanensis sasakii; ● P. ussurialis.