Pyrophleps Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000

Gorbunov, O. G., 2021, A new genus of the tribe Osminiini (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) from the Oriental Region, Far Eastern Entomologist 439, pp. 1-13 : 2-8

Genus Pyrophleps Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 , stat. resurr.

Pyrophleps Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000: 64 . Synomymized under Aschistophleps Hampson,

1893 by Kallies & Štolc (2018).

Type species: Pyrophleps nigripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 .

REMARKS. In 2000, together with Yutaka Arita, I published a paper describing new taxa of clearwing moths of the tribe Osminiini of the Vietnamese fauna (Arita

& Gorbunov, 2000 ), where the genus Pyrophleps was established as a new one. We included six species in that genus, of which three were described as new to science.

We chose P. nigripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 as the type species of the genus. We had no doubts that the second described species, P. vitripennis Arita et

O. Gorbunov, 2000, is morphologically very close to the type species and there is no doubt that these two species form a separate natural taxon of the generic level.

We had serious doubts about the inclusion of another new species in this genus: P.

cucphuonganae Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 , and along with it and the superficially very close Adixoa cruentata Swinhoe, 1896 and Aschistophleps haematochrodes Le

2000. Paratype. Vietnam, Ninh Binh Province, Gia Vien, Cuc Phuong , 250 m, 24.IV.1998 ,

Y. Arita leg. Sesiidae picture No 0115-0116–2021; 2 – Pyrophleps vitripennis Arita et O.

Gorbunov, 2000. Paratype. Vietnam, Ninh Binh Province, Gia Vien, Cuc Phuong , 250 m ,

24.IV.1998, Y. Arita leg. Sesiidae picture No 0121-0122–2021; 3 – Aschistophleps longipoda Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 . Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin),

18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 16.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0069-0070–

2021; 4 – Nepyrophleps haematochrodes (Le Cerf, 1912), comb. n. Laos, Khammouang

Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 25.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0171-0172–2021.

Cerf, 1912. Unfortunately, at that time we had only a single specimen (holotype) of

P. cucphuonganae , a photograph of the type A. cruentata , and a drawing of the type

A. haematochrodes (Le Cerf, 1912: 54, fig. 1). The rather similar genitalia of P.

cucphuonganae, P. nigripennis and P. vitripennis led us to believe that all these species should be placed in a single genus. Unfortunately, at that time we did not focus on and did not highlight in the figure (Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 : fig. 17b) a very important diagnostic feature, namely a row of strong, but light-coloured setae on the sacculus ( Fig. 21 ). Beside this, we did not compare the shape of eyes and labial palpus P. nigripennis and P. cucphuonganae . Now I am confident that they can be used as diagnostic features.

Recently Kallies and Štolc (2018) synonymized the genus Pyrophleps Arita et

O. Gorbunov, 2000 with the genus Aschistophleps Hampson, 1893 . They wrote,

“These species (they mean Pyrophleps spp. – my comment) were separated from

Aschistophleps based on differences in the male genitalia and the constitution of the

2000. Sesiidae picture No 0113-0114–2021; 6 – Pyrophleps vitripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov,

2000. Paratype. Vietnam, Ninh Binh Province, Gia Vien, Cuc Phuong , 250 m, 24.IV.1998 ,

Y. Arita leg. Sesiidae picture No 0121-0122–2021; 7 – Aschistophleps longipoda Arita et O.

Gorbunov, 2000. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E,

200 m, 16.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0069-0070–2021; 8 – Nepyrophleps haematochrodes (Le Cerf, 1912), comb. n. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham

(Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 25.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0171-

0172–2021.

hind leg scales. The new species ( Aschistophleps ignisquamulata Kallies et Štolc,

2018 – my addition) from Thailand and Laos, however, does not fit the narrow definitions of either genus and displays a series of characteristics that show that this group of Osminiini is morphologically more diverse than previously anticipated.”

(Kallies & Štolc, 2018: 596). I fully agree that “that group of Osminiini is morphologically more diverse than previously anticipated” (loc. cit.), but I am also sure that

Aschistophleps ignisquamulata does not belong to either Aschistophleps or

Pyrophleps . This is very clearly seen in the structure of the male genitalia (op. cit.:

fig. 3). The generic position of this and some other species, which were previously included in the genus Pyrophleps , will be discussed in a forthcoming publication.

A detailed study of the abundant material collected in Laos in 2005 revealed several very interesting finds. One such interesting find is a fairly numerous series

(67 males) of completely unexplored species Aschistophleps haematochrodes ,

which was included in the genus Pyrophleps only by its external similarity with P.

cucphuonganae (see above). The study of the details of the external morphology and the genitalia made it possible to establish that these two species are indeed closely related. Moreover, the features of the morphology of these two species make it possible to distinguish them into a separate genus, and to restore the genus

Pyrophleps from a synonym of Aschistophleps .

COMPOSITION. I currently include the following three species in this genus:

P. nigripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000 , P. vitripennis O. Gorbunov, 2000 , and

P. ellawi Skowron Volponi, 2017 .

Genus Nepyrophleps O. Gorbunov , gen. n.

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 082E9DDE-0824-4ED2-BC9B-E1E71E8D71B3

Type species: Aschistophleps haematochrodes Le Cerf, 1912 .

DESCRIPTION. Male. Brightly-coloured, small-sized, long-legged clearwing moths with alar expanse 13–16 mm. Superficially resembling the genus Aschistophleps Hampson, 1893 .

Head with antenna strongly clavate, without cilia in male; frons smooth-scaled;

labial palpus ( Fig. 4 ) long, somewhat turned-up, with a few hair-like scales distally;

proboscis well-developed, long, functional; vertex covered with short hair-like scales. Thorax smooth-scaled, both metepimeron and metameron with long hairlike scales posteriorly. Hind leg with distal half of tibia and basal tarsomere tufted with long hair-like scales ( Fig. 8 ). Abdomen smooth-scaled, anal tuft nearly undeveloped. Forewing with transparent areas rather well-developed; radial veins only four (I believe that vein R 3 and R 4 completely merged into a single vein R 3+4),

veins R 1 and R 2 parallel, veins R 3+4 and R 5 separate basally; distance between base of veins R 5, and M 1, about half that between veins R 3+4 and R 5, distance between base of veins M 1 and M 2 about twice that between veins M 2 and M 3. Hindwing transparent or partially opaque; vein M 3 arises from vein CuA 1 slightly basal to cross-vein.

Male genitalia ( Figs 21, 22 ). Uncus with a semi-oval plate of long hair-like setae lateral-apically, covering tuba analis like a collar; gnathos narrow, long, distinctly protruding caudally; valva gradually widens towards the center, and then narrows

n. 9 – upside. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E,

200 m, 25.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0171–2021. Alar expanse 14.4

mm; 10 – ditto underside. Sesiidae picture No 0172–2021; 11 – upside. Laos, Khammouang

Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 28.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0151–2021. Alar expanse 14.0 mm; 12 – ditto underside. Sesiidae picture No 0152–2021; 13 – upside. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin),

18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 28.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0157–2021.

Alar expanse 13.5 mm; 14 – ditto underside. Sesiidae picture No 0158–2021.

comb. n. 15 – upside. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N,

104˚31΄E, 200 m, 27.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0161–2021. Alar expanse

14.0 mm; 16 – ditto underside. Sesiidae picture No 0162–2021; 17 – upside. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham (Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 27.IV.2005, O.

Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No 0165–2021. Alar expanse 14.7 mm; 18 – ditto underside.

Sesiidae picture No 0166–2021; 19 – upside. Laos, Khammouang Province, Ban Khounkham

(Nahin), 18˚13΄N, 104˚31΄E, 200 m, 25.IV.2005, O. Gorbunov leg. Sesiidae picture No

0173–2021. Alar expanse 15.4 mm; 20 – ditto underside. Sesiidae picture No 0174–2021.

rather sharply towards the apex, making distal half spear-shaped, at margins broadly covered with short and very thin hair-like setae at margins, with a raw of long and strong setae at sacculus; saccus short but broad, about as long as vinculum,

straight basally; aedeagus relatively long, about 1.5 times as long as valva; vesica with numerous, minute, granular cornuti.

Female. Unknown.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Superficially, the species of this new genus are similar to representatives of the genus Aschistophleps Hampson, 1893 , but can be easily distinguished from them by the structure of the hind leg tuft (tibia entirely tufted and basal tarsomere with a tuft of long hair-like scales in Aschistophleps , vs.

only distal half of tibia and basal tarsomere tufted with long hair-like scales; compare

Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 ), presence of brick-red scales on the thorax, legs, wings ventrally and abdomen, and by the structure of the male genitalia, especially shape of the gnathos and valva (compare Fig. 21 with fig. 14 in Gorbunov & Arita, 1995 or fig.

14 in Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 ). From Pyrophleps this new genus differs by the structure of the labial palpus (longer, tufted with long hair-like scales on mid joint in the genus compared; Figs 1, 2 vs. Fig. 4 ), shape of the eyes (distinctly bean-shaped eyes in Pyrophleps ; Figs 1, 2 vs. Fig. 4 ), presence of brick-red scales on the thorax,

wings ventrally and abdomen, and by the conformation of the valva in male genitalia

(without a raw of long and strong setae at sacculus in Pyrophleps ; Fig. 21 vs. figs

15 and 16 in Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 or fig. 2 in Xu et al., 2015). From other genera of the tribe Osminiini , Nepyrophleps gen. n. is clearly separable by the shape of the hind leg tuft and conformation of the male genitalia.

LIFE HISTORY. Nothing is known about the host plants and the biology of the preimaginal stages of all species of this new genus. All known specimens of the type species, except the holotype, were found among bees and wasps on wet soil on the bank of a small river.

COMPOSITION. I currently include only three species in this genus, namely N.

haematochrodes (Le Cerf, 1912) , comb. n., N. cucphuonganae (Arita et O. Gorbunov, 2000) , comb. n., and N. bicella (Xu et Arita, 2015), comb. n. However, I have a suspicion that N. bicella is a junior synonym for N. cucphuonganae , but,

unfortunately, at the present time I am not able to propose a synonymization formally due to lack of material of these two taxa.

DISTRIBUTION. Oriental Region: Laos, South China and North Vietnam.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of this new genus comes from the closely related genus Pyrophleps and from the Russian negative particle “не [ne]” (= not), denoting the negation of what is indicated by the word to which it refers in meaning. The gender is feminine.

Figures

Figs 21–22. Male genitalia of Nepyrophleps haematochrodes (Le Cerf, 1912), comb. n.

Figs 1–4. Labial palpus of Osminiini. 1 – Pyrophleps nigripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov,

Figs 5–8. Hind leg tuft of Osminiini. 5 – Pyrophleps nigripennis Arita et O. Gorbunov,