Berionycta asirensis ( Wiltshire, 1986 ), 2017

Kiss, Ádám, 2017, Taxonomic review of the Craniophora s. l. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Acronictinae) generic complex with description of 8 new genera and 13 new species, Zootaxa 4355 (1), pp. 1-90 : 71

Berionycta asirensis ( Wiltshire, 1986) comb. n., stat. rev.

( Figs 174 , 186 )

Craniophora melanisans asirensis Wiltshire, 1986 , Fauna of Saudi Arabia 8: 297, fig. 121. Type-locality : Saudi Arabia, Asir, Al Foqa. Holotype: male, in coll. BMNH .

Notes. Bаsеd оn thе оriginаl dеsсriрtiоn (Wiltshirе 1986) this sресiеs is with а fеw millimеtеrs lаrgеr thаn B. melanisans аnd lеss mеlаnistiс. On thе оthеr hаnd, Wiltshirе dоеs nоt mеntiоn аnу distinсtivе сhаrасtеrs in thе mаlе gеnitаliа, frоm B. melanisans , hоwеvеr, thе figurеd hаlf gеnitаl сарsulе аnd vеsiса оf thе hоlоtуре (Wiltshirе 1986: fig. 11) diffеr rесоgnisаblу frоm thоsе оf thе оnlу оnе dissесtеd раrаtуре оf B. asirensis ( Fig. 186 ). Ассоrding tо mу еxреriеnсе in this gеnus, I trеаt this tаxоn аs а vаlid sресiеs, hоwеvеr, thе rеvisiоn оf thе tуре mаtеriаls is nееdеd.

The orbicularis species-group

Figures

FIGURES 167–174. Adults of Berionycta spp. 167. B. hemileuca, male, neotype, Eritrea, Dorfù, slide No.: KA292m (coll. MSNM); 168. B. hemileuca, female, paratype, Eritrea, Dorfù, slide No.: KA293f (coll. MSNM); 169. B. limbata, male, holotype, Eritrea, Dorfù, slide No.: KA295m (coll. MSNM); 170. B. limbata, female, paratype, Eritrea, Dorfù, slide No.: KA294f (coll. MSNM); 171. B. ponticamima, male,holotype, Ethiopia, Prov.Oromia,slide No.: KA1412m (coll. GB); 172. B. nigra, male, holotype, Ethiopia, Prov. Oromia, slide No.: KA1414m (coll. GB); 173. B. melanisans, male, holotype, Oman, Prov. Dhofar (coll. and photo BMNH); 174. B. asirensis, male, holotype, Saudi Arabia, Asir (coll. and photo BMNH). Not scaled.

FIGURES 183–190. Male 7 th, 8 th abdominal segments of Berionycta spp. 183. B. ponticamima, holotype, vesica, valva, Ethiopia, Prov. Oromia,slide No.: KA1412m (coll. GB); 184. B. nigra, holotype, Ethiopia, Prov.Oromia, slideNo.: KA1414m (coll. GB); 185.B. melanisans, valva, vesica, Oman, slide No.: H. Hacker 16089♂ (ex coll. H. Hacker, ZSM; fig. from Hacker 2016: genitalia plate 134, i); 186. B. asirensis, paratype, valva, vesica, Saudi Arabia, slide No.: Wilt2362 (coll. and photo BMNH); 187. B. orbicularis, holotype, valva, vesica, Ethiopia, Prov. Oromia, slide No.: KA1411m (coll. GB); 188. B. behouneki, holotype, valva, vesica, Ethiopia, Prov. Oromia, slide No.: GB7578m (coll. GB); 189. B. berioi, holotype, valva, vesica, Ethiopia, Gamo Gofa, slide No.: GB8147m (coll. GB); 190. B. beckroberti, holotype, valva, vesica, Ethiopia, Prov. Oromia, slide No.: GB8315m (coll.GB).Not scaled.