Himeropteryx yui Okano, 1969

Wu, Shipher, Owada, Mamoru & Fu, Chien-Ming, 2013, Rediscovery of two rare ptilodontines in Taiwan: Himeropteryx yui Okano, 1969 stat. nov. and Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994 (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae), Zootaxa 3702 (2), pp. 193-197 : 193-194

Himeropteryx yui Okano, 1969 stat. nov.

(Figs 7, 8; 15–18,20)

Himeropteryx miraculosa yui Okano, 1969 : Tohoku Konchu Kenkyu, Morioka, 3: 25. Sugi, 1992: 163, incorrect year of publication given (as 1960); Kobayashi, 2011: 121.

Specimens examined. TAIWAN. 1 male and 1 female, Hualien County, Jinma Tunnel, 2450 m, 9-XI-2012, leg. C. M. Fu (coll. C. M. Fu, Taichung); 3 males, Hualien, Guanyuan, 2400 m, 10-XI-2012, leg. S. Wu; 1 male, Hualien County, Tayuling, 2560 m, 10-XI-2012, leg. S. Wu (coll. TFRI).

Diagnosis. Externally, this species is similar to H. miraculosa (Figs 1–6, 11–14, 19) but the brown forewing patches are more constrasting. The length of the antennal rami shorter, roughly 4 times rather than 6 times the shaft diameter in the longest, median region. In genital structures, H. yui can be distinguished by a small elliptical juxta rather than a large plate-like one; by a patch of small, scattered dentate cornuti rather than a narrow band or larger ones; by the ostium bursae showing a small medial incision rather than being smoothly transverse; and by the sclerotized region of ductus bursae being narrow and laterally incised near its base, rather than being wide and with parallel margins.

Description. Since the male holotype of H. miraculosa yui was originally described Okano, 1969 in Japanese, we here re-describe the male in English and we describe the female for the first time.

Wingspan 45-46 mm in male (n= 3); 52 mm in female (n= 1). Eye large; antenna bipectinate, length of rami 4 X diameter of shaft in median reion. All segments of thorax as well as femur, tibia and 1st tarsal segment fringed with long, dark ochreous long scales. Forewing ground coloration ochreous yellow, with brown patches located along anal margin at antemedial region, on nearly all parts of median region, in each cell of postmedial region, and with patches situated at cells r5 and m3 of sumarginal region; outer margin scalloped, with brown scales at apex of each vein; a short brown scale-tuft arising from anal margin ½ way from base. Hindwing ground color creamy yellow, without a discal spot; fringe ochreous with brown scales at apex of each vein. Abdomen dark ochreous; 8th sternum sclerotized, with two slightly swollen processes arising from posterior margin; anterior margin bearing a broad triangular mesal process, its apex round.

Male genitalia ( Figs 15–18 )—Uncus large and stout, bearing cattle-like horns, thesepointing downward; tegumen wide, dorsal and ventral margins nearly parallel, vinculum short; saccus U-shaped; juxta elliptical; valve sclerotized, widest near middle, with a triangular, strongly sclerotized projection near base, its apex protruding; phallus narrow, slightly curved; vesica short and mosly membranous, with a sclerotized dentate patch extending from base to apex.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 20 )—Ovipositor lobe membranous with short hair-like setae; both pairs of apophyses long and slender; ventral margin of ostium bursae slight incised, anterior portion sclerotized; basal half of ductus bursae strongly sclerotized, lateral margins indented near base, remainder of ductus bursae membranous; corpus bursae membranous, small and narrow.

Taxonomic notes. According to Schintlmeister (2008) and Kobayashi (2011), the distribution range of Himeropteryx miraculosa includes the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. Taiwanese material was originally regarded as subspecies yui Okano, 1969 based on more constrasting coloration, a narrower forewing, and a broader central projection of the valve compared with the nominate subspecies from Japan. All the newly collected specimens from Taiwan exhibit identical wing patterns. We compared newly collected Taiwanese specimens with those from the Russian Far East (the type locality of H. miraculosa is Amur; the male holotype and its genitalia are illustrated in Schintlmeister 1999: fig. 33&39), China (Chen 1999; Schintlmeister 2008) and Japan (Schintlmeister 2008). Our result shows that the Himeropteryx population in Taiwan should be regarded as a distinct species, the second member of this genus. Though Schintlmeister (2008) mentioned color differences between H. miraculosa specimens from central China and other regions, genitalia show no variation across this range.

Distribution and bionomics. This species, endemic to Taiwan, ranges from mid to high-altitudes (2400 to 2560 m) in the primary broad-leaf forest of Central Taiwan where Acer morrisonense Hayata (Aceraceae) and other deciduous trees are mixed with Pinus forests. The type locality of H. yui is Nenggaoshen (ca. 3000 m), which represents the cool-temperate coniferous forests where Tsuga chinensis var. formosana Li & Keng is dominant.

Figures

FIGURE 11 – 21. Abdominal and genital structures of ptilodontine moths. 11 – 14, 19. Himeropterx miraculosa Staudinger, 1887, Japan (coll. NSMT); 15 – 18, 20. H. yui Okano, 1969 stat. nov., Taiwan (coll. TFRI); 21. Ptilophora ruful a Kobayashi, 1994, Taiwan (coll. TFRI); 11, 15. Male genitalian without phallus; 12, 16. Phallus; 13, 17. Magnified image of vesica; 14, 18. 8 th sternite; 19 – 21. Female genitalia. Photos by Shipher Wu.