Miltochrista areolifera ( Holloway, 2001 )

Volynkin, Anton V., Singh, Navneet, Černý, Karel, Kirti, Jagbir Singh & Datta, Harvinder Singh, 2020, Revision of the Miltochrista obliquilinea species-group, with descriptions of four new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 4780 (3), pp. 448-470 : 458

Miltochrista areolifera ( Holloway, 2001)

( Figs 25–27 , 48, 49 , 61 )

Lyclene areolifera Holloway, 2001 , Moths of Borneo 7: 352, pl. 4, figs 30–31, 189, 211. Type locality: [ North Borneo, Kinabalu Mt.] “Nord Borneo: Mont Kina Balu ”.

Type material examined. Holotype ( Figs 25 , 48 ): male, “Nord Borneó | Mont Kina Balu | 5.VIII.1903 | John Waterstradt” / “Ex Oberthür Coll. | Brit. Mus. 1927–3.” / “ Holotype Lyclene areolifera Holloway ” / red ring “ Holotype ” label / “ Figured specimen Moths of Borneo Part 7” / label with QR-code “NHMUK010604646” / blue label “ Arctiidae genitalia slide No. 5334 ♂ ” (Coll. NHMUK) . Paratypes. 7 males, 2 females cited by Holloway (2001), slides BMNH(E) Arct. 2704 ♂, BMNH(E) Arct. 2707 ♂, BMNH(E) Arct. 2708 ♂, BMNH(E) Arct. 2717 ♀ and BMNH(E) Arct. 2724 ♀ (Coll. NHMUK) .

Additional material examined. MALAYSIA: 1 male, S Borneo, Prov. Sabah, Mt. Trus Madi at Apin Apin , 1080m, 21.III.–12.IV.2006, leg. K. Martini, slide ZSM Arct. 2019-682 Volynkin (Coll. MWM/ZSM) .

Diagnosis. Forewing length is 9.5–10.5 mm (wingspan 19.5–21 mm) in males and 10.5 mm (wingspan 21 mm) in females. Male of M. areolifera can be easily distinguished from its relatives by its medial denticles of the postmedial line directed postero-distally, whereas in other species those are directed more distally. Female is similar to that of M. stenovalva sp. n. due to its narrow forewing, but differs from it by the more diffuse pattern. The male genital capsule of M. areolifera is most similar to that of M. stenovalva sp. n. by their similarly narrow valva, but its distal costal process is very short, narrow and has a rounded apex (whereas in M. stenovalva sp. n. that is larger and apically pointed), and the distal saccular process and the distal membranous lobe of valva are absent. Aedeagus is much larger than that of M. stenovalva sp. n., the aedeagus vesica is much broader, with larger diverticula and bearing a bunch of two various-sized cornuti on the same elongate base, which are the largest in the species-group. The female genitalia differ clearly from those of other members of the species-group by the presence of a well-developed appendix bursae (absent in other species) and the short but broad accessory bursae situated ventrally.

Distribution. Malaysia (Borneo Island: Sabah State) ( Holloway 2001).

Figures

FIGURES 16–33. Miltochrista spp.: adults. Depositories of specimens: 16, 18, 31—ZSMN; 17—CAV; 19, 22—NZCZSI; 20—CKC; 21, 23, 24, 26, 28–30, 32, 33—MWM/ZSM; 25, 27—NHMUK (©).

FIGURES 46–49. Miltochrista spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of specimens: 46—NZCZSI; 47, 49—MWM/ZSM; 48— NHMUK (©).

FIGURES 60–63. Miltochrista spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of specimens: 60, 62—MWM/ZSM; 61—NHMUK (©); 63—SZMN.