Cabardites Volynkin & Černý, 2021

Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2021, Cabardites, a new genus for the “ Adites ” maculata (Poujade, 1886) species-group with descriptions of five new species from northern Indochina and eastern China (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 4915 (4), pp. 529-546 : 530-531

Genus Cabardites Volynkin & Černý , gen. n.

Type species: Asura limbata Wileman, 1911 .

Diagnosis. Small moths with forewing length 8–12.5 mm in males and 11–12.5 mm in females. The new genus is closely related to the genera Cabarda ( Figs 23–26 ) and Miltochrista ( Figs 29, 30 ), but males differ externally by their forewing having a smoothly curved costa lacking androconial scales, whereas in Cabarda and Miltochrista male forewing costa is protruding opposite the distal half of the cell, and this area bears an elliptical cluster of androconial hair-shaped scales. The females are characterized by the ovipositor densely surrounded by hair-like scales, the feature unique within the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex and found in the subtribe Nudariina B̂rner in the genus Thumatha Walker , and also in the Aemene Walker / Siccia Walker generic complex (subtribe Cistheniina Bendib & Minet ). The forewing pattern of the new genus is most similar to that of Pseudoadites ( Figs 21, 22 ) and also resembles that of some Adites ( Figs 27, 28 ), but Cabardites differs clearly from them in its genitalia structures. The male genitalia of the new genus are characterized by the combination of the following features: (1) the presence of a small, tubercle-like medial costal process; (2) the distal costal process is present, well-developed; (3) the distal saccular process is present, thorn-like (reduced to a small tubercle in C. auco sp. n.); (4) the distal membranous lobe of valva is present, large, well separated from the distal costal and distal saccular processes; (5) the aedeagus vesica bears one or two clusters of spinules or spine-like cornuti. The male genitalia of Cabardites are similar to those of Cadarda ( Figs 43, 44 ) and Miltochrista ( Fig. 46 ), but differ from the first one by the presence of a small, tuberclelike medial costal process and the aedeagus vesica structure lacking a sclerotized dentate plate (that is characteristic for both known Cabarda species) and bearing one or two clusters of various-sized spines or small cornuti (whereas the aedeagus vesica of Cabarda bears one robust spine-like cornutus only); from Miltochrista the male genitalia of Cabardites differ by the presence of a small, tubercle-like medial costal process. Compared to those of the externally similar Pseudoadites ( Fig. 42 ), the male genitalia of Cabardites differ conspicuously by their elongated and slender uncus (in Pseudoadites that is short and robust), narrow and not curved tegumen (in Pseudoadites that is very broad and curved ventrally), narrower saccus, more elongated valva with a small, tubercle-like medial costal process (in Pseudoadites the valva is short and lacks a medial costal process), broader, lobe-like distal costal process (in Pseudoadites that is short, straight, thorn-like), large distal membranous lobe of valva (that is very small in Pseudoadites), broad sacculus (that is extremely narrow in Pseudoadites), the presence of a distal saccular process (absent in Pseudoadites), and the presence of one or two clusters of spines or small cornuti (whereas in Pseudoadites there are two bunches of long and robust cornuti directed radially from the same base). Compared to those of Adites ( Fig. 45 ), the male genitalia of Cabardites can be easily recognized by the slender uncus (that is robust in Adites ), more elongated tegumen, more elongated valva, the presence of a small, tubercle-like medial costal and a well-developed distal costal processes (both are absent in Adites ), basally broader sacculus, thorn-shaped distal saccular process lacking spinules (in Adites that bears one needle-like spine or a bunch of smallest spinules), larger aedeagus, and broader vesica bearing one or two clusters of spines or small cornuti (whereas in the type species of Adites the vesica lacks cornuti, and other species-groups of the genus have vesicae with clusters of large thorn-like cornuti subbasally and sometimes medially). The female genitalia of the new genus are characterized by the combination of the following features: (1) the short, dorso-ventrally flattened, sclerotized ductus bursae without antrum (whereas in the closely related Cabarda ( Figs 52, 53 ) and Miltochrista ( Fig. 55 ) the ductus bursae is more elongated and has a well-developed antrum with large lateral lobes; in Pseudoadites ( Fig. 51 ) and Adites ( Fig. 54 ) the ductus bursae is extremely short); (2) the whole corpus bursae or its posterior two thirds are densely covered with small spinules (in Cabarda that is membranous anteriorly, weakly sclerotized posteriorly and bears several band-like sclerotized dentate plates; in Miltochrista that is weakly spinulose anteriorly and bears clusters of numerous robust spines; in Pseudoadites that is finely spinulose anteriorly, weakly spinulose posteriorly and bears a sclerotized posterior plate protruding to the ductus bursae; in Adites that is very weakly spinulose scobinated); (3) appendix bursae is evenly sclerotized (that is membranous in Miltochrista, Pseudoadites and Adites ; in Cabarda that is moderately sclerotized, but its basal section bears small clusters of denticles). Cabardites guanyin sp. n. ( Fig. 49 ) also has a bulla-like accessory bursae absent in other congeners with known females.

Distribution. The new genus is distributed in Southwest, Central and East continental China, northern Indochina and the island of Taiwan. Fang (2000) also recorded ‘ Parasiccia maculata ’ from the island of Hainan, but we found no specimens from this island among the materials available, therefore the species belonging of the Hainan population needs a further clarification.

Etymology. The new genus name is an aggregate of the generic names Cabarda and Adites .

Figures

FIGURES 21–30. Nudariina spp.: type species of the genera (21–24, 27–30) and non-type species (25, 26). Depositories of the specimens: 21, 22 in MWM/ZSM; 23, 24, 27, 28 in NHMUK (©); 25, 26 in CKC; 29, 30 in CAV.

FIGURES 43–46. Nudariina spp.: type species of the genera (43, 45, 46) and non-type species (44): male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens: 43, 45 in NHMUK (©); 44 in CKC; 46 in CAV.

FIGURES 39–42. Cabardites spp. (39–41) and the type species of Pseudoadites (42): male genitalia. The specimens are deposited in MWM/ZSM (39 and 41 – ex coll. CKC).

FIGURES 51–55. Nudariina spp.: type species of the genera (51, 52, 54, 55) and non-type species (53): female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens: 51 in MWM/ZSM; 52, 54 in NHMUK (©); 53 in CKC; 55 in CAV.

FIGURES 47–50. Cabardites spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens: 47, 48, 50 in MWM/ZSM; 49 in NHMUK (©).