Elaphria venustula (Hübner, 1790), Hubner, 1790

Han, Hui-Lin, 2011, Strotihypera, a new Old World genus of the tribe Elaphriini (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae), Zootaxa 3116, pp. 59-68 : 62-66

Elaphria venustula (Hübner, 1790)

( Figs. 2, 8 , 10 , 14 )

Phalaena Noctua venustula Hübner, 1790 , Beiträge zur Geschichte der Schmetterlinge 2 (3): 78, pl. 3 (4): 7 (Type-locality: Germany: Augsburg).

Synonymy: hybnerana Fabricius, 1794.

References: Hampson 1909: 493, text fig. 138 ( Monodes, Acronyctinae ); Warren 1913: 217, fig. 45i ( Psilomonodes , Amphipyrinae ); Sugi 1982: 1: 821; 2: 384, pl. 197: 69, 68 ( Hapalotis, Acontiinae ); Chen 1982: 250, fig. 1806 ( Monodes , Amphipyrinae ); Poole 1985: 353 ( Elaphria ); Chen, 1999: 769 ( Elaphria , Amphipyrinae ); Kononenko 1990: 10 ( Hapalotis, Acontiinae ); 2003: 259, figs 1, 2; 2005: 86 ( Elaphria, Acontiinae ); 2010:19 ( Elaphria , Xyleninae , Elaphriini); Kononenko et al. 1998: 168, fig. 436 ( Elaphria, Acontiinae ); Fibiger & Hacker 2007: 62, Pl. 2: 86–93, gen. figs. 27, 171 ( Elaphria , Xyleninae , Elaphriini); Kononenko & Han 2007: 101, pl. 109:3, 251:2 ( Elaphria , Xyleninae , Elaphriini).

Material examined. 53 specimens from Europe ( France, Hungary, Germany, Denmark), Russia (European part, Ural, West Siberia, Khabarovsk and Primorye terr.), Korea, China, Japan.

Diagnosis. Adult ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 18 – 22 mm. Frons smooth, rounded, labial palps upturned, 3rd segment is about 2 times shorter than 2nd. Head and thorax and ground colour of forewing white, in fresh specimens with rosy hue; wing pattern with rather large patches of blackish-brown; costal area dark, brownish-grey; the most prominent dark patch is the large triangular ventral one in medial area with large distinct black spot; postmedial line white, orbicular missing, reniform blackish; subterminal field greyish, divided by a white patch by apex; subterminal line diffused, blackish, terminal field blackish-brown, terminal line blackish, diffused; fringes dark grey. Hindwing greyish with weakly traceable postmedial line and discal spot. Coremata presents in base of abdomen. In male genitalia ( Fig. 8 ) uncus relatively stout and short; tegumen broad, with broad penicular lobes; vinculum shorter than tegument, narrow; pleural sclerites plate-like; valva rather long, broader medially; basal half of costa sclerotised, with small traceable digitus; costal margin behind digitus with unsclerotised band; sacculus short, clasper positioned basally, harpe prominent, straight, angled on apical third. Aedeagus short and broad, vesica with large, long, membranous basal diverticulum, bearing large broad-based tapered and pointed cornutus. In female genitalia ( Fig. 14 ) papillae anales moderate, apophyses anteriores and posteriores thin, almost equal in length; 7th abdominal segment with prominent sclerotised antevaginal crest; ductus bursae rather wide, sclerotised, ribbed; corpus bursae ovoid, constricted medially, with large appendix bursae in caudal part.

Distribution and biology. A Eurasian species, widely distributed in temperate Palaearctic from Europe, northern Middle East, Ural, throughout south Siberia and Kazakhstan to Russian Far East, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. A mesophilous species that occurs in open forest, meadows, and forest-steppe. Two generations per year, the moths flying in late May-June and late July-August. Larvae feed on withered plants of Pothentilla, Rubus , Alchemilla , Genista , and Sarothamnus .

Taxonomic note. The systematic position of E. venustula has remained uncertain for a long time. It has been placed by authors in either Amphipyrinae or Acontiinae. Its position was fixed in the tribe Elaphriini of the subfamily Xyleninae by Fibiger & Hacker (2007) (currently the tribe Elaphriini in the subfamily Noctuinae ; Lafontaine & Schmidt 2010).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Imagines. 1. Strotihypera flavipuncta, male, South Korea (NIAST); 2. Elaphria venustula, male, Russia, S Ural (coll. K. Nupponen); 3. Galgula partita, male, Portugal, Madeira (coll. M. Fibiger); 4. Hyperstrotia aetheria, male, USA, Florida (CNC); 5. Hyperstrotia aetheria, female, type of Thalpochares aetheria USA, Florida (BMNH); 6. Ditto, type labels; 7. Strotihypera flavipuncta, wings venation; 8. Elaphria venustula, wings venation

FIGURES 9 – 12. Male genitalia. 9. Strotihypera flavipuncta, South Korea, genit. prep. 5038 (NIAST); 10. Elaphria venustula, North China, genit. prep. HHL- 1281 - 1 (NEFU); 11. Galgula partita, Portugal, Azores, genit. prep. 5492 MF (coll. M. Fibiger); 12. Hyperstrotia aetheria, USA, Florida, genit. prep. 15433.

FIGURES 13 – 17. Female genitalia. 13. Strotihypera flavipuncta, North China, genit. prep. HHL- 1279 - 2 (NEFU); 14. Elaphria venustula North China, genit. prep. HHL- 1280 - 2 (NEFU); 15. Galgula partita, USA, New York, genit. prep. 5493 MF (coll. M. Fibiger); 16. Type of Thalpochares aetheria, USA, Florida, genit prep. 1183 (BMNH); 17. Hyperstrotia aetheria, USA, Florida, genit. prep. 15434 (CNC).