Ovipennis mixta Huang, Zhao, Volynkin & Han, 2022

Zhao, Ting-Ting, Volynkin, Anton V., Huang, Si-Yao & Han, Hui-Lin, 2022, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Ovipennis Hampson, 1900 with descriptions of two new species from Southern and Southwestern China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5178 (5), pp. 483-492 : 486-487

Ovipennis mixta Huang, Zhao, Volynkin & Han , sp. n.

( Figs 6–8 , 14, 15 )

Gymnasura semilutea: Kishida 2011: 223 , pl. 26 fig. 4. [misidentification]

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 17 ): male, [ Baishaogou , Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China] “ Guizhou, Zunyi | Xintiankan | 6–7 VIII 2020 | HL Han, J Wu”, gen. prep. No.: ztt-360-1 (Coll. NEFU) . Paratypes: 7 males, the same data as in the holotype, gen. prep. Nos.: ztt-358-1, ztt-359-1, ztt-361-1, ztt-673-1, ztt-374-1, ztt-375-1, ztt-376-1 (Coll. NEFU) ; 1 male, 3–5.VIII.2020, Shuanghe County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China, leg. H.L. Han & J. Wu, gen. prep. No.: ztt-671-1 (Coll. NEFU) ; 3 males, 30.VII–7.VIII.2021, Mt. Mangshan , Yizhang City, Hunan Province, China, J. Wu & Q. Lin, gen. prep. Nos.: ztt-668-1, ztt-669-1, ztt-670-1 (Coll. NEFU) .

Diagnosis. Externally, Ovipennis mixta sp. n. is reminiscent of O. milani , O. postalba and O. semilutea but distinguished by the combination of the following characters. (1) The forewing dorsum is without a short blackish streak, similar to O. postalba and O. semilutea , while such a streak is present in O. milani . (2) The yellowish patch on the forewing is fused with the darkish band distal to it, similar to that in O. milani , while these two patterns are interrupted by a whitish area in O. postalba and O. semilutea . (3) The hindwing bears a diffused submarginal band, while it is monotonous creamy white in O. milani , and bearing a subapical spot in O. postalba and O. semilutea . (4) In the male genitalia, the transtilla has two broad and short lobes with numerous spinules covering its inner margin, while such lobes are smaller and covered thoroughly with smaller spinules in O. postalba , and absent in O. milani and O. semilutea . (5) The valva is narrower and its extreme distal section is bending downwards, similar to that in O. semilutea , while in O. milani and O. postalba , the valva is broader with the extreme distal section extended upwards. (6) The valva lacks a rod-like clasper as in O. postalba and O. semilutea , similar to O. milani . (7) The costa bears dentation at the distal margin, similar to that in O. postalba and O. semilutea , while the costa of O. milani is smooth. (8) The distal saccular process is elongate and curved downwards medially, while it is straight and shorter in O. milani and O. semilutea , and rounded and shorter in O. postalba . (9) The phallus vesica is narrower than in the congeners, slender and lacking a basal cluster of cornuti, the distal cluster of cornuti is attached directly at the surface of the main chamber of the vesica, and the distal section of the vesica bears a granulation field, while the distal cluster of cornuti is attached at the surface of a small lateral diverticulum and the distal section of vesica bears no granulation field in O. milani ; the vesica is sack-like without sclerotized structures in O. postalba ; and the vesica is longer with a distal cluster consisting of longer cornuti in O. semilutea .

Description. Male. Length of forewing 7.0– 7.8 mm (7.0 mm in holotype). Antenna ochreous with white scales scattered at basal section. Head, thorax and abdomen covered with whitish scales. Forewing moderately broad, with large golden yellowish patch present from subbasal to postmedial section. Veins in patch tinged with ochreous, and broad, darkened ochreous border present distal to yellowish patch. Diffused blackish band present distal to ochreous border. Submarginal zone with two small diffused brownish patches. Forewing cilia whitish. Hindwing ground color creamy white with broad diffused submarginal band. Hindwing cilia whitish.

Male genitalia. Uncus slender and curved subapically. Tegumen triangular, short and broad. Transtilla with two broad and short lobes covered with numerous spinules inwardly. Juxta shield-like. Saccus broad and short, Ushaped. Valva elongate and lobular, thoroughly sclerotized with distal end bending downwards. Distal margin of costa dentate. Sacculus thick and stout basally and gradually tapered towards the distal end. Distal saccular process short and curved downwards medially, apically pointed. Phallus short and narrow, tubular and straight. Vesica lobelike, simple and narrow, with distal part bearing granulation field and cluster of tiny cornuti.

Female unknown.

Remarks. This species was erroneously identified as Gymnasura semilutea (now Ovipennis semilutea ) in Kishida (2011).

Distribution. Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong Provinces ( Kishida 2011, as Ovipennis semilutea ) in Southwestern and Southern China.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ mixta ” refers to the features of the new species are mixture of the characters from its congeners.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Molecular phylogenetic tree recovered from the Maximum likelihood inference analysis of the combined dataset with the best-fit partitioning strategy. The clades were mostly folded except for the genus Ovipennis. The branch of the species Nanarsine milani was marked out by red. The order of the values on the nodes is as follows: ultrafast bootstrap values (UFBS) in IQtree / posterior probabilities (PP) of the Bayesian analysis.

FIGURE 2–11. Adults of Ovipennis spp. Depositories of the specimens: 2, 11 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 3 in CKC; 4–8 in NEFU; 9, 10 in SCAU.

FIGURE 12–15. Male genitalia of Ovipennis spp. Depositories of the slides: 12 in MWM/ZSM; 13–15 in NEFU.

FIGURE 16–18. Male genitalia of Ovipennis spp. Depositories of the slides: 16 in SCAU; 17, 18 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).