Naarda bicolora, Tóth, Balázs & Ronkay, László, 2015

Tóth, Balázs & Ronkay, László, 2015, Revision of the Palaearctic and Oriental species of the genus Naarda Walker, 1866 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Hypeninae). Part 5. Description of 13 new species from Asia, Zootaxa 3925 (2), pp. 179-201 : 189-190

Naarda bicolora sp. n.

male: fig. 44, female: fig. 45.

Type material. Holotype. ♂: Cambodia, Mondolkiri prov.; Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, road Seima–O’Rang; 12°15’44”N, 107°03’49”E, 360 m; No. 88, 27–29.I.2006, at light; leg. G. Csorba & G. Ronkay; slide No. TB 790m (coll. HNHM).

Paratypes. Cambodia. 1 ♂, 1 ♀: from the same area as holotype, but 12°12’12”N, 107°01’89”E, 300 m; No. 117, 30.I.2006; slide No. TB 786m (coll. HNHM); 2 ♀: all data as in the holotype, but slide Nos TB789f, TB792f (coll. HNHM).

India. 1 ♀: “4372; Khasia Hills”; “Acantholipes fuscicosta Hmpsn. ”; “Swinhoe Coll. Brit. Mus. 1926–239”; slide No. BM Noct. 21795♀ (coll. BMNH).

Diagnosis. Naarda bicolora is the closest known relative of N. acolutha : the structure of labial palps shows no significant differences, and the highly contrasting pattern of hindwing is also a shared feature. Externally the two species can be distinguished by the following characters: the forewing is broader in N. bicolora than in N. acolutha ; the outer, dark field of forewing is much homogeneous in the new species than in the latter taxon; the clearly visible dark patch around veins m3 and cu1 of N. acolutha is merged to ground colour in N. bicolora ; the reniform and orbicular stigmata as well as the hindwing discal mark of N. bicolora are conspicuously paler than those of N. acolutha . The male genitalia of N. bicolora differ from those of N. acolutha by the curved scaphium (straight in the other species), the presence of the costal lobe and the thicker, more curved aedeagus. In the female genitalia, the most anterior, membranous section of ductus bursae is longer in N. bicolora than in N. acolutha (BM 21796♀; fig. 24), the corpus bursae is less scobinate and its shape is rather pyriform than the ellipsoidal bursa of N. acolutha .

Description. Wingspan 16–18 mm, length of forewing 8–9 mm. Antennae filiform, ciliate and setose. In male cilia as long as, setae twice longer than diameter of flagellum; female cilia 2/3 as long as, female setae nearly 1.5 times longer than diameter of flagellum. Labial palps showing no sexual dimorphism: slightly more than three times longer than diameter of eye, 3rd segment monochromatic, square; 2nd segment with no dorsal segments at basal third, remaining section domed, dorsal edge rounded. Scale-hood of vertex broad-based, triangular, medium long in both sexes. Male forecoxae and –tibiae slightly hairy. Body pattern similar in both sexes: head and thorax dark, concolorous with forewing costa while abdomen light, stramineous, like ground colour of inner half of wings. Characteristic wing pattern features: wing shape and colouration similar in both sexes; forewing costa very dark brown, nearly black, fields lateral to postmedial lines of both wings dark brown (fawn in one female) but area between postmedial and subterminal lines somewhat darker than field beyond subterminal, basal field of forewing very dark, like costa, remaining fields stramineous; subterminal line jagged, slightly sinuous, lighter brown than surrounding area; postmedial line separating the dark and light areas of wings, being double: outer half light brown as subterminal, inner half as dark as costa, nearly straight, with wide protrusion around vein M3; medial line indistinct, marked by only few dark scales; antemedial line as intense as postmedial, dark, single, curved; reniform stigma pale yellow, oval, relatively narrow, with black spot in lower third and smaller dot in upper third; orbicular stigma 1/3 as large as reniform, having the same ground colour; filling of cell as dark as postdiscal field. Hindwing discal spot narrow, lunulate, basal area and cell not dark, medial line conspicuous, sinuous, otherwise colouration and pattern like that of forewing. Male genitalia (fig. 11). Uncus comparatively narrow, medium long, its tip conspicuously hooked. Base of uncus with two small rounded lobes directed laterally (socii?). Scaphium shorter than uncus, curved against it. Tegumen as long as vinculum; saccus only a small bulge. Transtilla present: forming a big triangular plate with convex dorsal edge and very narrow medial rib. Juxta hatchet-shaped: its ventral edge rounded, dorsal edge angled, with long and narrow process in dorso-medial position. Valva abruptly tapering, medium-long, its base moderately broad. Distal half of valva composed by the fused structure of sacculus, costa and cucullus, this section being narrow, its tip rounded. Costa with rounded lobe just distal to the base of the former fused structure. Sacculus long and narrow. Aedeagus slightly double-curved, somewhat S-shaped, slightly dilated towards the simple carina; vesica (partially everted) with smooth and scobinate sections, without cornuti. Female genitalia (fig. 23). Ovipositor lobes angular. Apophyses posteriores slightly (6/5 times) longer than apophyses anteriores. Sternum A7 moderately broad, bilobed, lobes widely rounded, sinus very broad. Ductus bursae long, can be divided to three sections: most posterior section being strongly sclerotised, broad, square; middle section elongate, narrower and ca 1.5 times longer than latter section, overwhelming part of its surface covered by the colliculum; most anterior section membranous, narrower even than mid-section, ca as long as the most posterior part. Corpus bursae relatively small, pyriform, attached to ductus bursae sub-apically, posterior third smooth, remaining surface moderately densely scobinate by tiny grains. Mouths of ductus seminalis and ductus bursae situated close to each other.

Distribution. India: Khasia Hills, SE Cambodia.

Etymology. The specific name was inspired by the highly contrasting and dichromatic wings.

Taxonomic remarks. A species-complex of several taxa can be raised with the inclusion of N. acolutha , N. bicolora , N. lancanga , Naarda sp. (see below) and another taxon which is represented by the specimen “BM Noct. 20093”. The latter taxon is in somewhat intermediate position between N. acolutha and N. bicolora as the distal half of forewing is as variegated as in N. acolutha (including the dark patch), the valvae of the male genitalia in these two taxa are also similar, however, the remaining part of the forewing, the hindwing, the shape of wings, the lateral lobes at the base of uncus and the slightly curved aedeagus resemble rather to N. bicolora . The Naarda species characterised below is more closely related to N. lancanga judging by the male genitalia.