Paraplaneta plurilinearia (Leech, 1897)

Choi, Sei-Woong & Stüning, Dieter, 2011, Revision of the genus Paraplaneta Warren, 1895 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Larentiinae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 3038, pp. 29-44 : 36-37

Paraplaneta plurilinearia (Leech, 1897)

( Figs. 7, 10 , 23 , 33 , 41 , 49 )

Larentia plurilinearia Leech, 1897 , Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 19: 655.

Cataclysme plurilinearia: Prout, 1914 , in Seitz, Macrolepidop. World 4: 265. Cataclysme plurilinearia murina Prout, 1916 , Novit. zool. 23: 37. syn. rev. Cataclysme murina: Xue and Zhu, 1999 , Fauna Sinica, Insecta 15: 759.

Type material. Holotype ɞ, labelled: “ Type ” [round label with red border], “Leech coll. 1900–64 “, “Ni-tou 5,000ft. Native coll. July & Aug. 1890 ”, Larentia plurilinearia Leech, A.M.N.H. (6) XIX” [ BMNH, examined].

Diagnosis. P. plurilinearia (wingspan 32–36mm) is most similar to P. anthracica in the morphology of the antennae and in facies, both species with a dark grey ground colour, but plurilinearia with a more monotonous, anthracica with a more variegated pattern. The hindwings in plurilinearia are darker grey, rather concolorous to the forewings. Also the underside of both wings is darker, with a less distinct whitish postmedial area. Despite these differences, both species can be reliably distinguished only by dissection. The male genitalia of plurilinearia can be distinguished immediately by the slender uncus which is very broad in anthracica (also in conturbata and subfasciata ), somewhat similar only to the uncus of the next species ( griseobrunnea ), but in the latter the apex of the uncus is more or less expanded. Other differences are found in the shape of the valve costa, the length of the costal process and build of the saccular arm. The female genitalia of plurilinearia also resemble those of griseobrunnea , but can be distinguished by the anteriorly more acutely expanded sterigma-plates in plurilineara, which are broader and roundly expanded in griseobrunnea .

Material examined. CHINA: 4ɞ Sichuan, Ta-tsien-lou, 1889, 1898, 1910, Chasseurs indigènes; 1ɞ Chasseurs indigènes des Missionaires de Ta-tsien-Lou; 1Ƥ Ningwuan, Szetschwan, China 1933, Coll. Dr. Wehrli; 1ɞ Tchang-Kou[Danba], 1898, Chasseurs indigènes; 19ɞ Tse-kou, P. Dubernard, 1895, 1898, 1903; 1ɞ Tsekou, 9/ 57 ex. Coll. R. Oberthür; 2ɞ Xizang, Jikwang, 10–12.VIII.1984; 11ɞ 2ƤƤ Yuennan, Li-kiang. ( China), Provinz Nord-Yuennan, 21.3.1935, 3.4.1935, 16.4.1935, 17.4.1935, 18.4.1935, 20.4.1935, 21.4.1935, 22.4.1935, 25.4.1935, 28.4.1935, 1Ƥ 15.6., 3.8.1935, H. Höne; 1ɞ Yuennan, Tsetchong près West, R. P. Ouvrard; 1ɞ China mer. occ., Prov. Yuennan occ., Mekong Fluss, Juli, 2000m, Wehrli; 1ɞ Vrianatong, Tibet, Cataclysme plurilinearia murina Prout, L.B. Prout coll., B.M. 1939–643; 1ɞ Batang (Tibet). Untere Urwaldzone (Ca. 3,800m), 13.5.1936, H. Höne; 1ɞ Laoutsekiang, 9/57 ex. Coll. R. Oberthür; 2ɞ Westchina, 9/57 ex. Coll. R. Oberthür (in BMNH, IAZS, ZFMK).

Distribution. China (southwest).

Taxonomic note. Xue and Zhu (1999: 759) raised murina to species rank by misidentifying P. plurilinearia .

Erroneously, they treated the following species, P. griseobrunnea sp. nov., as plurilinearia , as clearly shown by the figures.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 20. Adults of Paraplaneta. 1, 4: P. griseobrunnea, male HT, A-tun-tse; 2, 5: P. griseobrunnea, female PT, Batang; 3, 6: P. subfasciata, male HT, Batang; 7, 10: P. plurilinearia, male, Li-kiang; 8, 11: P. anthracica, male HT, Li-kiang; 9, 12: P. conturbata, male, India; 13, 17: P. hreblayi, male HT, Pakistan; 14, 18: P. nebulata, male HT, Liancheng, Gansu. 15, 19: P. sternecki, female, Beijing; 16, 20: P. sternecki, male, Sichuan.

FIGURES 21 – 24. Male antennae. 21. Cataclysme riguata, 22. Paraplaneta conturbata, 23. P. plurilinearia, 24. P. griseobrunnea.

FIGURES 30 – 37. Male genitalia capsule of Paraplaneta. 30. P. conturbata, pj: pseudojuxta (not figured in the other genitalia capsules), 31. P. subfasciata, 32. P. anthracica, 33. P. plurilinearia, 34, 35. P. griseobrunnea, 36. P. sternecki, 37. P. hreblayi.

FIGURES 38 – 45. Aedeagus with everted vesica of Paraplaneta. 38. P. conturbata, 39. P. subfasciata, 40. P. a n t h r a c i c a, 41. P. plurilinearia, 42, 43. P. griseobrunnea, 44. P. sternecki, 45. P. hreblayi.

FIGURES 46 – 53. Female genitalia of Paraplaneta. 46. Paraplaneta conturbata, 47. P. subfasciata, 48. P. anthracica, 49. P. plurilinearia, 50, 51. P. griseobrunnea, 52. P. sternecki, 53. P. hreblayi.