Parachrostia pura Fibiger

Fibiger, Michael, Han, Hui-Lin & Kononenko, Vladimir S., 2011, Five new species and one new subspecies of Micronoctuidae from China, with a checklist of Chinese species, including Taiwan (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea, Micronoctuidae), Zootaxa 2777, pp. 41-53 : 44-45

Parachrostia pura Fibiger , new species

( Figs. 5, 6 , 16 )

Type material. Holotype. Male, China, Guizhou, Huangguoshu, 24–26.ix.2008, leg. Han, H.L. & Qi, M. J., genit. prep. 6209 M. Fibiger, coll. NEFU. Paratypes. 5 males with same data as holotype, one male with genit. prep. 6219 M. Fibiger, colls NEFU and M. Fibiger.

Diagnosis. The genus Parachrostia is a member of the subfamily Parachrostiinae, and there are now five known species, all with unicolorous dark brown forewing, the characteristic trilobed ampulla and tergum plate. The genus is recorded from mainland Asia for the first time; previously it was known only from the Japanese archepelago. P. pura differs from the other species by the the shape of the tergum plate, which is longer than that of P. owadai (Sugi, 1982) but shorter than in the three other species; it is more smoothly rounded than in any of the others; the shorter and differently shaped ampulla is most like that of P. s ug i i Fibiger 2008; the shorter coecum; and the phallus has no plate-like process, as in P. owadai , which has a longer coecum and a stronger coil.

Discription. Adult ( Figs. 5, 6 ). Wingspan: 10–11 mm, forewing narrow. Head, thorax, and ground colour of forewing blackish-grey; all lines black, rather indistinct, waved; terminal line well marked by black interveinial dots; reniform stigma yellow, black outlined. Hindwing unicolourous black-brown, with discal spot. Fringes of both wings grey. Underside unicolourous grey.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 16 ). 8th segment with characteristic tergal plate (Fibiger 2008), 1½ times longer than wide, smoothly rounded throughout; tegumen, vinculum, and broad V-shaped saccus strongly sclerotised; fultura superior at upper part of diaphragm present as four flap-like processes, three narrow and triangular and one rounded apically; juxta-anellus plate strongly fused, largest laterally and ventrally, with hole for phallus; ampullae trilobed, asymmetrical, left lobe largest; digitus absent; phallus coiled, with short triangular coecum; outer part tapering throughout, without a plate-like process; vesica unarmed.

Female. Unknown

Bionomics. The biotope at the type locality is a moist, mainly broad-leaf forest, with lianas and shrubs, close to a river. All specimens were capturedat light in mid September. The early stages are unknown. Distribution ( Fig. 30 ). China (Guizhou prov.).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Micronoctuidae spp., adults. 1. Bellulia bibella, male, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 2. B. bibella, female, paratype, China (NEFU); 3. Mimachrostia fasciata, male, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 4. Micronoctua occi, female, China, Liaoning (NEFU); 5. Parachrostia pura, male, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 6. Parachrostia pura, male, paratype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 7. Tactusa virga, male, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 8. Tactusa flexus, male, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU).

FIGURES 14 – 18. Micronoctuidae spp., male genitalia. 14. Bellulia bibella, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 15. Mimachrostia fasciata, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 16. Parachrostia pura, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 17. Tactusa virga, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU); 18. Tactusa flexus, holotype, China, Yunnan (NEFU).

FIGURES 26 – 30. Collecting sites and distribution map. 26. Broad-leaved and mixed forest, Huangguoshu, Prov. Guizhou. 27. Broad-leaved forest and banana plantations, Huangguoshu, Prov. Guizhou; 28. Broadleaved forest, Jiangcheng, Prov. Yunnan; 29. Mixed forest with Pinus yunnana, Lancang, Prov. Yunnan 30. Distribution map. Collecting localities: 1. Huangguoshu (Prov. Guizhou) 2. Guanling (Prov. Guizhou); 3. Lincang (Prov. Yunnan); 4. Mojiang (Prov. Yunnan); 5. Jiangcheng (Prov. Yunnan); 6. Lancang (Prov. Yunnan); 7. Jinghong (Prov. Yunnan).