Palaeugoa takanoi, Volynkin & Laszlo, 2020

Volynkin, Anton V. & László, Gyula M., 2020, Revision of the genus Palaeugoa Durante, 2012, with descriptions of seven new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 36, pp. 53-77 : 68

The P. takanoi species-group

Diagnosis. The members of the species-group are characterized by their pale creamy forewing ground colour with dark greyish indistinct pattern and suffusion between the veins. The male genitalia of the species-group display the combination of the following distinctive characters: (1) the anellus is weakly sclerotized (that is membranous in the P. spurrelli species-group, whereas it is thick-walled and densely covered in numerous robust spines in the P. peregrina species-group); (2) the transtillar processes are narrow and fully detached (those are larger, lobe-like and interconnected by the intrategumenal membrane or fused in the P. spurrelli species-group, while represented by a densely spinulose medio-ventral thickening of transtillae in the P. peregrina species-group); (3) the cucullus is distally tapered and heavily sclerotized, its ventral membranous section is very short and narrow, situated basally (whereas in the P. spurrelli and P. peregrina species-groups the cucullus is broad, lobe-like, with a large ventral membranous section); (4) the costal process is well-developed, pointed, claw-like, directed ventrally (whereas that is represented by an elongate but very short crest or even may be absent in the P. spurrelli and P. peregrina species-groups). The female genitalia differ from those of the P. spurrelli species-group by (1) the broad antevaginal plate (which is narrow, ribbon-like in the P. spurrelli species-group); (2) the conspicuously lateral direction of the corpus bursae in right-angle with the axis of the ductus bursae (in the P. spurrelli species-group the corpus bursae is directed more or less anteriorly); and (3) the complex configuration of appendix bursae consisting of three well-separated sections (which is simply globular with a narrow neck-like base in the P. spurrelli species-group).

Description. Small moths with forewing length 6.5–8 mm in males and 8.5 mm in females. Sexual dimorphism limited: female slightly larger than male with somewhat more elongate and broader forewing. Antennae of both sexes sparsely ciliate. Body and wing colouration pale brownish or creamy. Forewing pattern indistinct, represented by a suffusion of dark greyish scales between veins. Hindwing with pale suffusion of dark scales. Male genitalia. Uncus short, dorso-ventrally flattened, weakly sclerotized and densely setose, fully fused with the tuba analis. Tuba analis broad, membranous, subscaphium weakly setose. Tegumen short and narrow. Anellus weakly sclerotized (in P. asafis bearing two clusters of short denticles). Juxta weakly sclerotized, broadly triangular with rounded corners and a broad and deep medio-basal incision. Vinculum short and broad, U-shaped. Valva moderately broad and elongate, its costal margin medially convex. Cucullus setose, strongly tapered distally, apically pointed (in P. asafis ) or narrowly rounded with a bunch of short spinules in P. takanoi . Costal process claw-like, relatively short and narrow, apically pointed, directed ventrally. Sacculus relatively narrow, with a long and narrow distal process and a shorter, narrow, curved medial process. Aedeagus narrow, medium long, with well-developed coecum. Vesica short and moderately broad, with two or three short, globular diverticula and one cluster of robust cornuti. Distal plate of vesica absent. Female genitalia. Papillae anales broadly trapezoidal with rounded corners, sparsely setose. Apophyses thin, apophyses posteriores ca. 3 times longer than apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae moderately broad. Antevaginal plate moderately sclerotized, broad reverse-trapezoidal with undulate posterior margin. Ductus bursae short and relatively narrow, tubular, thick-walled membranous, slightly wrinkled. Corpus bursae teardrop-shaped, directed in right angle to ductus bursae axis, its distal (broader) section densely covered in small spinules; apical section thick-walled and slightly wrinkled. Appendix bursae markedly longer than corpus bursae, consists of three sections: basal section perpendicular to ductus bursae axis, medially dilated-globular, heavily sclerotized, thick-walled and slightly wrinkled; medial section directed anterio-laterally, strongly tapered, thick-walled and slightly wrinkled; distal section directed anteriorly, dilated, globular, basal section densely covered in fine denticles, medial and distal sections sparsely spinulose.