Chrysorithrum duda Saldaitis & Ivinskis

Saldaitis, Aidas, Ivinskis, Povilas & Rimsaite, Jolanta, 2014, A new species Chrysorithrum duda (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) from China, Zootaxa 3802 (2), pp. 292-296 : 292-296

Chrysorithrum duda Saldaitis & Ivinskis sp. n.

( Figs. 1–3 , 7, 8 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig. 1 ), China, N. W. Yunnan, near Zhongdian, N 27°24.800', E 99°40.500', 23. V. 2012, H.— 3350 m, Floriani leg., in GBG / ZSM collection; (Slide No. BJ 2104m)

Paratypes: 1 male ( Fig. 2 ) the same label as holotype, 2 males ( Fig. 3 ) China, N. W. Yunnan, Lijiang/Zhongdian, near Tuguancun, N 27°29.700', E 99°53.700', 24–25. V. 2012, H.— 3200 m, Floriani leg., in the collections of AFM and WIGJ, 1 male, „Li-kiang. ( China). Provinz Nord-Yuennan. 21.5.1934. H. Höne“; 1 male, same locality and collector, 21.5.1935; 1 female, same locality and collector, 14.7.1935. Elevation of collecting sites: 2.900–3.200m (H. Höne, i.l.). Coll. Höne, in the collection ZFMK.

Diagnosis. The wing pattern of the Ch. duda ( Figs. 1–3 ) is approximation to the combination of the forewings of Ch. flavomaculata ( Fig. 4 ) with the hindwing of Ch. amata ( Figs. 5, 6 ). The wingspan of the new species (54–59 mm) is larger than Ch. flavomaculata (50–56 mm). The forewing median band in Ch. duda is curved and surrounded by straight yellow fields, an elongated brown anal dash and crooked median line, whereas in Ch. flavomaculata the median band is almost straight and lacks an elongated dash. In the new species the large brown reniform stigma is birfurcate at the base while that in Ch. flavomaculata is kidney-shaped with a broad wedge extending basally. The distal part of the forewing in Ch. duda has a yellow band that narrows significantly from the costal margin and is curved nearly 90°, whereas in Ch. amata the band is uniformly wide medially and then slightly curved in a narrow line to the inner margin. In Ch. duda the subterminal and terminal areas of the hindwing are brown with silvery suffusion in the costal and anal areas whereas in Ch. amata these are respectively brown and yellow. The new species male genitalia ( Figs. 7, 8 ) of dud differ from those of Ch. flavomaculata ( Figs. 9, 10 ) by having wide leaf-like valves, short ampula that do not reach the costal edge of the valva, acute valve tips, large valve costal lobes with strongly peaked protuberances, and a short triangular aedeagus diverticulum. In Ch. flavomaculata the valva is elongated, the costal protuberance is slender, the ampula extends over the costa, and the finger-like aedeagus-diverticulum is large. The genital structure of Ch. amata ( Figs. 11, 12 ) is more divergent from either Ch. duda or Ch. flavomaculata .

Description. Forewing length of holotype 27 mm, wingspan 55 mm; forewing length of paratypes 27–30 mm, wingspan 54–59 mm (n-3). Head, patagium, tegulae and abdomen brownish grey; wings strongly contrasting; ground colour of forewing silvery grey, irrorated with brown, subbasal area silvery with few brown scales; antemedian band strongly and doubly sigmoid; twisted median band silvery brow with elongated brown anal dash; large brown reniform stigma with bifurcate base; subterminal band clear silver with occasional brown scales, from costa to dorsum; terminal line strongly twisted. Hindwing dark brown, with wide yellow band extending from costal margin to middle of wing and narrowing distally to a third of its width, curving nearly 90°. Underside of forewing dirty yellow with broad brown curved median band; underside of hindwing dirty yellowish-brown with slightly curved narrow yellow band. Male genitalia ( Figs. 7, 8 ) Symmetrical; uncus claviform with strong thorn-like spine; scaphium a sclerotised ridge, mandibulate with uncus; valva leaf-like, strongly tapered to tip, acute with large costal lobe and strongly peaked protuberance; ampula extending to ¼ valva width; aedeagus thick, curved, basally bilobed; vesica with short triangular diverticulum.

Female like male, with more robust abdomenum. Single know female from ZFMK was not dissected.

Molecular analysis. DNA barcoding also supports the existence of a new species of Chrysorithrum . Full length 658 base pair 'barcodes' of the Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 5' Region (CO1-5P) gene were prepared by the University of Guelph's barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) by methods described in Hebert et al. (2003). Molecular distance based on the Kimura two-parameter model for COI DNA barcodes between all four specimens of Ch. duda and a single specimen of Ch. flavomaculata were 3.47% whereas distances between Ch. duda and single Ch. amata and between Ch. flavomaculata and Ch. amata were 5.46% and 5.11%, respectively.

Biology and distribution. The seven specimens known were collected at ultraviolet light on 23–25 May 2012 and May, July 1934 -1935 in southwestern China's Yunnan province in a remote, area located in the Hengduan Shan (mountains) near Lijiang - Zhongdian on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. The new species is likely endemic to high elevations in this area ( Fig. 13 ). It was collected in two localities near small rivers with valley meadows and dry rocky slopes surrounded by mixed forest and wetlands. Mixed forests were dominated by broad-leaved trees including oaks ( Quercus dentata , Q. glauca ), poplars ( Populus cathayana , P. simonii ), elms ( Ulmus parvifolia ), rhododendrons ( Rhododendron brachycarpum , R. dauricum ) and various species of pines. Other spring-flying noctuid species collected at the same time included Panolis pinicortex Draudt, 1950 , Raphia corax Draudt, 1950 , Lacanobia kitokia Gyulai, Ronkai & Saldaitis, 2011 and many others.

Etymology: The new species is named after colleague, prominent Lithuanian collector and director of the World Insect Gallery Juozas Dūda (Joniškis, Lithuania).

Figures

FIGURE 13. China, N. W. Yunnan, Lijiang / Zhongdian, near Tuguancun, N 27 ° 29.700 ', E 99 ° 53.700 '. Type locality of Ch. duda sp. n.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Chrysorithrum ssp. adults. 1. Ch. duda sp. n., male, holotype, China, Yunnan (GBG / ZSM); 2. Ch. duda sp. n., male, paratype, China, Yunnan (AFM); 3. Ch. duda sp. n., male, paratype, China, Yunnan (WIGJ); 4. Ch. flavomaculata, male, Russia (NRCV); 5. Ch. amata, male, China, Sichuan (OPB); 6. Ch. amata, male, Russia (NRCV).

FIGURES 7 – 12. Chrysorithrum ssp. male genitalia. 7. Ch. duda sp. n., holotype, capsule, prep. BJ 2104 m; 8. Ch. duda sp. n., holotype, aedeagus, prep. BJ 2104 m; 9. Ch. flavomaculata, capsule, Russia, prep. BJ 2103 m; 10. Ch. flavomaculata, aedeagus, Russia, prep. BJ 2103 m; 11. Ch. amata, capsule, Sichuan, China, prep. OP 2329 m; 12. Ch. amata, aedeagus, Sichuan, China, prep. OP 2329 m.