Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018

Spitsyn, Vitaly M., Kondakov, Alexander V., Tomilova, Alena A., Spitsyna, Elizaveta A. & Bolotov, Ivan N., 2021, Male of Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018, an endemic species from Flores Island, Lesser Sunda Archipelago (Lepidoptera: Erebidae Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4975 (1), pp. 193-197 : 193-194

Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018

Figs 1–14 Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov et al. (2018) : 10, fig. 4.

Type material examined. Holotype female SPH0695 [ RMBH].

Type locality. INDONESIA: East Nusa Tenggara, Flores Island, Sano Ngoang Lake , camp site, secondary mountain forest with old nutmeg trees on a hill slope, 08º42’34”S, 119º59’51”E .

Material examined. INDONESIA: Flores Island , Bajawa, Wolokoro Ecolodge, heavily disturbed monsoon forests and eucalyptus plantings, 08º49’02”S, 120º56’03”E, 28–31 January 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 18♂, 6♀ ; Flores Island , Bajawa, Manulalu Ecolodge, planting of eucalyptus with fragmented areas of natural vegetation, 08º51’45”S, 120º59’40”E, 01–02 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 1♀ ; Flores Island , Labuan Bajo , Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge , mountain monsoon forest, 08º35’21”S, 119º59’12”E, 05–07 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 1♂ .

DNA barcoding. Reference COI sequences: GenBank accession numbers MG 735265 (holotype female); and MW 051031 – MW 051033 (males). Despite the high morphological variability discovered in both sexes ( Figs 1–12 ), uncorrected COI p-distances between our samples were only 0.30–0.45 %.

Description of the male. Morphology and markings. Wingspan 32–37 mm, forewing length 16–19 mm (N = 19; Figs 1–2 , 5–9 ). Head yellowish brown. Frons smaller than eye diameter, and therefore the male’s eye looks larger than that of the female. Labial palpi stout, upright, short (slightly longer than eye diameter), black dorsally and reddish brown ventrally. Proboscis small, weakly developed. Antennae brown, outer side of each segment with one branch. Thorax yellowish brown. Legs yellow or pinkish yellow, tibia and tarsus usually black, femur sometimes pink. Wing marking pattern is highly variable (see Figs 1–2 , 5–9 ). Forewing grayish yellow or grayish brown, usually with 2–5 transverse rows of dark dots and/or spots (some specimens lack these markings). Hindwing yellow, usually with some dark spots. Abdomen yellowish brown, with a row of black spots dorsally, and with one or two rows of black spots laterally. Male genitalia. Tegumen large and broad; uncus large, elongated, V-shaped, with broad base and rounded apex ( Fig. 13 ). Saccus large, elongated, U-shaped. Valva narrow and curved, well sclerotized, its apex strongly curved. Valva broadening from the base to the medial part and then tapering apically. Juxta broad, with wide rounded base, with concave upper margin. Aedeagus large, slightly curved medially and dilated distally, with a robust dentate carinal plate. Vesica with two fields of small cornuti apically ( Fig. 14 ).

Distribution. Indonesia: Flores Island.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Specimens of Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018. Fig. 1. Male upperside [RMBH]. Fig. 2. Male underside [RMBH]. Fig. 3. Female upperside [holotype SPH0695; RMBH]. Fig. 4. Female underside [holotype]. Scale bar = 10 mm. (Photos: Elizaveta A. Spitsyna).

FIGURES 5–12. Variability of Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018 from Flores Island (dorsal view). Figs 5–9. Males [RMBH]. Figs 10–12. Females [RMBH]. Scale bar = 10 mm. (Photos: Elizaveta A. Spitsyna).

FIGURES 13–14. Male genitalia of Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018 from Flores Island. Fig. 13. Genital capsule. Fig. 14. Aedeagus (Photos: Vitaly M. Spitsyn and Elizaveta A. Spitsyna).