Pheosia mayri, Saldaitis & Prozorov & Morozorov & Yakovlev & Müller & Dûda, 2024

Saldaitis, Aidas, Prozorov, Alexey M., Morozorov, Pavel S., Yakovlev, Roman V., Müller, Günter C. & Dûda, Juozas, 2024, Description of a new Pheosia from Sichuan and Gansu, China (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 73, pp. 82-89 : 83-89

Pheosia mayri sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8CB21859-2C42-443C-920F-08F7449487EE

( Figs 6–8 , 11–12 )

Holotype: ♂, China, W Sichuan, near Xinduqiao , H- 3611m, N30°04.256’, E101°25.156’, 14.vi.2015, Floriani & Saldaitis, (GS 2023 0632, A. Prozorov) ( WIJG) . Paratypes. Sichuan Province: 13♂, 2♀, same data as holotype (GS 2023 0631, 2023 0633, A. Prozorov) ( ASV, CGM, TMF) ; 19♂, 3♀, China ,

N Sichuan, road from Songpan to Zoige, N32°55.511’, E103°24.959’, h- 3500 m, 05.07.2010, Floriani & Saldaitis leg, ( AFM, CPM, CGM); 1♂, China, N. Sichuan, road from Songpan to Juizhaigou , h- 3000 m, N33°08.770’, E103°43.624’, 13.07.2010, Floriani & Saldaitis leg. ( CGM) ; 1♀, China, W. Sichuan, near Moxi , H- 2800 m, N29°46.214’, E102°03.433’, 03.07.2011, Floriani & Saldaitis leg. ( CGM) ; 8♂, 1♀, China, Sichuan, County road 120, ~ 5km East Chuan Zhu Si, 3200 m, 4.VII.2012, leg. Della Bruna & A. Floriani ( AFM & DBM) ; 1♂, Cina [ China], Sichuan, MinShan, h- 3000m, Prov. Road 301 (km 104), 9km South Jarpo Town, N 33°10.05’, E103°42.17’, 9-10, luglio [July], 2012, A.Floriani leg, ( AFM) ; 3♂, 1♀ China, W Sichuan, near Xinduqiao , H- 3640m, N30°04.22’, E101°24.54’, 28.vi.2019, Butvila & Saldaitis leg, ( AFM, WIJG) ; 6♂, China, NW Sichuan, near Manigango , H- 3860m, N31°47.22’, E99°23.27’, 30.vi.2019, Butvila & Saldaitis leg, ( AFM, WIJG) ; 3♂, China, NW Sichuan, near Luhuo , H- 3200m, N31°22.35’, E100°42.01’, 29.vi.2019, Butvila & Saldaitis leg, ( AFM, WIJG) ; 2♂, China, W Sichuan, Road Daocheng / Litang , H- 4100m, N29°36.788’, E100°19.825’, 11.v.2016, stones, Saldaitis leg, ( AFM) ; 2♂, China, N Sichuan, road ChuanZhusi / HuangLong, Juraka pass, H-4100m, N32°45.331’, E103°42.273’, 25.07.2011, Floriani & Saldaitis leg, ( AFM) ; 5♂, China, N Sichuan, road Barkam / Hong Yuan , H- 3800m, N32°10.353’, E102°29.692’, 22.07.2011, Floriani & Saldaitis leg. ( AFM; CGM) ; 5♂, China, N Sichuan, 20 km south of Serxu city, (4350-4500m asl.), 20.6.- 23.6.2004 ( DBM; CGM) ; 1♀, China, W Sichuan, near Litang , N29°49.136’, E100°20.576’, H- 4000 m, 20.vi.2015, Floriani & Saldaitis leg. ( ASV) ; 1♀, China, W Sichuan, Shaluli Shan, 40 km NW from Daocheng , N29°17.399’, E100°05.068’, H- 4050 m, 19.vi.2015, Floriani & Saldaitis leg. ( ASV) ; 1♂, 1♀, China, W Sichuan, 50 km N from Batang, near Rikeng lake N30°25.371’, E099°24.985’, H- 3700- 4100 m, 17.vi.2015, Floriani & Saldaitis leg, ( ASV) ; Gansu Province: 7♂, China, Gansu SW, near Xiahe ( Labrang ), N35°11.968’, E102°33.545’, h- 2930 m, 08.07.2010, Floriani & Saldaitis leg ( AFM; CGM) ; 1♂, China, Gansu, Linxia ( Xiahe ), 3000–3700 m, 23.06–30.06.93, leg. Westphal ( CGM) ; 2♂, China, Gansu / Xiahe , 3000–3500 m, 2.5– 22.5.1992, leg. Westphal ( CGM) .

Description. Male ( Figs 6–7 ). Flagellum covered with whitish and brown scales. Head, tegula, meta- and mesothorax speckled whitish and dark brown, separated with nearly black scales. Abdomen brown, lighter-colored basally and distally. Forewing. Forewing length: 21.5–23 mm. Of blunt triangle shape, concave along costa, with rounded apex and wavy outer margin. Of dark brown and white shades: basal field divided by dark brown line into brown and basal yellow areas; brown line heads towards tornal angle and interrupted with white stroke in the basis of barely pronounced antemedial line; medial field dark brown with crenulated borders; submarginal field brown with dark strokes and light-colored speckles between veins; light-colored costal and apical areas interrupted with dark strokes and sparsely covered with dark scales. Fringe speckled whitish and brown bordered with dark brown line along wing margin. Hindwing. Somewhat of triangle shape with convex and slightly wavy outer margin. Of brown shades, slightly lighter along anal margin and in postmedial area; tornal angle covered with speckled dark brown and whitish scales with short transversal whitish stroke. Fringe speckled light and dark brown, almost evenly dark brown along tornal angle. Genitalia ( Figs 11–12 ). Uncus of a ginkgo leaf shape with small mediodistal concavity and wide stem, laterobasally bears one pair of socii. Socii with broad base, long, finger-shaped, flat, apically rounded. Distal part of tegumen and socii sparsely covered with setae. Tegumen and vinculun form ring ventrally connected to cup-like saccus. Valva semioval, sparsely covered with setae, costa distally bears short claw-like extension. Juxta a wide ring surrounding phallus. Phallus cone-like with pair of medioapical claw-like slightly s-shaped extensions. Vesica compact bag-like. Ductus ejaculatoris slightly more sclerotised near exit from vesica. Female ( Fig. 8 ). Identical to male in coloration and shape of wings, but a little larger. Forewing length: 24 mm. Genitalia ( Fig. 17 ). Papillae anales semioval, densely covered with setae. Apophyses posteriores about 7 times longer than anterior ones. Antevaginal plate of somewhat oval shape, posterior margin wavy, medially wrinkled forming pair of short transversal ribs. Ductus bursae about the same length with bursa. Bursa ovoid.

Diagnosis. Adults of Ph. mayri sp. n. ( Figs 6–8 ) are overall smaller than Ph. gelupka ( Figs 1– 2 ), have brown hindwings, broader distal extensions of uncus and two transversal ribs on antevaginal plate ( Fig. 17 , shown with arrows) instead of wrinkled oval structure ( Fig. 14 , shown with arrow), caudal margin of the plate is less wrinkled.

Adults of Ph. mayri sp. n. ( Figs 4–6 ) are overall larger and darker colored than Ph. buddhista ( Figs 3–5 ), have larger size of spread male genitalia (7.49–7.52 mm versus 6.61–6.75 mm from uncus to vinculum), two transversal ribs on antevaginal plate ( Fig. 17 , shown with arrows) instead of one ( Figs 15–16 , shown with arrow), caudal margin of the plate is more wrinkled, last tergite lack medial concavity which is pronounced in both made slides of Ph. buddhista ( Figs 15–16 , shown with arrow).

Biology and distribution. Adults were collected from light traps lit with insect attracting ultraviolet bulbs during several trips to remote areas of Sichuan and Gansu provinces from mid-June to mid-July ( Fig. 18 ). The new species was collected from altitudes of approximately 3500–4000 meters in alpine shrublands and meadows dominated by various bushes and rhododendron within the Southeast Tibet shrublands and meadows ecoregion or close its borders ( Fig. 19 ).

Etymology. The new species is named after our colleague, prominent Austrian collector Toni Mayr (Feldkirch, Austria).

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Alessandro Floriani (Milan, Italy) and Rimantas Butvila (Joniškis, Lithuania) for their enthusiastic companionship during the trips to China and Oleg Pekarsky (Budapest, Hungary) for genitalia slides preparing.

References

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Figures

Figures 1–8. Adults of Pheosia spp. (ASV). 1–2. ♂ and ♀ of Ph. gelupka. 2–5. 2♂ and ♀ of Ph. buddhista. 6–8. 2♂ and ♀ of Ph. mayri sp. n. Scale bar – 1 cm.

Figures 9–12. ♂ genitalia of Pheosia spp. 9–11 in ASV; 12 in WIJG. Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 15–17. ♀ genitalia of Pheosia spp. (ASV). Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 13–14. ♂ and ♀ genitalia of Pheosia gelupka (ASV). Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 18–19. Collecting localities of Pheosia gelupka (blue) and Ph. mayri sp. n. (red) shown on physical map (18; google.com/maps) and map of ecoregions (ecoregions.appspot.com). The coloured circle with white star is for the type locality. Scale bar – 100 km.