Altipolia gengda Benedek & Saldaitis, 2014

Benedek, Balázs, Saldaitis, Aidas & Rimsaite, Jolanta, 2014, A new species of Altipolia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Xyleninae) from China, Zootaxa 3815 (1), pp. 141-146 : 142

Altipolia gengda Benedek & Saldaitis sp. n.

( Figs. 1, 2 , 7, 8 , 13 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig. 1 ), China, W. Sichuan, Kangding, near Zheduo Pass , 3400–3700 m, 13. X. 2009, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis, in GBG / ZSM collection; (Slide No. JB 1516m).

Paratypes: 1 male, China, W. Sichuan, Kangding, near Zheduo Pass , 3700–4200 m, 14. X. 2009, Floriani & Saldaitis leg., slide No.GB 7120m, (in AFM collection) , 1 female ( Fig. 2 ), China, W. Sichuan, 2800 m, near Kangding, road to Mugeko lake , 12. X. 2009, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis, slide No.JB 1517f, (in NRCV collection) .

Diagnosis. The new species is related to A. illebricosa ( Figs. 3, 4 ) based on male and female genitalia ( Figs. 9, 10 , 14 ), but it can be easily separated by the larger size and forewing patterns and by its lighter ground colouration. The A. gengda male ( Fig. 7 ) genitalia differs in the narrower uncus and juxta and in the broader saccular part of the valvae. The aedeagus ( Fig. 8 ) of the new species is longer with a broader coecum and more rounded carina edge and the vesica is narrower and armed with a lateral, brush-like basal cornuti ridge. The A. gengda female genitalia ( Fig. 13 ) differs from A. illebricosa ( Fig. 14 ) by the longer, entirely sclerotized ductus bursae, the conical shape of the cervix bursae and by the more globular, less elongated shape of the corpus bursae. A. gengda is superficially similar to A. purpurea ( Figs. 5, 6 , 11, 12 , 15 ), but both male and female genitalia are clearly different in the two species.

Description. Wingspan 31–38 mm, length of forewings 17–18 mm. Antennae of males shortly biserrate with fine hairs, those of the females ciliate; head, thorax and ground colour of forewings light silvery ash-grey, mixed with some brown and with black scaling along veins; forewings broad, oblong, patterns remarkable; reniform large, pancake like; orbicular large, elongate-conical in shape; claviform large, conspicuously lighter than ground colour, creamy coloured; antemedian fascia double, with diffuse margins, turned at the lower edge of claviform; postmedian fascia light, diffuse, sinuous; subterminal fascia whitish, diffuse, cilia medium length, same coloured as ground colour of forewings; hindwings unicoloured dark ash-grey with same coloured cilia. Male genitalia ( Figs. 7, 8 ) Uncus long, narrow, coming to a fine thorn-like point; tegumen high positioned; penicular lobes strong, flattened, thumb-like in shape and densely covered with long hairs; juxta large, sclerotized, shield-like shape with deep apical incision and a long, forefinger-like medial process; vinculum strong, narrow but long, V-shaped; valvae short but broad, apically slightly tapering; sacculus large, sclerotized; cucullus rounded, membranous; clasper short, thick and flattened, rounded spoon-like in shape with a strong ridge-like basis; aedeagus long, narrow and straight with broader coecum; carina features a long dorsal plate; vesica dorsally everted, moderately long, tubular, armed with a brush-like lateral ridge of spiculi on the basal part of the ventral side; vesica surface covered with additional fine spiculi extending to the middle. Female genitalia ( Fig. 13 ) Papillae anales moderately long, conical in shape; apophyses anterioris and apophyses posterioris strong, medium length; ostium straight; ductus rather long, broad and sclerotized; cervix bursae elongated, conical in shape, not sclerotized; corpus bursae globular, without sclerotization.

Biology and distribution. Only known from two males and one female all collected at light in Kangding valley near Zheduo Pass in an area of China's Sichuan Province on the east edge of the Tibetan plateau. All three specimens were collected in mid-October even during periods of snowfall at altitudes ranging from 2800 to 4200 m. The new species was encountered in the shrubby transition between the mountain primary mixed forest and the alpine grassland zones. It flies with many other late autumn moths species such as Poecilocampa morandinii Zolotuhin & Saldaitis , Dasypolia rasa Saldaitis, Benedek, Behounek & Floriani , D. carlotta Floriani, Benedek, Behounek & Saldaitis and D. kita Benedek, Behounek, Floriani & Saldaitis .

Etymology. The name derives from the Chinese “geng da” meaning bigger and refers to the new species being larger than its relatives.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Altipolia ssp. adults. 1. A. gengda sp. n., male, holotype, China, Sichuan (coll. GBG/ZSM); 2. A. gengda sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan (coll. NRCV); 3. A. illebricosa, male, China, Sichuan (coll. NRCV); 4. A. illebricosa, female, China, Yunnan (coll NRCV); 5. A. purpurea, male, Nepal, Mechi (coll. BBT); 6. A. purpurea, female, Pakistan, Astor (coll. Hreblay);

FIGURES 7–12. Altipolia ssp. male genitalia. 7. A. gengda sp. n., holotype, capsule, prep. JB1516; 8. A. gengda sp. n., holotype, aedeagus, prep. JB1516; 9. A. illebricosa, capsule, prep. JB1515; 10. A. illebricosa, aedeagus, prep. JB1515; 11. A. purpurea, capsule, prep. JB2201; 12. A. purpurea, aedeagus, prep. JB2201.

FIGURES 13–16. Altipolia ssp. female genitalia. 13. A. gengda sp. n., paratype, genitalia prep. JB1517; 14. A. illebricosa, genitalia prep. JB2194; 15. A. purpurea, genitalia prep. MH3346; 16. Shrubby transition between the mountain primary mixed forest and the alpine grassland zones–the biotope of A. gengda sp. n., China, West Sichuan, Kangding, near Zheduo Pass (A. Floriani picture).