Arctelene arcuata ( Moore, 1882 ) Volynkin & Huang, 2022

Volynkin, Anton V. & Huang, Si-Yao, 2022, On the taxonomy of the genus Miltochrista Hübner with descriptions of five new species from India and China and notes on the genus Arctelene Kirti & Gill (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 58, pp. 86-108 : 103-104

Arctelene arcuata ( Moore, 1882) , comb. n.

( Figs 38, 39 , 57 , 69 )

Lyclene arcuata Moore, 1882 , The Lepidoptera of Ceylon, 2 (1): 62, pl. 103, fig. 5 (Type locality: “ Ceylon ”) .

Type material examined. Lectotype (hereby designated) ( Fig. 38 ): female, “ Ceylon | 333” (upper side) “ Leclene | arcuata | Type. Moore” (under side) / “Moore Coll. | 94–106.” / red ring “ Type ” label / QR- code label with unique number: “ NHMUK010604775 ” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined: SRI LANKA: 1 male, Colombo, 9. 02 / Mackwood Coll. B.M. 1927-341, unique number: NHMUK014173072 ; 1 male, 1 female, Col. [ombo] Dist., Labugama, 400 feet, 24.VIII.1973, Ginter Ekis / Collected at black light, unique numbers: NHMUK014173075 , NHMUK014173076 ( NHMUK) .

Notes. (1) In the original description, Moore (1882) did not mention the number of specimens. In order to stabilize the nomenclature, we hereby designate the female syntype labeled as “Type” and preserved in the NHMUK collection as lectotype. (2) Besides Lyclene rosea Hampson, 1891 and Lyclene aurora Hampson, 1891 considered above, which were synonymised by Hampson (1900) with Asura arcuata , three additional names have been introduced by Strand (1917) under the species ‘ Asura arcuata ’ from Taiwan: formosicola, Asura arcuata ab. pseudaurora Strand, 1917, and Asura arcuata var. ochrostraminea Strand, 1917 . In the species account of ‘ Asura arcuata ’, Strand (1917) has written the following: “Ob die, wie es scheint, [...] eine Lokalform sind, kann ich wegen Mangels and genügendem Vergleismaterial nicht sicher feststellen; eventuell möge die den Namen ‘ formosicola ’ becommen” (“I cannot say with certainty whether they are, as it seems, [...] a local form due to a lack of sufficient comparative material; maybe it might get the name ’ formosicola ’.). Thus, Strand has not consistently applied the Principle of Binominal Nomenclature (see the ICZN (1999) Article 5.1). Additionally, he only preliminarily proposed the name ‘ formosicola ’, probably for the case if the stability of the features listed by him and differing the Taiwanese specimens from the nominate populations are proven in the future, i.e. the name ‘ formosicola ’ has not been used as valid. Following the ICZN (1999) Articles 11.4.2 and 11.5, the name ‘ formosicola ’ should be considered as unavailable. Two other names proposed by Strand (1917), namely Asura arcuata ab. pseudaurora Strand, 1917, and Asura arcuata var. ochrostraminea Strand, 1917 are also unavailable as infrasubspecific ( ICZN (1999) Article 10.2). Despite the latter name, ‘ ochrostraminea ’ has been proposed as a variety, one of the specimens assigned with it originates from the same locality (Kosempo) as four other specimens assigned by Strand with ‘ Asura arcuata ’ a page above therefore it has not been used by the author as a name for a separate geographical population which could be considered as a subspecies and, therefore, is infrasubspecific (see ICZN (1999) Articles 45.6.1 and 45.6.4). The Taiwanese specimens, which were considered by Strand as ‘ Asura arcuata ’ (and subsequently by Wu et al. 2013 as ‘ Lyclene arcuata ’), belong to the genus Miltochrista and their species belonging requires further clarification (under revision by Volynkin et al.).

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 7.5–8.5 mm in males and 8.5–10.0 mm in females. The body and forewing colouration varies from yellow to pink. The species is externally reminiscent of A. rubricosa but differs clearly in the markedly smaller size, the more posteriorly curved medial transverse line, and the more dentate outer margin of the postmedial shade. The male genital capsule of A. arcuata is distinguished from A. rubricosa by the medially slender uncus (it is medially dilated in the congener), the broader proximal section of the valva, and the less elongate distal section of the valva with a broader and more rounded apex (it is rather trapezoid in A. rubricosa ). The phallus of A. arcuata is somewhat shorter than in A. rubricosa and has a broader, longer and more downcurved coecum. Compared to A. rubricosa , the vesica of A. arcuata has a shorter main chamber, the broader distal diverticulum, and bears a longer cornutus. The female genitalia of A. arcuata differ from A. rubricosa in the markedly posteriorly broader antrum, and the broader corpus bursae with shorter and thinner spinules in the posterior cluster. The 7 th abdominal sternite of A. arcuata is somewhat more heavily sclerotised than in A. rubricosa , and has longer subostial sclerotised lobes.

Distribution. Endemic to Sri Lanka. The externally similar specimens from South India preserved in the NHMUK collection belong to other, unidentified species of the genus Arctelene . The species illustrated by Kirti & Singh (2016) as ‘ Miltochrista arcuata ’ belongs to Miltochrista inconspicua . The species belonging of the specimens from Cambodia, Thailand and Taiwan illustrated by Bae et al. (2016), Černý & Pinratana (2009), and Wu et al. (2013), respectively as ‘ Lyclene arcuata ’ requires further clarification (under revision by Volynkin et al.).

Figures

Figures 28–42. Miltochrista (28–37) and Arctelene (38–42) spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 28–30, 32–35, and 42 in MWM/ZSM; 31, 38–41 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 36 and 37 in ZFMK.

Figures 55–58. Miltochrista (55 and 56) and Arctelene (57 and 58) spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 55 in ZFMK; 56 and 58 in MWM/ZSM; 57 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 67–70. Miltochrista (67 and 68) and Arctelene (69 and 70) female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 67 in ZFMK; 68 in MWM/ZSM; 69 and 70 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).