Chytonix viridifusa, Kovács, Sándor Tibor & Ronkay, László, 2018

Kovács, Sándor Tibor & Ronkay, László, 2018, A Revision Of The Chytonix Perssoni Berio, 1973 Species Complex (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Condicinae) With An Annotated List Of Eurasiatic Taxa, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 64 (2), pp. 143-160 : 153-155

Chytonix viridifusa sp. n.

( Figs 7–9, 12, 24–28)

Holotype – Male, Thailand, Prov. Chiang Mai, Mt. Phahompok , 2000 m, 20 km NW of Fang, 15.I.2004, leg. A. Szabó (coll. G. Ronkay).

Paratypes – Thailand. Prov. Chiang Mai. 5 males, with the same data as the holotype; 2 males, Mt. Phahompok , 2150 m, 20 km NW of Fang, 22–25.I.2004, leg. A. Szabó , slide No. : RL 12301m; 3 males, 4 km SE Pang Faen, 1100 m, 31.I.2004, leg. A. Szabó , slide No.: RL 11906m; 9 males, 1 female, Mt. Phahompok , 2150 m, 20 km NW of Fang, 28–29.I.2004, leg. A. Szabó , slide No.: RL11907 f (coll. G. Ronkay); 1 male, Mt. Phahompok , 20°07,847’N, 99°643’E (sic), 2050 m, 13–17.I.2007, leg. T. Ihle , slide No. : GB 5772m (coll. G. Behounek) . Vietnam. 1 male, Prov. Lao Cai, Fansipan Mts , 103°46.06’E, 22°20.9’N, 1900–2000 m, 26– 29.I.1999, leg. L. Peregovits, G. Ronkay & L. Ronkay ; slide No. : RL 11905m (coll. G. Ronkay) .

Diagnosis – The two closely related members of the species-group can be distinguished by certain external and genitalia features. Chytonix viridifusa has, in comparison with C. tobiasmalmi , uniformly greenish coloured collar and tegulae, greenish shaded forewing ground colour, basal area and lower part of median field darkened and the dark area extends towards postmedial line below cell. Antemedial line prominently angled above inner margin (be- low vein A 1), postmedial line deeply angled below cell and somewhat curved outwards at inner margin; reniform stigma medially constricted, slightly 8-shaped. Wingspan 31–33 mm. Chytonix tobiasmalmi is darker in colouration, with less greenish scales in the vestiture of the head, the thorax and the forewing, the postmedial line is less sinuous, and the reniform stigma is more indistinctly encircled and less constricted at its apical third.

The male genitalia of C. viridifusa ( Figs 7–9) are characterised in the gen- eral diagnosis of the C. perssoni species-group; no similar valval structure is known within the genus.

The specific features of the female genitalia of C. viridifusa ( Fig. 12) are the very broad and almost evenly sclerotised postvaginal plate, the broadly Vshaped ventral sclerotised bar of antrum, the short and narrow, weakly mem- branous ductus bursae, the subconical, proximally broadened, in most parts cristate-ribbed appendix bursae, and the large, elliptical-ovoid corpus bursae.

The female genitalia of Chytonix viridifusa are easily separable from those of C. tobiasmalmi ( Fig. 13) by the larger postvaginal plate, the subconical, prox- imally broader, distally tapering appendix bursae and the larger, more el- liptical corpus bursae. The postvaginal plate of C. tobiasmalmi is smaller and narrower, arcuate, the appendix bursae is broadened medially while the ante- rior and posterior sections are remarkably narrower, and the corpus bursae is smaller, discoidal-globular.

Distribution – The new species is known from Northern Thailand (Prov. Chiang Mai) and Northern Vietnam (Prov. Lao Cai). Most known specimens were collected at or above 2000 m. a.s.l.; the moths are on the wing in January and are attracted strongly to light.

Etymology – The specific name refers to the fine mossy-green colouration of the ves- titure of the head and thorax and the forewing; this feature is typical of this lineage and is more prominently expressed in this species than in its sister-species described below.

Remarks – The single known Vietnamese specimen of C. viridifusa differs from the typical Thai population by its paler, less greenish suffused forewings with more obscure lower angle of antemedial line above inner margin, less sinuous-laced postmedial line, being less angled inwards below cell.

The male genitalia of the Thai and Viet moths are very similar, though there are some differences in the shape of the valvae, the harpes and the juxta. It is not impossible that these two populations represent two distinct taxa but the material from Vietnam is insufficient for a more detailed comparison.