Lygephila dorsigera ( Walker, 1865 )

Pekarsky, Oleg, 2016, Taxonomic and morphological studies on the Lygephila dorsigera (Walker, 1865) species-group, with description of a new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Toxocampinae), Zootaxa 4161 (4), pp. 554-560 : 554-555

Lygephila dorsigera ( Walker, 1865)

( Figs 9, 10 , 15, 16 , 26–30 )

Toxocampa dorsigera Walker, 1865 , List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 33: 873. (TL: Sri Lanka).

Synonymy: Lygephila kishidai Kinoshita, 1989 , Tyô to Ga 40 (2): 141. (TL: Taiwan, Nantou Hsien, Lushan Spa), syn. n.

Type material examined. Holotype: Female ( Fig. 9 ), [ Sri Lanka], Type , V3/57, slide LG3055f (coll. BMNH) ; Paratype of Lygephila kishidai Kinoshita, 1989 : male, Taiwan, Hualien Hsien, Tayuling , 2600 m, 18–31.III.1981, leg. H. Yoshimoto, slide GB 3218m, female, same data as male, slide GB3219f (coll. GBG / ZSM) .

Additional material examined. Nepal: 1 male & 1 female, Surke Danda , 1 km NE of Lal Kharka, 2140 m, 4– 5.VIII.2000, leg. M. Hreblay & T. Csővári, slide OP 2031m, OP2032f (coll. GYP) ; 1 male, Pokhara 6 km N von Kharey Australia camp, 2050 m, N28°18' 194'', E83°49' 752'', 19–21.II.2009, leg. T. Ihle, slide OP 2375m (coll. ABF) ; 1 female, Kathmandu Valley, Godavari , 600–1800 m, 1.VI.1967, leg. Dierl & Schacht, slide OP2343f (coll. ZSM) ; 1 female, Ganesh Himal, Phikuri Danda , 2900 m, N28°04' 198'', E85°06' 345'', 5.VII.2010, leg. T. Ihle, slide OP2376f (coll. ABF); Myanmar (Burma) : 1 male, Chin State, Victoria Mt., Nat Ma Taung National park, rd. Mindat-Matupi , N21°26' 427'', E93°47' 121'', 2286 m, 14.V.2012, leg. Löffler & Naumann, slide OP 2381m ; 1 female, 20.V.2012, slide OP2382f (coll. ABF); Thailand: Changwat, Chang Mai, Mt. Dai Phahompok , 16 km NW of Fang, 2000 m, 10.I.1999, leg. A. Szabó & Z. Czere, slide GB 5783m (coll. GBG / ZSM) ; 1 male, Changwat Nan, 8 km W of Pha Lak , 800 m, 3.VII.1998, leg. A. Szabo & I. Soos, slide OP 2385m ; 1 female, Chiang Mai / Mae Ai, Doi PhaHomPok, 2050 m, N20°07' 847'', E99°643'', 17– 21.I.2007, leg. T. Ichle, slide OP2377f ; 1 female, Chiang Mai / Mae Ai, Doi PhaHomPok, 2050 m, N20°07' 847'', E099°643', II.2007, leg. T. Ihle, slide OP2386f ; 1 female, Chiang Mai / Mae Ai, Doi PhaHomPok, 2200 m, 4– 10.III. [20]03, leg. T. Ihle, slide OP2387f (coll. ABF) ; 1 female, Changwat Chiang Mai, 20 km NW of Sop Kha , 2 km S of Kop Dong, 1800 m, 27.I.1999, leg. A. Szabó & Z. Czere, slide OP2324f ; 1 female, Chiang Mai Mt. Doi Phahompok , 1600 m, 21.VII.2001, leg. Hentschel & Petrányi, slide OP2327f (coll. JSL); Vietnam : 1 male, Prov. Lao Cai, Fan-si-pan Mts , 1920 m, 4 km W Cat Cat, 13.III.1998, leg. L. Peregovits & T. Vásárhelyi, slide JB 240m ; 1 female, Prov. Lao Cai, 1900–2000 m, Fan-si-pan Mts , 14 km NW Sa Pa, 103˚46.06'E, 22˚20.9'N, 4–6.XII.1997, leg. L. Peregovits & L. Ronkay, slide JB241f (coll. HNHM); China : 1 male, Hunan, Nanling Mts, Shikengkong Mt. , 1300 m, N24°54', E112°57', 13– 30.X.2006, leg. V. Siniaev, slide OP 2935m ; 1 female, Guangxi, Moi Shan, near Guanyang , 1500 m, N25°34', E111°08', 2–10.XII.2005, leg. V. Siniaev, slide OP2934f (coll. GYP) ; 1 male, [Zhejiang] Wenchow, Chekiang , V.1939, leg. H. Höne, slide OP2256f (coll. ZFMK); Taiwan : 1 male, Prov. Nantou, Yushan, Hoshe , 1400 m, 8.VII.1996, Csorba & Németh, slide LR 7119m ; 1 female, Taitung Prov., Yushan, Yakou , 2000 m, 29–30.IV.1997, leg. S.T. Kovács, slide LR7122f (coll. HNHM).

Note. In literature Lygephila cucullata ( Moore, 1882) and Lygephila orientalis ( Butler, 1886) are often mentioned as relatives or even synonyms of L. dorsigera , though they are, however, significantly different from L. dorsigera by their external and genital structures, representing another species group of Lygephila . The taxonomic clarification of this species-group will be given in a separate publication.

Diagnosis. An externally variable species with quite constant features of the genital structures in both sexes. In the male genitalia, L. dorsigera differs from all other congeners by its wide distal part of valva with rounded ventral side, well-developed medium-long ampulla and evenly curved, rod-like uncus, whereas all relatives characterized by their narrower valva, less developed or reduced ampulla and flattened uncus; in the females, the posterior part of antrum is the widest comparing with all relatives.

Description. Wingspan 39–47 mm. Ground colour brown to greyish brown, costa darkened, crosslines distinct; reniform stigma large, dark brown with bar-like inner part; orbicular stigma as white dot; subbasal line distinct in upper part; antemedial line straight with curve near costa; medial line distinct, cross the reniform stigma; postmedial line curved; subterminal line concave with light inner fascia; terminal line fine, composed by black streaks; cilia as ground colour. Hindwing colour as forewing with somewhat lighter inner part, outer half slightly darker; fringes slightly lighter than ground colour.

Male genitalia ( Figs 15, 16 ). Clasping apparatus asymmetrical (right valva narrower). Uncus long, narrow, curved, rod-like, finely pointed; valva elongated, wide, massive, with narrower basal and wide distal parts; clasper short, strong, claw-like, located subapically. Aedeagus cylindrical, medium long, straight, narrow. Vesica membranous, multidiverticulate, medial part has numerous diverticula variable in shape and size, terminal tube long, narrow, membranous.

Female genitalia ( Figs 26–30 ). Ovipositor large, broad, papillae anales hairy with long setae. Apophyses anteriores medium long, apophyses posteriores thin, longer than apophyses anteriores. Antrum funnel-shaped, widely dilated distally, ostium bursae large, wide, sclerotized, with shallow concavity on posterior margin; corpus bursae as large as antrum, membranous, nearly oblong.

Distribution. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, China (Guangxi, Hunan, Zhejiang), Taiwan.

Figures

FIGURES 1 − 10. Lygephila spp., adults. 1, L. pallidivena, Holotype, male, China, N Sichuan (GB / ZSM); 2, L. pallidivena, Paratype, female, China, N Sichuan (OP); 3, L. recta, male, Japan (MNHU); 4, L. recta, female, Japan, Fukara (OP); 5, L. subrecta, male, S Korea, Kangwon (HNHM); 6, L. subrecta, female, Japan (MNHU); 7, L. lilacina, male, China (ZFMK); 8, L. lilacina, female, Japan (ZFMK); 9, L. dorsigera, Holotype, female, Sri Lanka (BMNH); 10, L. dorsigera, female, Taiwan (HNHM).

FIGURES 11 – 16. Lygephila spp. male genitalia. 11, L. pallidivena, Holotype, China, N Sichuan (GBG / ZSM); 12, L. recta, Japan (MNHU); 13, L. lilacina, China (ZFMK); 14, L. subrecta, S Korea, Kangwon (HNHM); 15, L. dorsigera, Nepal (GYP); 16, L. dorsigera, Taiwan (HNHM).

FIGURES 17 – 30. Lygephila spp. female genitalia. 17, L. pallidivena, Paratype, China, Sichuan, OP 2383 f (ABF); 18, L. pallidivena, Paratype, China, N Sichuan, OP 2909 f (OP); 19, L. pallidivena, Paratype, China, Sichuan, OP 2384 f (ABF); 20, L. recta, Japan, Fukara, OP 3438 f (OP); 21, L. recta, Russia, Ussuri, OP 2413 f (HNHM); 22, L. subrecta, Japan, OP 1985 f (MNHU); 23, L. subrecta, N Korea, OP 2227 f (ZFMK); 24, L. lilacina, Japan, OP 2258 f (ZFMK); 25, L. lilacina, China, Hunan, OP 2251 f (ZFMK); 26, L. dorsigera, Holotype, Sri Lanka, LG 3055 f (BMNH) (photo A. Zilli); 27, L. dorsigera, Nepal, OP 2032 f (GYP); 28, L. dorsigera, Myanmar, OP 2382 f (ABF); 29, L. dorsigera, China, Zhejiang, OP 2256 f (ZFMK); 30, L. dorsigera, Taiwan, LR 7122 (HNHM).