Naarda gigaloba, Tóth, Balázs & Ronkay, László, 2015

Tóth, Balázs & Ronkay, László, 2015, Revision of the Palaearctic and Oriental species of the genus Naarda Walker, 1866 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Hypeninae). Part 5. Description of 13 new species from Asia, Zootaxa 3925 (2), pp. 179-201 : 191-192

Naarda gigaloba sp. n.

male: fig. 48, female: fig. 49.

Type material. Holotype. ♂: “SEPTEMBE[R]; MASKELIYA; CEYLON; 1907.112 J.P.” slide No. BM Noct. 21798♂ (coll. BMNH).

Paratype. ♀: “2986; Haputale; CEYLON; OCTOBER; ex coll. G.C. Alston; Nearly simple, very short ciliation; Joicey Bequest. Brit. Mus. 1934–120”, slide No. BM Noct. 21799♀ (coll. BMNH).

Diagnosis. The relationship of N. gigaloba with N. kinabaluensis Holloway, 2008 is supported by the long labial palps, the bipectinate male antenna with long rami, the shape of the forewing, the fragmented subterminal line, the similar reniform stigma and the similar structure of ductus bursae. Naarda gigaloba differs externally from N. kinabaluensis by the lack of brown shade in the ground colour of the wings, the lighter hindwing and the presence of the discal mark on the hindwing. The male genitalia of the new species have, in comparison with N. kinabaluensis , much narrower uncus, narrower sacculus and much more pointed tip of valva and the huge lobe of N. gigaloba is absent from its close relative. In the female genitalia, the sterigma is present in N. gigaloba but absent from N. kinabaluensis , and the corpus bursae is larger in the new species than in the latter taxon.

Description. Wingspan 21 mm, length of forewing 9 mm (right forewing of female specimen missing). Antennae bipectinate in male, longest rami six times longer than diameter of flagellum, cilia twice as long as diameter of flagellum, present only on ventral third of rami; female having filiform and ciliate antennae with sparse cilia 2/3 as long as diameter of flagellum, setae apparently absent—the antennae of the female specimen are mouldy. Labial palps similar in both sexes, long: five times longer than diameter of eye; 3rd segment narrow, conspicuous, directed upwards, its apical half whitish, its tip pointed in male, rounded in female; 2nd segment broad, knife-shaped, abruptly widening then edges parallel. Scale-hood of vertex broad-based and moderately long in both sexes, rounded triangular in male, trapezoidal in female. Characteristic wing pattern features: forewing grey, slightly darker in female than in male; subterminal line fragmented to dots between veins in male, outer half of dots ash-grey, inner half black; this line continuous, slightly sinuous, grey in female; postmedial line in both sexes narrow, slightly darker than ground colour and parallel with subterminal (or its remnants); medial and antemedial lines as narrow as, but slightly more indistinct than postmedial; reniform stigma ovoid, dirty deep ochreous, with narrow black ring, a conspicuous black spot in its lower half (similarly to N. punctirena (Sugi, 1982) , and in female an additional small black dot in top third; orbicular stigma tiny, having the same colour as reniform in both sexes. Costa of forewing straight in male therefore the wing shape not differing from that of female. Hindwing off-white at costal third, remaining parts gradually approaching the greyish ground colour of forewing towards outer and inner edges; transverse lines indistinct, subterminal being marked with ash-grey dots in male; dark discal spot of underside translucent to upperside in both sexes. Male genitalia (fig. 13). Uncus moderately long, slightly curved, slightly dilated towards apex but apical quarter abruptly tapering to small, hooked structure, ventral edge of uncus with rounded emergence on its mid-third. Scaphium straight, as long as uncus. Tegumen as long as vinculum; saccus narrow, short, rounded. Juxta rounded, ca as long as wide, dorso-medially with rounded notch so the shape of juxta being similar to an apple. Valva broad-based, basal half slightly, apical half abruptly tapering, distal quarter of valva composed by the fused structure of sacculus, cucullus and costa. This section strongly sclerotised, dorsal edge curved, convex, with big teeth, ventral edge straight, apex extended to narrow, short and straight section (without teeth) so the shape of this whole fused structure reminiscent to the head of a duck in profile view. Sacculus narrow and long. Dorsal section of valva dominated by an enormous, long, rounded, dorsally directed, foot-shaped lobe; its rounded apical part having several long setae. This lobe extending from the base of valva beyond basal half of valva; originating probably by the fusion of transtilla and editum. Aedeagus thick, straight, vesica (uneverted) scobinate. Female genitalia (fig. 25). Ovipositor lobes angular. Apophyses posteriores 5/4 times as long as apophyses posteriores. Sternum A7 simple, not bilobed. Sterigma present: its posterior third section narrow, with slightly bilobed and granulose tip, remaining section of sterigma very broad, triangular, with some small, longitudinal creases. Antrum situated close to anterior edge of sterigma. Ductus bursae broad, medium long, somewhat spindle-like; corpus bursae big, ovoid, smooth, without signum.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the huge lobe on the valva in the male genitalia. The size of the lobe is the largest in the genus.

Taxonomic remarks. The shape of uncus is very simple, similar to those of N. bisignata Walker, 1866 and N. blepharota . The shape of the apical fused structure of valva and the shape of the sterigma are apomorphies of this lineage.