Naarda imitata, 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 : 180-181

Naarda imitata sp. n.

male: fig. 28, female: fig. 29

Type material. Holotype. ♂: Cambodia, Mondolkiri prov.; Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, road Seima–O’Rang; 12°15’44”N 107°03’49”E, 360 m; No. 88, 27–29.I.2006, at light; leg. G. Csorba & G. Ronkay; slide No. TB 802m (coll. HNHM).

Paratypes. Cambodia: 3♀, all data as holotype; slide Nos TB809f, TB826f and TB833f (coll. HNHM).

Diagnosis. This new species is externally very similar to N. ineffectalis ( Walker, 1858) but the stigmata are darker, the orbicular stigma is smaller and the hindwing is darker than in the latter species. These two species belong, according to their genitalia structures, to two very different evolutionary lineages of the genus. Naarda notata ( Hampson, 1891) is in close relationship with N. imitata , the new species has, however, much shorter uncus, much more elongate juxta, conspicuously shorter saccus and aedeagus. In addition, the new species has a medial process on the plate of juxta which is absent from N. notata , while the sclerotised costal process of N. notata is missing from N. imitata .

Description. Wingspan 13.5–15.5 mm, length of forewing 6.5–8 mm. Antennae filiform, ciliate and setose; male cilia as long as, setae 1.5 times longer than diameter of flagellum, in female cilia half as long as, seta as long as the diameter. Cilia arranged into three bands in each segment in both sexes. Labial palps domed in both sexes, with tiny 3rd segment and broadest point in the mid-section of the palp; in male 3.5 times longer and nearly twice broader than diameter of eye, in female four times longer than and as broad as the diameter of eye. Scale-hood of vertex broad-based, short, triangular in both sexes. Male forecoxae and –tibiae hairy. Characteristic wing pattern features: wing shape the same in both sexes; forewing ground-colour brownish grey; subterminal line grey, slightly sinuous, fragmented to dots on veins in male, continuous but with indistinct sections between veins in female; postmedial line strictly parallel with subterminal line in both sexes, narrow, blackish, distinctly marked; medial line not visible; antemedial line hardly visible, slightly sinuous; reniform stigma deep ochreous, ellipsoidal, with black spot in bottom third and much smaller dot in top third, minutely curved in male, not curved in female; orbicular stigma much smaller than reniform, having the same ground colour; hindwing mainly as greyish as forewing but gradually becoming light towards base; intensity and colouration of transverse lines like those of forewing; discal mark present: narrow, minutely curved, conspicuous in female, hardly visible in male. Male genitalia (fig. 2). Uncus short, relatively broad, slightly curved, not tapering, with truncate tip and tiny hook. Scaphium shorter than uncus, curved against. Tegumen as long as vinculum and saccus together; latter broad-based, medium long, gradually tapering to its rounded tip. Juxta slender, long, deltoid-shaped, with big, rounded medial process dilating dorsally. Valva narrow, long, its basal ¾ section slightly tapering, apical quarter i.e. the free cucullus slightly dilated, its tip rounded; cucullus sclerotised; costa without strongly sclerotised section. Sacculus narrow, broad relative to valva, with short, abruptly tapering, pointed terminal process directed towards tip of cucullus. Aedeagus stout, slightly curved, with strong, medium-long, pointed carinal process and smoothly membranous (partially everted) vesica. Female genitalia (fig. 16). Ovipositor lobes square. Apophyses posteriores twice as long as apophyses anteriores. Sternum A7 broad, posterior third bilobed, lobes rounded, semi-circular, sinus short, plate of sternum with small scobinate field just anterior to end of sinus. Lamella antevaginalis divided to two oval, minutely spinulose and sparsely wrinkled plates laterally to antrum. Ductus bursae broad, as long as wide. Corpus bursae large, nearly globular (slightly ellipsoidal), its whole surface densely scobinate by tiny elongate spinules; these spinules becoming larger in a longitudinal field in the anterior half of corpus bursae, this field ca 2.5 times longer than broad, constituent spinules directed towards its centre-point.

Distribution. All specimens are from the southeastern part of Cambodia.

Etymology. The wing pattern of this new species is confusingly similar to that of N. ineffectalis , the specific name refers to this similarity.

Taxonomic remarks. The cucullus is sclerotised but not fused with any other part of the valva. This is a rare character state, present even e.g. in N. truncata Tóth & Ronkay, 2014b .