Stenoloba pontezi Saldaitis & Volynkin, 2020

Saldaitis, Aidas & Volynkin, Anton V., 2020, Two new Stenoloba Staudinger, 1892 from Yunnan, southwestern China (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Bryophilinae), Zootaxa 4755 (3), pp. 545-552 : 547-551

Stenoloba pontezi Saldaitis & Volynkin , sp. n.

( Figs 3, 4 , 7 , 10 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 3 , 7 ): male, C[h]ina W. Yunnan, Salween Valley, 5 km West Fugong, H- 1500m, 26°54’59”N 98°51’44”E, 21. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg., slide AV 5586m Volynkin (Coll. WIGJ).

Paratypes: 23 males, 18 females, same data as in the holotype, slide AV5587f Volynkin (Colls AFM, ASV); 12 males, 3 females, C[h]ina, W Yunnan, Salween Valley, Liukuzhen , H- 850 m, 25°50’25”N 98°53’13”E, 12. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg. (Coll. AFM); 2 females, C[h]ina, W Yunnan, Salween Valley , 30 km Nord [North] Liukuzhen, Luzhangzhen vill., 25°58’15’’N, 98°47’40’’E, H- 2000 m, 13. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg. (Coll. AFM); 3 males, 1 female, C[h]ina W. Yunnan, Salween Valley , 5 km Nord [North of] Fugong, H- 1200m, 26°56’10”N 98°52’00”E, 15. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg., (Coll. AFM); 24 males, 3 females, C[h]ina W. Yunnan, Salween Valley , 15 km Nord [North of] Gongshan, H- 1750m, 27°50’18’’N, 98°40’21’’E, 19. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg. (Coll. AFM); 26 males, 4 females, C[h]ina W. Yunnan, Salween Valley , 15 km Nord [North of] Gongshan , H- 1750m, 27°50’18’’N, 98°40’21’’E, 19. luglio [July] 2017, A. Floriani leg., slide AV 5584m Volynkin (Colls AFM, MDS).

Etymology. The species name is dedicated to Mr. Raigirdas Pontežis (Joniškis, Lithuania), a Lepidoptera col- lector and senior author’s friend.

Remark. Stenoloba pontezi sp. n. belongs to the manleyi species-group due to its characteristic forewing pattern and the well-separated broadened cucullus bearing a broad cluster of numerous setae.

Diagnosis. Stenoloba pontezi is the closest relative of S. viridibasis described from Yunnan also. Externally, the new species ( Figs 3, 4 ) can be distinguished from S. viridibasis ( Fig. 5 ) by its shorter subbasal green spot protruding to costa, whereas in S. viridibasis the subbasal area is olive brown at costa and the subbasal green spot is more elongated. The male genitalia of S. pontezi ( Fig. 7 ) differ from those of S. viridibasis ( Fig. 8 ) by the slightly narrower basal and medial sections of valva, conspicuously narrower and round cucullus (that is strongly trapezoidally broadened in S. viridibasis ), more elongated and narrower aedeagus coecum, and shorter subapical ventral diverticulum of aedeagus vesica. Compared to those of another related species, S. manleyi (illustrated by Kononenko & Ronkay (2000): p. 154, figs 36, 36a, 37 and 37a; and Han & Kononenko (2009): p. 8, fig. 20), the male genitalia of S. pontezi have the narrower and more rounded cucullus (whereas in S. manleyi that is strongly broadened), the narrower aedeagus coecum, and the narrower vesica bearing a more robust cornutus. As female of S. viridibasis is unknown, here we compare the female genitalia of S. pontezi ( Fig. 10 ) with those of S. manleyi only. Compared to those of S. manleyi (illustrated by Kononenko & Ronkay (2000): p. 169, figs 56 and 57; and Han & Kononenko (2009): p. 20, fig. 40), the apophyses posteriores of S. pontezi are shorter, the apophyses anteriores are thicker and somewhat shorter, the antrum is shorter and evenly broadened posteriorly (in S. manleyi that is slightly broadened at ostium only), the appendix bursae is larger and more heavily sclerotised, and the left posterior side of corpus bursae at appendix bursae is more heavily sclerotised and rugose.

Description. External morphology of adult ( Figs 3, 4 ) Forewing length 10-12 mm in males (10.5 mm in the holotype) and 10-13 mm in females; wingspan 21-24 mm in males (23 mm in the holotype) and 23-26 mm in females. Antennae of both sexes filiform. Head and thorax brown-grey with greenish scales. Head and thorax greyish brown with strong green suffusion; abdomen greyish brown. Forewing ground color greyish brown with slight green suffusion, most conspicuous in costal and subterminal areas. Basal area white, basal line semicircular curved, interrupted into three black spots. Subbasal area with large bilobate grass green spot medially and at costa, and greyish brown at anal margin. Basal line strongly wavy, thin, black, bordered with white outwardly. Antemedial line wavy and irregularly dentate, dark brown double, its inner area with green suffusion. Postmedial line serrulate, thin, blackish brown, bordered with white outwardly opposite the cell and at anal margin. Terminal line blackish brown, thin, interrupted into dots on veins. Costal margin with one diffuse pale green spot in antemedial area and three various sized similar spots in medial area; large oblique diffuse pale green spot at apex. Orbicular stigma indistinct. Reniform stigma dark brown, diffuse, surrounded with several diffuse orange spots. Cilia dark brown. Hindwing dark brown, lightened basally and medially. Discal spot diffuse, narrow, semilunar. Cilia dark brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ). Uncus narrow and short, dorso-ventrally flattened, slightly narrowed basally, with blunt apex. Tegumen narrow, shorter than valva, nearly straight. Juxta broadly rhomboidal with rounded corners. Vinculum short, V-shaped with convex margins. Transtilla with broad sclerotised plates. Valva elongated, narrowed distally, its distal section curved dorsad; slightly costa convex, narrow. Sacculus broad, setose. Clasper narrow, elongated. Cucullus elongated, slightly broadened and rounded apically, its distal third densely covered with various sized robust setae. Aedeagus robust, S-like curved, slightly narrowed distally, with weakly granulated carina; coecum very narrow, heavily sclerotised, slightly curved. Aedeagus vesica curved ventrad, strongly broadened medially and subapically, membranous subbasally and weakly granulated medially, with short and broad granulated outer (dorsal) swelling bearing short robust cornutus at broad base, and short but very broad membranous inner (ventral) subapical swelling. Female genitalia ( Fig. 10 ). Papilla analis rectanular with rounded posterior corners, setose. Apophyes anteriores and posteriores thin, elongated, equal in length. Ostium bursae broad. Antrum large, narrowly goblet-shaped, with weakly sclerotised lateral margins. Sclerotised medial plate of antrum with slightly concave lateral margins, its posterior end with shallow and round concavity, and anterior end broadened anteriorly and bears trigonal medial protrusion directed anteriorly. Ductus bursae short, slightly twisted, sclerotised, its right margin membranous. Corpus bursae elongated, its anterior section weakly granulated. Posterior section of corpus bursae membranous laterally at right side and heavily sclerotised and rugose medially and at left side. Appendix bursae situated posterolaterally at left side, short, globular, heavily sclerotised and rugose, but with membranous tip.

Distribution and bionomics. China (North West part of Yunnan Province). The new species was collected at ultraviolet light during few nights at middle July at altitudes of approximately 800–2000 meters in primary mountains mixed forest, dominated by various deciduous trees, bamboo and bushes ( Fig. 11 ).

Figures

FIGURE 11. China, Northwest Yunnan, Salween Valley, 15 km North of Gongshan, 1750m, the habitat of Stenoloba herbacea sp. n. and S. pontezi sp. n. (photo by A. Saldaitis).

FIGURES 1–5. Stenoloba spp., adults. 1, S. herbacea, holotype male, China, Yunnan (WIGJ); 2, S. herbacea, paratype female, China, Yunnan (ASV); 3, S. pontezi, holotype male, China, Yunnan (WIGJ); 4, S. pontezi, paratype female, China, Yunnan (ASV); 5, S. viridibasis, holotype male, China, Yunnan (NEFU, after Han & Kononenko 2009).

FIGURES 6–8. Stenoloba spp., male genitalia. 6, S. herbacea, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide AV5584 Volynkin; 7, S. pontezi, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide AV5586 Volynkin; 8, S. viridibasis, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide HHL-1335-1 Han (after Han & Kononenko 2009).

FIGURES 9–10. Stenoloba spp., female genitalia. 9, S. herbacea, paratype, China, Yunnan, slide AV5585 Volynkin; 10, S. pontezi, paratype, China, Yunnan, slide AV5587 Volynkin.