Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900

Bandyopadhyay, Uttaran, Dey, Rushati, Bhattacharyya, Kamalika, Mallick, Kaushik, Mazumder, Arna, Gayen, Subrata, Das, Moumita, Raha, Angshuman, Sanyal, Abesh Kumar, Kumar, Vikas, Uniyal, Virendra Prasad & Chandra, Kailash, 2021, Taxonomy and ecology of genus Phlogophora Treitschke, 1825 (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) in Indian Himalaya with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5004 (2), pp. 311-342 : 329

Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900

[ Fig. 13, 14 , 41, 42 ]

Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900 , Trans. Ent. Soc., 48: 71.

Trigonophora subpurpurea (Leech) : Hampson, 1908, Cat. Lepid. Phalaenae Br. Mus., 7: 490.

Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech : Yoshimoto, 1994, in Haruta, Tinea , 14: 110.

Type locality: Ta-Chien-lu [ China, Sichuan]

Material examined: India: 1 ♀, Himachal Pradesh, Dist. Kullu, Great Himalayan National Park, Shakti , 31.78847° N, 077.49486° E, 2258 m, 30. VIII. 2016; coll. A. K. Sanyal & team ;

1 ♀, Uttarakhand, Dist. Uttarkashi, Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Changsil , 31.12172° N, 077.99303° E, 3200 m, 15. VII. 2012 ; 3 ♂♂, Dist. Pithoragarh, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Vayman , 29.92711° N, 080.38988° E, 3065 m, 03. VII. 2018; coll. A. K. Sanyal & team.

Diagnosis: Wing expanse: Male: 58–60 mm, female: 46–48 mm. Similar to P. meticulodina but easily distinguishable by the scarlet red coloration of underside of palpi, thorax and abdomen; forewing much darker, rufous brown with purplish suffusion, markings dark chocolate brown; orbicular, reniform and lower half of postmedial line marked with purplish white; a narrow silvery-grey line originating from a same coloured apical patch along outer margin which becomes obsolete in the middle. Hindwing pale brown with flesh coloured tinge; outer margin greyish; underside of both wings crimson red with prominent postmedial lines.

Male genitalia: Uncus hook shaped; valva apically narrow, medio ventrally broadened; basal plate of harpe moderately sclerotised; clasper long, blunt, round-tipped; ampulla very small, less sclerotised; in aedeagus, carina region with a thumb like sclerotised plate; vesica without any scobination.

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand ( Hampson 1908). Global: Pakistan, Nepal, China (Tibet) ( Leech 1900; Yoshimoto 1994; Bálint et al. 2014).

Bionomics: Distributed in North-Western and Western Himalaya and mostly active in altitudinal range of 3000–3200 m, covering sub-alpine and alpine habitats. Seasonal window is also very narrow, activity recorded mostly during transition of pre-monsoon and monsoon, in the months of July–August within an average trap night temperature range of 7–11 ºC and annual precipitation range of 1100–1700 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 11–18. Habitus images of Phlogophora spp. 11. Phlogophora albovittata (Moore, 1867); 12. Phlogophora pectinata (Warren, 1888); 13. Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900 (dorsal); 14. Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900 (ventral); 15. Phlogophora calamistrata (Moore, 1882); 16. Phlogophora plumbeola (Hampson, 1894); 17. Phlogophora striatovirens (Moore, 1867); 18. Phlogophora discisignata (Moore, 1867)*. *Image procured from Dr Péter Gyulai, Hungary, through personal correspondence.

FIGURES 39–46. Male genitalia images of Phlogophora spp. 39–40. Phlogophora pectinata (Warren, 1888), Uttarakhand, Gen. prep. WHLEP_133; 41–42. Phlogophora subpurpurea Leech, 1900, Uttarakhand, Gen. prep. AS/CK31/3/03.VI.18/8; 43–44. Phlogophora calamistrata (Moore, 1882), Sikkim, Gen. prep. KB/DZ19/1/24.XI.19/11; 45–46. Phlogophora plumbeola (Hampson, 1894), Uttarakhand, Gen. prep. GLA_4.2.