Orthosia wangwene Benedek & Saldaitis

Saldaitis, Aidas, Benedek, Balázs & Visinskiene, Giedre, 2011, Description of two new species of Noctuidae from China (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea), Zootaxa 3020, pp. 60-68 : 60-61

Orthosia wangwene Benedek & Saldaitis spec. nov.

( Figs. 1–4, 8 , 13, 15 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig. 1 ), China, W. Sichuan, Yaan/Kangding road, Erlang Shan Mt., 2100 m, 10-11 April 2010, leg. Aidas Saldaitis. In the collection of GBG / ZSM; slide No. JB 1498m. Paratypes: ( Figs. 2, 3, 4, 8 ), 2 males, 2 females from same locality as the holotype, 1 male, China, W. Sichuan, road Yaan/Kangding, Erlang Shan Mt., 2200 m, 04 April 2011, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis, 1 female, China, Sichuan, 10 km NW of Miansi, 1300 m, 4–10 April 2007, leg. Victor Sinjaev, (coll. AFM, ASV and BBT), slide Nos. JB 1499m, JB1558f

Diagnosis. Externally Orthosia wangwene might be confused with certain color forms of Orthosia reticulata Yoshimoto, 1994 ( Figs. 6 , 14 ), and Orthosia limbata (Butler, 1879) ( Fig. 5 ), as they share variable black and white, and sometimes uniformly black or "reticuloid” forewing patterns. Despite these similiarities, O. wangwene has a more creamy-whitish ground color, an average slender body and apically more acute forewings than the others. Genital evidence, however, reveals that O. wangwene is more closely related to Orthosia coniortota (Filipjev, 1927) ( Fig. 7 ), and Orthosia marmorata Ronkay G., Ronkay L., Gyulai P. & Hacker H. (2010) (page 133, Figs. 11– 13 .). The clasping-apparatus of O. wangwene is more similar to O. coniortota but the narrower, elongate uncus is identical to O. marmorata . The new species has larger penicular lobes on the tegumen, longer, more upsweepstanding valvae, and more acute, differently arcuate pollex. Sclerotisation of the carina on the aedeagus is relatively straight on O. wangwene but is receding to the dorsal-part on O. coniortota . The structure of the carinal process is also different and the subbasal diverticulum is reduced on the new species. The vesica is double-twisted that is a common peculiarity with O. marmorata , but the last third is longer and simple-curved on O. wangwene . Their female genitalia are also very similar but differ from O. coniortota and O. marmorata by the smaller appendix bursae ( Kononenko & Han 2007).

Description. Wingspan 32–36 mm, forewing length 14–16 mm. Antennae dentate on males, filiform on females; forewings broad with finely acute apex; collar light brown-greyish; thorax black; ground color of forewings creamy-yellowish white with close black lattice/patched pattern and black reniform but some specimens are uniformly black and only the marginal area remains creamy-white. Cilia checkered with black and creamy-white hairs. Hindwing satiny-white with intensive ash-grey scaling on the margin and at antemarginal line; cilia lighter, creamy-whitish.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 13 ): Uncus spatulated with narrow shaft; tegumen low; penicular lobes conspicuous; vinculum long, narrow angled, V-shaped; juxta strongly sclerotised; shield-like, saccular-part large, elongate; valvae almost erectly upsweep, elongate with apically tapering, rounded cucullus; pollex well-developed, thorn-like, acute; harpe long and strong, finely arcuate and acute; aedeagus long, tubular, wider and ridge-like dorsal and smaller, thorn-shaped ventral part and with two carinal processes oppositely-placed; vesica tubular, broader at double-turned basal and middle segment but long, narrower and simple curved at last-third.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 15 ): Ovipositor rather broad; gonapophyses short; ostium bursae narrow V-shaped; ductus bursae strongly sclerotised, short, anterior part covered with gelatinous substance; appendix bursae twisted; corpus bursae narrow, elongate.

Bionomics and distribution. Known only from the Erlang Shan mountains in Sichuan province of China's on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, O. wangwene is likely endemic to West Sichuan. All specimens were collected in mid-April at altitudes ranging from 2000 to 2200 m. Both males and females were attracted by light even during the periods of snowfall and appear to have a very local distribution as O. wangwene was discovered in only two localities near Luding. The new species was collected in mountainous virgin mixed forest habitat dominated by various broad-leaved trees such as oaks Quercus dentata , Q. glauca , poplars Populus cathayana , P. simonii , elm Ulmus parvifolia , rhododendrons Rhododendron brachycarpum , R. dauricum , and bamboos Phyllostachys ssp ., Borinda ssp ., Fargesia spp.

It flies with other early spring Noctuidae species such as Orthosia limbata (Butler, 1879) , Lasianobia albilinea ( Draudt, 1950) , Harutaeographa odavissa Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker 2010 , Orthosia kalinini Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010 or overwintering Hyalobole nigripalpis (Warren, 1911) , Dasypolia bicolor Hreblay & Ronkay, 1995 and Litholomia compromissa Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010 ( Draudt 1950; Ronkay et al. 2010a; Ronkay et al. 2010b).

Etymology. The Chinese expression " wang wen e " means "moth with picture of net."

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Orthosia adults. 1. O. wangwene, male, holotype, China, Sichuan (GBG / ZSM); 2. O. wangwene, female, paratype, China, Sichuan (AFM); 3. O. wangwene, male, paratype, dark form, China, Sichuan (AFM); 4. O. wangwene, female, paratype, dark form, China, Sichuan (BBT); 5. O. limbata, male, China, Sichuan (AFM); 6. O. reticulata, male, Nepal, Tinjure Danda (BBT); 7. O. coniortota, male, Japan (BBT); 8. O. wangwene, male, paratype, China, Sichuan (ASV).

FIGURES 13 – 15. Orthosia genitalia. 13. O. wangwene, male, holotype, prep. BJ 1498; 14. O. reticulata, male, Nepal, prep. BJ 1535; 15. O. wangwene, female, paratype, prep. BJ 1558.

FIGURES 9 – 12. Cirrhia adults and genitalia. 9. C. spalvota, male, holotype, China, Sichuan (GBG / ZSM); 10. C. spalvota, female, paratype, China, Sichuan (AFM); 11. C. spalvota, male, holotype, prep. BJ 1502; 12. C. spalvota, female, paratype, prep. BJ 1503.