Cirrhia spalvota 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 : 63

Cirrhia spalvota Benedek & Saldaitis spec. nov.

( Figs. 9–12 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig. 9 ), China, W. Sichuan Yaan/Kangding road, Erlang Shan Mt., 2100 m, 6 October 2010, leg. Aidas Saldaitis. In the collection of GBG / ZSM; slide No. JB 1502m; Paratypes: ( Fig. 10 ), 2 males, 6 females from same locality as the holotype (coll. AFM, ASV and BBT), slide No. JB1503f;

Diagnosis. Cirrhia spalvota is related to Cirrhia xanthophylla (Hreblay & Ronkay, 1996) described from Nepal. The two species are similar in external morphology, but C. spalvota has a whitish reniform and its crosslines are more bluish-white. A common male genital character of both species is the unique two-pronged harpe, but on C. spalvota it is larger, longer and differently shaped. Also, the new species has a shorter, broader uncus; less developed penicular lobes; more widening, falcate valvae; differently shaped vesica armed with larger cornuti. C. spalvota female genitalia include a larger appendix bursae and a more elongate, longer and finely arcuate ductus bursae.

Description. Wingspan 28-30 mm, forewing length 13-14 mm. Front light sandy-color; collar ash-grey; thorax rusty-brown. Male antennae thick, ciliate; females somewhat finer. Forewings rather short, broad and angled and on females the apex is finely arcuate. Ground color rusty/orange brown, medial area darker. Females generally lighter and more colorful. Ante-and postmedial lines conspicuous, only finely arcuate, bluish-white; reniform large, white with darker core, its shape is angled/oblong, orbicular presented with a very fine bluish-white circle; hindwing dark grey and rounded.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 ): Uncus rather short, apically pointed with narrow basis, and broader middle segment; tegumen slim, helmet-like; penicular lobes well developed; vinculum low, almost perfectly U-shaped; fultura weak, small bell-formed; sacculus small; valvae long, remarkably elongate with falcate cucullus and magnificent corona. The extraordinary harpe has two chunky branches which are standing at right-angles to each other. Aedeagus concise (short), distinctly thinner at coecum; vesica short, lengthwise ribbed at basal segment with several smaller and two large backwards-standing cornuti, adjacent to last segment which is much narrower, simple and tubular.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ): Ovipositor and gonapophyses moderately long; ostium bursae U-shaped; ductus bursae short, finely curved; cervix medium sized, conical; corpus bursae relatively small, ovoid, without signum.

Bionomics and distribution. Known only from the Erlang Shan Mountains of China's Sichuan province on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, C. spalvota is likely endemic to West Sichuan. All specimens were collected in October at altitudes ranging from 2000 to 2200 m; both males and females were attracted to light and appear to have a very local distribution as C. spalvota was discovered in only one valley near Luding. The new species was collected in mountainous virgin mixed forest habitat dominated by various broad-leaved trees such as oaks Quercus dentate, 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 autumn Noctuidae species such as Isolasia hunana Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010 , Gaurenoglaea alternata Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010, Tiliacea japonago likianago ( Draudt, 1950) , Telorta divergens (Butler, 1879) and Hoeneidia cidarioides Boursin, 1954 ( Draudt 1950; Boursin 1954; Ronkay et al. 2010a; Ronkay et al. 2010b). Because specimens collected in early October were already worn, the species should be looked for during the second half of September.

Etymology. The species name " spalvota " in Lithuanian means "with many colors."

Figures

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.