Katha depressa (Esper, [1787])

Macià, Ramon, Ylla, Josep, Gastón, Javier, Huertas, Manuel & Bau, Josep, 2022, The species of Eilema Hübner, [1819] sensu lato present in Europe and North Africa (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5191 (1), pp. 1-87 : 44-45

Katha depressa (Esper, [1787])

Original combination Noctua depressa Esper, [1787] Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen 4 (1): 98. pl. 93, fig. 3.

T. L.: Europe.

Material examined. SPAIN: ARABA: 3 ♂, Pto. de Herrera , 1000 m, 21.vii.1982, J. Gastón leg. ; 2 ♂, Berganzo , 500 m, 9.viii.1997, J. Gastón leg. ; 2 ♂, Apellániz , 800 m, 16.vii.1983, J. Gastón leg. ; BARCELONA: 12 ♂ and 9 ♀, Riera del Surreig , Osona, 26.vi.2002, 13.vi.2007, 1.ix.2010, 25.vi.2011, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 5 ♂, 3 ♀ Santuari de Puiglagulla , Vilalleons, Osona, 31TDG, 12.vii.2001, 7.viii.2006, R. Macià leg. ; 1 ♂ and 2 ♀, El Munts, Sant Agustí de Lluçanès , 1057 m, 5.v.2000, 11.viii.2009, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 3 ♂ and 7 ♀, Molí del Llopart , Sta. Eugenia de Berga, 539 m, 14.vi.2003, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 5 ♂ and 4 ♀, St. Julià de Cabrera , 1020 m, 3.vii.2007, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 3 ♂ and 1 ♀, Mas El Bruguer, Sau , 610 m, 20.v.2006, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. BIZKAIA: 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, Algorta , 50 m, 24.ix.1978, J. Gastón leg. ; 3 ♂ and 6 ♀, Mendiondo , Urdúliz, 70 m, 20.ix.1981, J. Gastón leg. ; 1 ♂, Lanbreabe , 250 m, 18.vii.2009, J. Gastón leg. ; 1 ♀, Lendoño Goikoa , 460 m, 12.vi.2017, J. Gastón leg. BURGOS: 2 ♂ and 1 ♀, Santuario de Cantonad , 500 m, 17.viii.1985, J. Gastón leg. ; 4 ♂ and 2 ♀, Loma del Rey , Quintanilla Sobresierra, 1050 m, 30TVN41, 28.v.2008, R. Macià leg. ; 6 ♂ and 5 ♀, Castellar de n´Hug, 1650 m, 31TDG18, 20.vii.2004, R. Macià leg. ; 2 ♂ and 3 ♀, Urb La Roca , Taradell, 650 m, 18.vii.2003, R. Macià leg. ; CANTABRIA: 3 ♀, 2.ix.1980, J. Gastón leg. ; CASTELLÓN: 3 ♂ and 1 ♀, Serra del Turmell, Vallibona , 1080 m, 2.viii.2007, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; GIRONA: 5 ♂ and 4 ♀, Font del Home Mort, Queralbs , 1750 m, 9.vii.1999, 8.viii.2004, R. Macià & J.Ylla leg. ; 4 ♂ and 5 ♀, Vilamanya, Queralbs , 1150, 27.viii.2011, 18.vii.2014, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 3 ♂ and 1 ♀, Ribes Altes, Ribes de Fresser , 1250 m, 8.viii.1992, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 2 ♂, Mas Llord, Tamariu , 101 m, 31TEG14, 28.v.2011, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 5 ♂ and 2 ♀, Urb. Vall Repòs , Romanyà de la Selva, 325 m, 3.vii.2005, R. Macià & J.Ylla leg. ; 2 ♂ and 4 ♀, Camí de Vila Vella, Vidrà , 973 m, 31TDG46, 27.ix.2013, R. Macià leg. HUESCA: 1 ♂, Piedrafita de Jaca , 1400 m, 31.vii.1997, J. Gastón leg. ; 1 ♂, Pto. de Monrepós , 1000 m, 14.viii.1996, J. Gastón leg. ; 3 ♂ and 1 ♀, Torla , 1032 m, 13.vii.2000, R. Macià leg. ; LLEIDA: 10 ♂ and 8 ♀, Les Val d´Arán, 634 m, 30.vii.1993, R. Macià leg. ; 5 ♂ and 5 ♀, Bassa d´Arrés, Arrés de Sus, Val d´Aran, 1544 m, 31TCH13, 5.vii..2010, R. Macià leg. ; 3 ♂ and 2 ♀, Valarties, Val d´Aran, 1250 m, 31TCH22, 17.vii.2012, R. Macià leg.

FRANCE: 8 ♂ and 5 ♀, Mont Ventoux, Provenza , 1050 m, 29.vii.1994, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 2 ♂ and 1 ♀, Séez, Savoya, Alpes , 1075 m, 26.vii.1994, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 2 ♂ and 3 ♀, Corte , Còrcega, 450 m, 9.vii.2002, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg. ; 1 ♀, Les Clots, Carmaux-Miryol, Tarn , 285 m, 17.vii.1990, R. Macià leg. ; 6♀, Saint Martin Bellevue , 700 m, 1.vii.2018, J. Gastón leg.

ITALY: 5 ♂ and 4 ♀, Tenno sul Garda, Trento, 650 m, 23.vii.1996, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg.

Diagnosis. Katha depressa is sexually dimorphic; the females are darker, with grey-brownish wings and an egg-yellow costal stripe on the forewings which narrows towards the wing tip; the males are lighter matt yellowochre, and the costal stripe is lacking. The males are distinguished from other species of the same genus by the shaft of the antennae, which is almost twice as thick as usual and by the margin of the hindwings, which is edged with a dark hue. Both sexes are very variable in shape, and females in particular can be confused with Collita griseola , but they differ in the narrower and less rounded forewings and features of the costal stripe; very yellow forms show a vague resemblance to the usually much smaller Wittia sorocula . Very worn females are usually distinguishable from other species by the brownish colour of the hindwings.

Re-description. Imago ( Figs. 41–42 ). Average wingspan males 30.5 mm (n=10; 28–33 mm); average wingspan females 32.8 mm (n=10; 28–37 mm).

Genitalia ( Fig. 69 ). Male genitalia: Uncus cylindrical, very short, robust and tipped with a small hook; valva short and very wide, especially at its base, with a straight edge and rounded cucullus; saccular process with similar apical hook, slightly curved; clasper absent; juxta without apical processes; vinculum moderate in size and width. Aedeagus with a large sclerotised cornutus, angled at the tip, several times longer than the diameter of the aedeagus; vesica tubular, complexly curved, with indistinct lateral lobes. Female genitalia: Anal papillae slightly sclerotised with very small posterior processes; lamella antevaginalis composed of two triangular plates with an inverted V-shaped base, strongly sclerotised; ductus bursae short, broad and slightly sclerotised; corpus bursa ovoid and membranous, with an elongated signum of medium size.

Immature stages. ( Fig. 90 ). The last instar larva is 16 mm long. Cephalic capsule well developed, dark brown, with an angular vertex. Body with light grey verrucae (D1, D2, SD 1, L2 and L3, except L1, imperceptible), all with long translucent and black setae; dorsal line broad, white or yellowish, with dark broken lines between the D1 and D2 verrucae, and on each side a dark line attached to the D2 wart. Pupa light brown with thick, smooth body; clypeus imperceptible; tip of abdomen with 4 spines, the lateral ones longer than the central ones. The antennae are the same length in both sexes. The cocoon woven among lichens.

Molecular data. The Katha depressa samples cluster in a well-supported clade (PP=1) and are assigned to a single group that corresponds with a published BIN (BOLD: AAB6834) that contains sequences attributed to Eilema depressa or Eilema depressum . The distance from other species under study (average TN-dist = 9.13%) is also large enough to justify its inclusion in a different genus ( Katha ), which remains fairly equidistant with the other species under study.

Biology. Bivoltine, from June to October in two overlapping generations. Frequent in humid biotopes among conifers, deciduous or mixed forests, from sea level up to 2000 m. Nocturnal, both sexes are attracted to artificial light. The larvae feed on lichens ( Parmelia, Hagenia ) and algae ( Pleurococcus ) ( Ylla et al. 2010), and accept artificial diet in captivity.

Distribution ( Fig. 115 ). Eurasiatic. Present almost throughout Europe, except northern Great Britain and Ireland, much of Scandinavia, central and southern Italy and the southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Observations. Due to the variability within this species, numerous individual forms have been given names. Outside of Europe, in Asia Minor, Transcaucasus and southern Siberia several subspecies have been described.

Figures

FIGURE 69. Katha depressa male and female genitalia, gen. prep. 7341JG, Font home mort, Queralbs, Girona (Spain); 7485JG, El Surreig, Sant Bartomeu del Grau, Barcelona (Spain).

FIGURE 90. Immature stages Katha depressa (picture MH).

FIGURES. 41–48. 41. Katha depressa (Esper, [1787]). Male: Riera del Surreig, Osona (Barcelona), 26.vi.2002, R. Macià & J. Ylla leg.; 42. Female: Santuari de Puiglagulla, Vilalleons, Osona (Barcelona), 7.viii.2006, R. Macià leg.; 43. Wittia sororcula (Hufnagel, 1766). Male: Loma del Rey, Quintanilla Sobresierra (Burgos) Spain, 1050 m, 30TVN41, 28.v.2008, R. Macià leg.; 44. Female: Serra del Turmell, Vallibona (Castellò) Spain, 1080 m, 2.viii.2007, R. Macià & J.Ylla leg.; 45. Pseudokatha rungsi Toulgoët, 1960. Male: Camino de Murguis, Las Entinas, Almerimar (Almería), 4 m, 12.vi.2014, R. Macià leg.; 46. Female: Platja Cuartel Vell, Torre la Sal (Castellón), 3 m, 31TBE54, 5.v.2011, R. Macià leg.; 47. Zobida bipuncta (Hübner, [1824]).Male: P.N de Doñana (Huelva) Spain, 10 m, 2.x.2019 R. Macià leg., 48. Female: P. N. de Doñana (Huelva) Spain, 10 m, 2.x.2019 R. Macià leg.

FIGURES 110–118. 110. Indalia pygmaeola pallifrons; 111. Setema cereola; 112. Nyea lurideola; 113. Muscula muscula; 114. Collita griseola; 115. Katha depressa; 116. Wittia sororcula; 117. Pseudokatha rungsi; 118. Zobida bipuncta.