Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu Schintlmeister & Fang, 2001

Mazumder, Arna, Sanyal, Abesh Kumar, Schintlmeister, Alexander, Gayen, Subrata, Chandra, Kailash & Raha, Angshuman, 2022, New records of Notodontidae Stephens, 1829 (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from India, Zootaxa 5092 (2), pp. 191-208 : 198-199

Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu Schintlmeister & Fang, 2001

[ Fig. 6 G ; Fig. 8 G–I ]

2001. Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu Schintlmeister & Fang, Neue Ent. Nachr. , 50: 81.

2013. Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu ; Schintlmeister, World Cat. Ins., 11: 359.

TL: Yunnan [ China]. TD: in collection of A. Schintlmeister, Dresden

Material examined: India: 1 ♂, Arunachal Pradesh, Dibang Valley dist., Dihang-Dibang BR, Anini , Basam , 1743 m, 29.0406 °N, 95.8136 °E, 12. IV. 2018, leg. R. Ranjan & G. N. Das .

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 26 mm. The subspecies Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu is larger in size with contrastingly patterned broad forewing of blackish ground colour with all the lines and the large reniform stigma distinctly marked with yellowish scales, compared to the much smaller nominotypical subspecies which is overall greenish in appearance. A conspicuous and discontinuous subterminal line consisting of large black patches is present in subspecies P. n. yunwu, which is absent in the nominotypical subspecies. The dark brown line passing through the antemedian region of hindwing in P. n. noctuiformis , is less prominent in P. n. yunwu. The male genitalia in ssp. P. n. yunwu are characterized by a robust uncus, a small projection from the basal part of costa of the valvae and a deeply bilobed 8 th sternite as compared to the nominotypical subspecies. The small projection from the basal part of valval costa in our specimen is more sclerotized, with a blunt tip compared to that of a Vietnamese specimen provided in Schintlmeister (2008) in which this trait is slender with an acute tip.

Remarks: The genus Pseudosomera is globally known by three species, among which P. noctuiformis is known by two subspecies, the nominotypical one restricted within Sumatra, whereas, the subspecies P. n. yunwu was so far known from Sichuan, Yunnan in China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand ( Schintlmeister 2008). The present record not only extends the distribution of the subspecies little westward, the genus itself will be novel addition to the country fauna ( Fig. 1 ). The species was recorded from Wet Temperate Forested habitat at 1700 m, well within the known altitudinal range of the species between 1200–2900 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map showing distributions of Tarsolepis (Tarsolepis) taiwana and Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu with their Type localities.

FIGURE 6. Adult males of Notodontidae spp. new records to India,A. Tarsolepis (Tarsolepis) taiwana, B. Ogulina ochrocinerea, C. Odnarda leechi, D. Torona lucida, E. Syntypistis synechochlora, F. S. witoldi, G. Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu, H. Himalodontosia mahendra, I. Periphalera albicauda, J. Ptilodon amplius.

FIGURE 8. Male genitalia of Notodontidae spp. new records to India, (A–C) Syntypistis synechochlora: A. 8th abdominal segment, B. Ventral view, C. Aedeagus; (D–F) S. witoldi: D. 8th abdominal segment, E. Ventral view, F. Aedeagus; (G–I) Pseudosomera noctuiformis yunwu: G. 8th abdominal segment, H. Ventral view, I. Aedeagus.