Eupithecia butvilai, Mironov & Šumpich, 2022

Mironov, Vladimir & Šumpich, Jan, 2022, New species of the genus Eupithecia (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from China. Part VII, Zootaxa 5154 (3), pp. 289-304 : 294

Eupithecia butvilai sp. n.

( Figs 11 , 25 , 32 )

Type material: Holotype, ♂, China, NW. Yunnan, Nu Jiang valley, H— 2100-2400 m, S. from Gongshan , 27°43,42ʹ N, 098°45,15ʹ E, 15-16.v.2018, lgt. Butvila & Saldaitis. Gen. prep. J. Procházka 20146, photo J. Šumpich 22004 ( NMPC).

Diagnosis. This species belongs to the fletcherata species-group and is externally similar to the east Asian E. quadripunctata Warren, 1888 because of its grey colour and large, black discal dots on the fore wings. The shape of the valve and vinculum are very characteristic in this species. The horn-like cornuti on the vesica of the aedeagus are similar to those of E. kobayashii Inoue, 1958 , but the larger cornutus is thicker and more sharply curved in the new species. The shape of the eighth abdominal sternite is rather similar to that of E. jinboi Inoue, 1976 , but the pointed apical horns are not asymmetrical.

Description. Adult. ( Figs 11 , 25 ). Male. Narrowed winged species. Wingspan 18 mm; fore wing 9.5 mm. Head and notum covered with brown scales. Labial palpi very short, triangular. Fore wing narrow, elongate, with straight costal margin and rather pointed apex. Ground colour ash grey; costal margin darker with traces of dark transverse lines; terminal line continuous, narrow, brownish; discal dot relatively large, ovoid, black. Hind wing pale grey, lighter than fore wing, with small, ovoid, pale brown discal dot, terminal line as on the forewing.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 32 ). Uncus relatively short, stout, biapical. Valve elongate, with slightly concave dorsal margin and evenly curved ventral margin; apex narrowly rounded; ventral margin with small, mammillary process at the middle, which is symmetrical in both valvae; sacculus narrowly sclerotized from base to ventral process. Vinculum relatively elongate, rounded. Papillae on the anterior arms of the labides narrow, elongate, covered with normal-sized setae at apices. Aedeagus large, stout, broadened to the anterior end. Vesica armed with three long, horn-like cornuti: two relatively narrow, almost straight (one larger than the other) and one large, stout, broader, evenly curved, and also one small, elongate plate-like cornutus and one folded, irregular cornutus at ductus ejaculatorius base. Sternite A8 peg-like, with broad bilobed base and two narrow, pointed, symmetrical, heavily sclerotized apical horns; basal hollow very deep.

Female. Unknown.

Bionomy. Host plant unknown. Holotype was collected by light in May at an elevation of 2100–2400 m ( Fig. 48 ).

Distribution. China. Known from Yunnan province.

Note. The holotype specimen (male) of this species is worn.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Lithuanian entomologist Rimantas Butvila (Joniškis, Lithuania) who collected moths in China.

Figures

FIGURES 8–15. Eupithecia adults, China (scale bar = 10 mm). 8–9. E. saldaitisi sp. n. 8. Holotype. 9. Paratype; 10. E. ludificata sp. n. (holotype); 11. E. butvilai sp. n. (holotype); 12. E. ursina sp. n. (holotype); 13. E. nesciaria sp. n. (holotype); 14. E. oxycedrata (Rambur, 1833); 15. E. phulchokiana Herbulot, 1984.

FIGURES 20–27. Heads of Eupithecia species, China, holotypes. 20. E. prochazkai sp. n.; 21. E. anickae sp. n.; 22. E. divertenta sp. n.; 23. E. saldaitisi sp. n.; 24. E. ludificata sp. n.; 25. E. butvilai sp. n.; 26. E. ursina sp. n.; 27. E. nesciaria sp. n.

FIGURES 32–36. Male genitalia and sternite A8 of Eupithecia species (scale bar = 1 mm; detail of uncus enlarged). 32. E. butvilai sp. n. (holotype); 33. E. ursina sp. n. (holotype); 34. E. nesciaria sp. n. (holotype); 35. E. matrona Mironov & Galsworthy, 2004. 36. E. pannosa Mironov & Galsworthy, 2008.

FIGURES 42–49. Habitats of newly described Eupithecia species, China. 42. Yunnan, Nu Jiang valley, 9.iii.2019, locality of E. prochazkai sp. n.; 43. Yunnan, surroundings of Yongseng, 11.v.2018, locality of E. anickae sp. n.; 44. Sichuan, surroundings of Derge, 15.viii.2009, locality of E. divertenta sp. n.; 45. Gansu, near surroundings of Xiahe, 4.x.2013, locality of E. saldaitisi sp. n.; 46–47. Sichuan, surroundings of Maniganggo, 16.viii.2009, locality of E. ludificata sp. n. and E. nesciaria sp. n.; 48. Yunnan, surroundings of Gongshan, 2.vii.2008, locality of E. butvilai sp. n.; 49. Sichuan, surroundings of Batang, 19.ix.2019, locality of E. ursina sp. n.