Hada antonraui Gyulai, Ronkay & Saldaitis, 2011

Gyulai, P., Ronkay, L. & Saldaitis, A., 2011, New Noctuidae species from China (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea), Zootaxa 2896 (1), pp. 46-52 : 49-52

Hada antonraui Gyulai, Ronkay & Saldaitis , sp. n.

( Figs 5, 6 , 15–17 )

Type material. Holotype: Male, China, W. Sichuan, Kangding, near Zheduo Pass , 30°17.022'N, 101°50.256'E, 13. iv. 2010, 3230 m, leg. A. Saldaitis (coll. P. Gyulai). Slide No. GYP 2430m . Paratypes: 21 males, 14 females, with the same data , 34 males, 18 females, China, W. Sichuan, road Menghugang / Kangding , 29°49.955'N, 102°02.827'E, 12. iv. 2010, 3000 m, leg. Aidas Saldaitis; female, Sichuan, Shimian, 1300 m, 31°27 N, 103°23 E, 12–24. iv. 2007, leg. V. Siniaev. . The paratypes are deposited in the collections of AFM, ASV, DNK, GBG / ZSM, GRB, HHP, NRCV, GYP and WSM. Slide Nos GYP2408 , 2475 m, GYP2479 , 2484 f .

Diagnosis and description. Forewing length 15–17 mm. Its external morphology is closest to H. chlorata Kononenko, 1998 and the smaller, lighter coloured H. lurida Alphéraky, 1892 but it may also be allied to H. honeyi Plante, 1982 , and H. bryoptera Püngeler, 1900 . H. antonraui is easily distinguishable by its broader, and slightly greyish forewings without the reddish-brown or olive-green colouring of the other species. It also has differently shaped crosslines (especially the subterminal), more conspicuous lightly ringed maculations with a more rectangular atypical reniform stigma, and lighter outer margins.

The male copulatory organs of the main species groups of Hada Billberg, 1820 are strikingly diverse but the somewhat similar Himalayan-Sino-Tibetan species groups are believed to belong to four lineages. The H. lurida-H. tenebra Hampson, 1905 species group is characterized by a rounded, small cucullus, with straight, stick-like digitus and a lack of saccular extensions. The H. honeyi – H. bryoptera species group has a double strong saccular extension pair. The vesica of the H antonraui group is most similar to the H. montana (Leech, 1900) – H. chlorata lineage which is characterized by a larger cucullus, bearing small and acute ventro-lateral extensions, with short sacculi and without a strongly sclerotized process (or with only a triangular, membraneous postsaccular lobe). H. antonraui can be separated from all congeners by genitalia, with the male having a broad, angular cucullus bearing variable long processi, and the female ductus bursae having a large hatchet-like distal process.

Distribution and biology. Only known from the area of China's Sichuan province on the east edge of the Tibetan plateau. All specimens were collected in mid April at altitudes ranging from 1300 to 3200 m. Both males and females are strongly attracted to lights even during periods of snowfall but appear to have a local distribution as H. antonraui was discovered in only two valleys near Kangding. The new species was one of the most frequent noctuids encountered in mountain virgin mixed forest habitat dominated by broad-leaved trees, rhododendron and bamboo. It flies with other early spring moths species such as Hyalobole nigripalpis (Warren, 1911) or overwintering Dasypolia (Dasypolia) bicolor Hreblay & Ronkay, 1995 and Lithophane (Litholomia) compromissa Ronkay, Ronkay, Gyulai & Hacker, 2010 .

Etymology. Dedicated to Anton E. Rau (Grafing, Germany) for his contributions to entomology.

Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia Gyulai, Ronkay & Saldaitis , sp. n.

( Figs 7 , 8,18–20)

Type material. Holotype: Male. China, Sichuan Province, 100 km W of Maniganggo city, 26. vi. 2004, leg. S. Nykl (coll. P. Gyulai). Slide No. GYP 1897m . Paratypes: China, Qinghai Province: 1 male , 70 km W of Yushu city, 3800 m, 23. vi. 2002, leg. M. Kopp. 1 male, 2 females , Qinghai N.E., Daban Shan Mts, N. from Datong , 3100 m, 34°59.626’N, 101°46.699’E; 07. vii. 2010, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis; 2 females , Qinghai N.E., Laji Shan Mts, S. from Ledu , 3040 m, 36°15.404’N, 102°16.137’E; 10. vii. 2010, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis. Sichuan Province: 9 males, 6 females , N. Sichuan, road from Songpan to Zaige , 3500 m, 32°55.511’N, 103°24.959’E; 05 vii. 2010, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis; 1 female , N. Sichuan, road from Songpan to Jiuzhaigou , 2600 m, 33°12.737’N, 103°44.451’E, 03.vii. 2010, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis; 4 males, 5 females , N. Sichuan, road from Songpan to Jiuzhaigou , 3000 m, 33°08.770’N, 103°43.624’E, 04. vii. 2010, leg. A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis. Yunnan Province: 1 male, 1 female , Diqing Tibetan Autonome Prefecture 8 km NNE of Shangri La Nairi villages, 3300 m, 14. vi.2009, leg. B. Benedek. The paratypes are deposited in the collections of AFM, ASV, DNK, GBG / ZSM, GRB, HHP, NRCV, WSM and GYP. Slide Nos: GYP 2446m, GYP 2462m, BJ 1059m; GYP2464 f, BJ1060f, GBG / ZSM7436 f .

Diagnosis and description. The new taxon shares similar forewing and female genital patterns with L. (D.) mongolica Behounek, 1993 and L. (D.) contrastata (Bryk, 1942) , and similar male genitalia with L. (D.) kirghisa Gyulai & Ronkay, 1998 . With a forewing length of 18–21 mm the wings of the new taxon are slightly broader than those of the three closest congeners and the ground colour is rarely brown but instead more concolorous, ashy bluish-grey. The oblique large spot of the middle area, almost confluent with the same coloured orbicular, extending almost to the postmedial line also strictly differentiate L. (D.) kitokia from the more homogenous, dark brown or mostly black L. (D.) kirghisa ( Gyulai & Ronkay, 1998) . The male genitalia differs from the most similar L. (D.) kirghisa by the narrower sacculus, the thin, evenly broad digitus, the basally broader, but distally tapering (almost triangular) apically acute harpe, and slightly longer spines on the terminal diverticulum of the vesica. The female genitalia of L. (D.) kitokia differ from these three relatives by having a globular (not ovoid or saccular) corpus bursae, a much broader and uniformly wide ductus bursae, and a thinner less funnel-shaped ostium bursae than L. (D.) kirghisa . The ostium bursae and the ductus bursae are similar to L. (D.) contrastata and L. (D.) mongolica but with the ductus being straight, evenly wide and the appendix bursae rather similar to those of L. (D.) mongolica , but distally weaker..

Distribution and biology. Known from different localities of China's Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai provinces on the north-east edge of the Tibetan plateau. All specimens were collected during June or July at altitudes ranging from 2600 to 3800 m. Both males and females are attracted to light.

The new species was uncommon in different kinds of biotopes, but was best collected in the shrubby dry transition between the mountain mixed forest and the alpine grassland zones.

Etymology. “ kitokia ” is Lithuanian, meaning “distinguish, different from others.”

We thank Gabor Ronkay for providing colour photographs, Adrienne Gyulai Garai for the genital photographs, Robert Borth for grammatical help, and Irene and Alessandro Floriani for their enthusiasm and patience during the China expeditions.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Adults: 1. Cerastis aspira sp. n. holotype, male, China, West Sichuan. 2. Cerastis aspira sp. n. paratype, female, China, West Sichuan. 3. Palaeamathes serrulata sp. n. holotype, male, China, West Sichuan. 4. Palaeamathes serrulata sp. n. paratype, female, China, West Sichuan. 5. Hada antonraui sp. n. holotype, male, China, West Sichuan. 6. Hada antonraui sp. n. paratype, female, China, West Sichuan. 7. Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia sp. n. holotype, male, China, Sichuan. 8. Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia sp. n. paratype, female, China, Yunnan.

FIGURES 15–20. Genitalia:15. Hada antonraui sp. n. holotype, male, genitalic armature. 16. Hada antonraui sp. n. holotype, male, aedeagus. 17. Hada antonraui sp. n. paratype, female, ovipositor. 18. Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia sp. n. paratype, female, ovipositor. 19. Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia sp. n. holotype, male, genitalic armature. 20. Lacanobia (Dianobia) kitokia sp. n. holotype, male, aedeagus.