Alompra ferruginea Moore, 1872

Wu, Shipher, Lee, Hsueh & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2017, Review of the Alompra ferruginea Moore, 1872 complex with description of a new species from Taiwan (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae), Zootaxa 4247 (2), pp. 149-156 : 149-153

Alompra ferruginea Moore, 1872

( Figs 1–4 ; 14–20)

Alompra ferruginea Moore, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1872: 580, pl. 33, fig. 8; Cotes & Swinhoe, 1887: 197; Hampson, 1892: 418, fig. 289 ♀ (not ♂); Kirby, 1892: 830; Swinhoe, 1892: 266; Dudgeon, 1901: 409; Zolotuhin & Pinratana, 2005: 144, pl. 19, figs 11, 12; Kishida & Wang, 2011: 141, pl. 28: 7; Hauenstein et al., 2011: 33.

Taragama indicus Conte, 1909 , Rapports du Laboratoire d’Études de la Soie 6: 24, pl. 6, fig 1. Alampra [sic!] ferruginea: Hampson, 1910: 111 .

Specimens examined. Type material: Lectotype . ♀ (not ♂ in the original description), [ INDIA], Darjiling [= Darjeeling], ex Moore Coll. 94–106, designated herein ( BMNH); holotype of Taragama indicus Conte, 1909 , ♂, INDIA . 1♂, Assam, Cherrapunji , VI–1893, Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939.1 ( BMNH). Additional material examined: NEPAL , 1♂, Kathmandu, Godavari , 1600 m, 19–VI–1990, collector unknown, ex Yosunori Kishida Collection ( NSMT) ; 1♂, Annapurna Himal, Geirigan village , 1340 m, 83’45’’E, 28’20’’N, 26–VII–1995, leg. Laszlo & Ronkay (MWM); MYANMAR . 1♀, 21 km E Putao , Nan Sa Bon vill., 550 m, 1–5–V–1996, leg. Murzin & Siniaev (MWM); N. VIETNAM . 1♂, Lao Cai, Sa Pa , 1600 m, 23–30–X–2001, leg. U. Jinbo ( NSMT); THAILAND . 1♀, Changwat Nan, 5 km N Bo Luang , 1000 m, 12–XI–1999, leg. M. Hreblay (MWM) ; 1♂, Changwat Chiang Mai, 4 km W Pa Pae , 1050 m, 28–XI–1998, leg. T. Csovari & L. Mikus (MWM) ; 1♂, Changwat Chiang Mai, 7 km W Pa Pae , 1230 m, 21–XI–1998, leg. T. Csovari & L. Mikus (MWM) ; 1♂, Changwat Chiang Mai, 6 km SE Pang Faen , 1100 m, 29–XI–1998, leg. T. Csovari & L. Mikus (MWM); CHINA . 1♂, ‘paratype’ of Alompra incensa (manuscript name), Guangdong, Drachenkopf , leg. R. Mell ( ZMHB) ; 2♂, Guangdong, Nanling National Nature Reserve , 1000m, 19–23–IX–2014, leg. M. Wang et al. ( SCAU, NSMT) ; 2♂, Prov. W-Yunnan, Xishaungbanna Dai auton. pref., Puwen , 30 km SSW Simao, 900 m, 22’30’’N, 100’02’’E, 10–30–IV–2000, leg. Brechlin ‘s loc. collector (MWM) ; 1♂, Prov. W-Yunnan, Lincang distr., 10 km W Yunxian, Daxing , 120 km S Dali, 1200 m, 24’30’’N, 100’01’’E, 16–III–10–IV–2000, leg. Brechlin ‘s loc. collector (MWM) ; 1♂, Jiangxi, Wuyi Shan, Xipaihe village , 1500 m, 27°54’N, 117°20’E, VIII–2004, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM) ; 1♂, Shaanxi, Taibaishan Mt., Tsinling Mts , 1900 m, 33°55’N, 107°44’E, VI–2004, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM) ; 1♂, Sichuan, Qingcheng Mts , 60 km W Chengdu, 1200 m, 15–25–VII–2004, leg. S. Murzin (MWM).

Taxonomic notes. Moore (1872) described Alompra ferruginea based on “male (wingspan 2 ½ inches)” and “female (wingspan 3 ½ inches)” from Darjeeling after at least three specimens deposited “in coll. of F. Moore, W. W. Saunders and Captain Lang”. He also provided a fine drawing on a plate without pointing the sex. Hampson (1887) illustrated the “male” specimen that is similar to Moore’s plate based on the judgment of same wing shape and venation. Tams (1953) was the first who mentioned that this Hampson’s drawing should represent a female and synonymized Taragama indicus Conte, 1909 (the holotype male in BMNH) with A. ferruginea based on the proposal of pair matching for this sexually dimorphic species. The recent specimen examination in BMNH by the first author confirmed that the Moore’s “male” type specimen is actually a female ( Figs 1, 10 ), and this specimen is designated as a lectotype herein. The Moore’s larger and more robust “female” specimen is actually a female of a related species A. roepkei Tams, 1953 ( Figs 9, 13 ) deposited in OM. Tams (1953) additionally described the populations of Borneo and Mindanao as two subspecies of A. ferruginea , i.e. bidiensis and cerastes , respectively, based on the different shapes of 8th abdominal sternite from the nominate subspecies in the Oriental mainland. Besides, he did not mention and illustrate the male genitalia of this two insular subspecies. Zolotuhin and Pinratana (2005) firstly assumed that the Mindanao population ( cerastes ) could be a separated species. Herein we confirmed the specimens in the Oriental mainland are consistent in male genitalia and 8th abdominal sternite, however, the specimens from Mindanao ( cerastes ), Borneo and Sumatra ( bidiensis ) and Taiwan are distinctly different, respectively, in both structures (see ‘Diagnosis’ for details) and are regarded as separated species (stat. nov.) for the former two and as a new species for the latter, i.e. A. yibinfani sp. nov.

A male specimen designated as a type of Allompra incensa Mell ( Fig. 4 ) was found in ZMHB. It is a rather finely preserved moth from Guangdong (S. China). No original description was found in spite of special search, therefore it is seemly only a manuscript unpublished name.

Diagnosis. Externally no remarkable differences between males of A. ferruginea , A. cerastes , A. bidiensis , and A. yibinfani sp. nov. ( Figs 1–8 ), except that cerastes is larger in size (forewing length ca. 21 mm rather than 15–17 mm in other species) and with forewing apex more protruded and pointed. The external appearance of this species group is given in the description part of A. yibinfan i. The 8th abdominal sternite of A. ferruginea male ( Figs 15, 17, 19 ) and yibinfani ( Fig. 21 ) is tapering anterior part and concave posterior part, while the anterior part is slightly blunt and the posterior part is smoothly incised in A. bidiensis ( Fig. 23 ) and A. cerastes ( Fig. 25 ). In addition, a pair of protrusions is located at the postero-lateral sides in A. bidiensis and close to the posterior margin in A. cerastes . In male genitalia, the valve of A. ferruginea ( Figs 14, 16, 18 ) is consistent in different populations and can be distinguished from other species by the deeply bifurcate with dorsal one long with apex blunt and ventral one serrated at dentate margin with apex acute rather than ventral one without dentate ventral margin in A. yibinfani ( Fig. 20 ), the slight bifurcate with dorsal one very short, blunt at apex and ventral one long, dentate towards apex in A. bidiensis ( Fig. 22 ), the unseparated, compact valva with blunt, rounded apex in A. cerastes ( Fig. 24 ). In vinculum of A. ferruginea and yibinfani , they are dilated at lateral parts and U-shaped at terminal part rather than longer, parallel at lateral parts in A. bidiensis and shorter, forming V-shaped at the terminal part in A. cerastes . The aedeagus of A. ferruginea is well-divided bifurcate with both two terminal parts long rather than dorsal one short and ventral one long in A. yibinfani , the presence of single spine terminally both in A. bidiensis and A. cerastes .

Description. The adult morphology has been described in the previous studies in details, e.g. Holloway (1987) and Zolotuhin and Pinratana (2005).

Bionomics. This species is distributed in rather primary broad-leaves forests. The adults occur in May, June and from September to November. The observation of a fresh female emerged from the cocoon on a leave of Garcinia forbesii (Clusiaceae) in Singapore has been summarized by Leong (2010).

Distribution. India, Nepal, southern and central China, N. Vietnam, N. Thailand, Myanmar.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 13. Habitus of Alompra spp. 1. A. ferruginea Moore, 1872, female, Darjeeling, lectotype, designated herein (BMNH); 10. ditto, labels; 2. Taragama indicus Conte, 1909, male, holotype, Assam (BMNH); 11. ditto, labels; 3. A. ferruginea, male, Nepal (NSMT); 4. ditto, male, Guangdong, China (A. incensa, Mell’s manuscript paratype; ZMHB); 5. A. yibinfani sp. nov., male, holotype, Taiwan (TFRI); 6. A. bidiensis stat. nov. (= holotype of A. ferruginea bidiensis Tams, 1953), male, Borneo; 12. ditto, labels; 7 a. A. cerastes Tams, 1953 stat. nov., Surigao, Mindanao (= holotype of A. ferruginea cerastes, designated herein) (USNM); 7 b. ditto, magnified image of 8 th abdominal sternite; 8. A. cerastes, male, South Cotabato, Mindanao (NSMT); 9. A. roepkei Tams, 1953 (= type of A. ferruginea), female, India (OM); 13. ditto, labels. Bar scale = 10 mm. Photo by Shipher Wu (1 – 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 – 12); Nicholas Silverson (7); Vadim. V. Zolotuhin (4, 9, 13).

FIGURES 14 – 25. Male genitalia and 8 th abdominal sternite of Alompra spp. 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24. Genitalia; 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25. 8 th abdominal sternite; 14, 15. A. ferruginea Moore, 1872 (= holotype of Taragama indicus Conte, 1909), Assam (BMNH); 16, 17. A. ferruginea, Nepal (NSMT); 18, 19. ditto, N. Vietnam (NSMT); 20, 21. A. yibinfani sp. nov., holotype, Taiwan (TFRI); 22, 23. A. bidiensis Tams, 1953 stat. nov. (= holotype of A. ferruginea bidiensis), Borneo (BMNH); 24, 25. A. cerastes Tams, 1953 stat. nov., South Cotabato, Mindanao (NSMT). Photo by Shipher Wu.