Alompra yibinfani, Wu, Shipher, Lee, Hsueh & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2017

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 : 153-154

Alompra yibinfani sp. nov.

( Figs 5 , 20, 21 , 26–29 )

Type material. Holotype. ♂, TAIWAN, Ilan Co., Fushan , 11–VIII–2007, leg. Y. M. Chen, slide TFRI 113100 ( Fig. 5 ); paratype . TAIWAN. 1♂, Ilan Co., Fushan , 20–VIII–1992, leg. Y. B. Fan, slide TFRI 71658 . Both specimens are kept in coll . TFRI.

Diagnosis. See the diagnosis part of A. ferruginea for details.

Description. Forewing length 18–19 mm in males (n=2); ca. 35 mm in a female, compared with the copulating male on fig. 25.

Male. Antenna short, curved medially, dark rufous, bipectinate, rami longest at subbasal region, about 10 times longer than shaft diameter, then gradually shortened toward apex. Head and margin of tegulae red, thorax, wings and abdomen dark rufous. Forewing elongated, apex blunt, background color dark rufous, patch near discal cell tinged with red, antemedial section near inner margin covered with larger red patch and transversally arranged three black spots inside, red postemedial line obvious near inner margin. Hindwing small, apex protruded, tornus blunt, costal margin red, remaining part dark rufous.

Male 8th male abdominal sternite ( Fig. 21 ). Cardiac-like with tapering anterior part and concave posterior part.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 20 ). Valva bifurcate, dorsal one longer, curved with apex blunt, ventral one short, conical with apex acute; vinculum dilated at lateral parts and U-shaped at terminal part; aedeagus bifurcate, dorsal one short and ventral one long, both apex acute.

Female. Antenna short, black, bipectinate, rami 5 times longer than shaft diameter. Head, thorax, abdomen red. Forewing elongated, apex blunt, costal margin, vein and postmedial line red, patch near discal cell and antemedial section near inner margin covered with red, the former larger with four transversally arranged black spots inside, remaining part basically iron grey. Hindwing small, background coloration basically red. The female of the species is known only after a photo ( Fig. 26 ) and is very similar on that of A. roepkei Tams. Newly collected material shall to solve this taxonomic puzzle precisely.

Egg ( Fig. 28 )—ca. 2.2 mm in diameter, rounded, ochreous with three dark brown spots evenly distributed on the surface.

First instar larva ( Fig. 29 )—ca. 5 mm when fully expanded. Head dark orange, stemmatae black. Secondary setae present, mostly white, dorsal ones longer, lateral ones tinged with black at basal part. Black and cream white transverse stripes covering thoracic and abdominal segments, legs and prolegs dark brown, transverse region between 8th and 9th abdominal segments covered with broad fresh red stripe.

Distribution. Endemic in Taiwan.

Bionomics. Based on the voucher specimens and an observation record, the species is restricted from lower to mid-elevations broad-leave forests (ca. 700–1000m). The adults are rare and are only met in August. The mating behavior and subsequent records of egg cluster and emerged first instar larvae were photographed by the second author and Mrs. Pe-Fang Ho at Dongyenshan (ca. 1000 m), New Taipei City, Taiwan during late August to early September , 2008 ( Figs 26–29 ). The copulating pair was originally found on the tree of Pyrenaria shinkoensis (Theaceae) about 1.8 m height with the female just eclosed from the white cocoon and the male hanged below the female as the mating position on August 26th, 2014 ( Fig. 26 ). The cocoon of the female individual was made on the dorsal side of leave ( Fig. 27 ). The mating pair was later moved down together with the cocoon for photography. The pair individuals were collected and put into a small plastic case with the potential hostplant, P. shinkoensis for waiting for laying eggs. The female laid about 70 eggs on the ventral side of leaves on August 27th ( Fig. 28 ). The larvae ( Fig. 29 ) emerged on September 8th and tried to feed on the margin of leaves but failed to grow up subsequently.

Etymology. The specific name of the new species is dedicated to Dr. Yi-Bin Fan (TFRI) who represents one of the pioneers for moth fundamental survey at the type locality of this new species, Fushan Botanical Garden, Ilan County, Taiwan.

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.

FIGURES 26 – 29. Life photos of Alompra yibinfani sp. nov. in Taiwan. 26. Mating pair, upper one female, under one male; 27. Cocoon on a leaf of Pyrenaria shinkoensis (Theaceae); 28. Egg cluster on the ventral side of P. shinkoensis leaf; 29. First instar larva. Photo by Pe-Fang Ho (26); Hsueh Lee (27 – 29).