Amphipyra kitti Gaal-Haszler, Lödl, Ronkay, Ronkay & Varga, 2012

Shahreyari-Nejad, Saeideh, Esfandiari, Mehdi, Rasekh, Arash, Mossadegh, Mohammad Saeed & Shirvani, Asghar, 2023, Further studies on Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) fauna of Kerman province, southeast Iran, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 9 (4), pp. 651-662 : 653-654

Amphipyra kitti Gaal-Haszler, Lödl, Ronkay, Ronkay & Varga, 2012

Amphipyra kitti Gaal-Haszler et al., 2012 , in Gaal-Haszler, S., Lödl, M. Ronkay, G., Ronkay, L. & Varga, Z., Fibigeriana 1: 123–130. Type locality: Afghanistan, Prov. Kadaghan, Salang pass. N slope, 2400 m. Holotype: NHMW. male ♂. 11–12.vii.1971. legit Vartian. slide no. RL 10461m.

Identification. ( Fig. 1A), male ( 33 mm wingspan): forewings greyish brown, head, thorax, legs, abdomen and hindwings have a lighter brownish hue, hindwings a little lighter basally. All lines, streaks and stigmata are absent. Underside of wings light greyish. Amphipyra kitti is closely related to A. tetra pallida Staudinger, 1901 and A. micra Gyulai & Ronkay, 2008 which both of them occur in Iran, but not yet recorded in Kerman province ( Lödl et al., 2012; Rajaei et al., 2023a). Habitus of A. kitti differs from A. tetra pallida by having the smaller average wingspan and uniformly paler coloration of wings. Delicate pale terminal line of A. kitti was missed in A. tetra pallida . The average wingspan is larger in A. kitti than A. micra , body is more robust and pale terminal line is sinuous in A. kitti vs. straight in A. micra . Female ( 37 mm wingspan) similar to male, but larger ( Fig. 1C).

Male genitalia. ( Fig. 1B), uncus broad, spatulate, broadened and rounded apically, subapical section narrower; vinculum broad; scaphium membranous; valvae short and rounded, posterior-ventrally arched; clavus sclerotised; juxta large. Aedeagus sclerotised basally, ventral and around apex; vesica with a strong basal and sub-basal cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 1D). This is the first depiction and description of female genitalia. Ovipositor slightly sclerotised; postvaginal plate without crests; ductus bursae membranous, very long; basal half of corpus bursae narrow, cylindrical; distal half oval; appendix bursae small, arises on the right side.

Bionomics. The adult insects of this species were active in this study in high mountainous areas with shrub vegetation and rangeland plants ( Fig. 2). The moth flies in summer and attracts light. The early stages and food plants are unknown.

Distribution. It has been recorded from central and eastern Afghanistan and Pakistanian Himalayas ( Lödl et al., 2012). This taxon is new to the Iranian fauna.

Material examined. Kerman province, Jiroft, Omrudoieh , 2971 m, 29º05'55"N, 57º33'13"E, 1♀, 2♂, 30.vii.2015 , 1♀, 28.vi.2015 , 1♂, 08.vii.2015; Jiroft, Sangdan , 2966 m, 29º06'06"N, 57º33'12"E, 2♀, 1♂, 3.ix.2015 ; Orzuiyeh, Dehsard, Sohan Darreh , 1937 m, 28º39'19″N, 56º26'46"E, 1♂, 3.ix.2015 .