Xestia (s. l.) hypographa, Varga & Ronkay, 2002

Varga, Z. & Ronkay, L., 2002, A Revision Of The Palaearctic Species Of The Eugraphe Hübner, [1821] 1816 Generic Complex. Part I. The Genera Eugraphe And Goniographa (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 48 (4), pp. 333-374 : 366-372

Xestia (s. l.) hypographa sp. n.

( Figs 16 , 17 , 42 , 43 , 68, 69 )

Holotype: male, Talassky Alatau Mts , Kara-Bura pass, 1800 m, 42 18’N, 71 35’E, 29.VII. 1993, leg. V. & A. LUKHTANOV; slide No. RL 7565m (coll. P. GYULAI).

Paratypes. Kirghisia : 4 females, Susamyr Mts , valley of Chickhan river , 1800 m, 29–30.VII. 1994, leg. TOROPOV & SINIAEV; 1 female, Kirghiz Mts , Kara Baitta valley, Sosnovka, 3–4.VIII.1999, leg. PLYUSHCH (coll. P. GYULAI and G. RONKAY) . Uzbekistan: 1 male, W. Tien-Shan, Chimgan Mts , 1300 m, 23.09.1991. leg. JÜRIVETE (coll. ZMUH) .

Slide Nos VZ7045 (male), RL7529f, RL7530f, RL7542f (females).

Diagnosis: Forewing is somewhat broader, apex less elongate, than in X. ornata ; ground colour is more greyish-greenish, the ochreous colouration is sup-

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larger magnification

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“ Eugraphe” versuta (PÜNGELER) : 72 = male, 73 = female (both from Mongolia)

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pressed by the densely dispersed darker scales; the wing pattern is less sharply marked, reniform and orbicular stigmata are narrower, more greyish.

The male genitalia of the two sister species differ in the following features (see Figs 15–17 ): the uncus of the new species is more spatulate and obtuse than that of X. ornata , the pollex is longer, almost straight and more pointed; the harpe is significantly thinner, longer, apically acute; the dentate ribbon of the carina is thinner, evenly serrulate, the vesica is more saccate, especially in the basal half.

The ground plan of the female copulatory organ is the same in the two sibling species ( Figs 41–43 ), but the ostium bursae of the new species is significantly longer, narrower and the appendix bursae is projected laterally while that of X. (s. l.) ornata is situated closer to fundus bursae and projected proximo-laterally.

Description: Relatively small moths with slender body, wingspan 32–34 mm, length of forewing 14–15 mm. Sexes similar, females somewhat larger, more broad-winged. Head and abdomen light ochreous grey, slightly darker than in ther former species, thorax slightly darker ochreous grey. Antenna filiform, in male ciliate. Forewing triangular with rounded apex and outer margin; ground colour darker greenish-ochreous grey. Orbicular and reniform stigmata regular, lighter than the ground colour, not sharply defined. Claviform spot obsolescent. Ante- and postmedial lines double, not sharply defined. Subterminal line obsolescent. Hindwing ochreous grey. Cilia ochreous grey.

Male genitalia ( Figs 16 , 17b ): Uncus spatulate, obtuse apically. Cucullus and corona reduced. Valva pointed apically, pollex pointed, straight, longer than in X. ornata ; harpe tiny, acute apically, clavus reduced, juxta broad, weakly sclerotised. Aedeagus simple, carina with thin, evenly serrulatedentate ribbon; vesica saccate without cornuti or other sclerotised elements.

Female genitalia ( Figs 42 , 43 ): Ovipositor short, weak; gonapophyses slender, fine. Ostium bursae sclerotized, quadrangular, relatively long and narrow, caudal margin evenly convex, with two small, ear-like postero-lateral appendages. Ductus bursae medium-long, flattened, broadly tubular, both surfaces granulously sclerotized, ventral plate with stronger medial plate. Sclerotization of anterior part asymmetrical, considerably longer on left side. Apical part of corpus bursae membranous, finely wrinkled-ribbed; appendix bursae large, subconical, weakly membranous, finely wrinkled, projected laterad. Corpus bursae elliptical-saccate, membranous, with four short, narrow signum-stripes close to fundus.

Bionomics and distribution: The new species is known only from the north-western part of the

Tien-Shan Mts.

Etymology: The name refers to the main external differential feature of the species: the less distinct forewing markings.

*

Acknowledgements – The authors would like to express their gratitude to Mrs E. VARTIAN (Vienna)and the following gentlemen for supporting our work, A. B ECHER (Freudenberg, Germany), B. BENEDEK (Törökbálint, Hungary), P. GYULAI (Miskolc, Hungary), H. HACKER (Staffelstein, Germany), A. HAUSMANN (ZSM, Munich), M. R. HONEY (BMNH, London), A. KUN (HNHM Buda-

Acta zool. hung. 48, 2002

pest), L. LEHMANN (Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany), W. MEY (ZMHU Berlin), K. MIKKOLA (ZMUH

Helsinki), Prof. Dr C. NAUMANN (ZFMK, Bonn), A. V. NEKRASOV (Moscow), G. RONKAY (Budapest)and J. S TUMPF ( Germany).

The research was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA, grant No. 32247). A part of the surveys was carried out during the fellowship of the senior author in the Collegium Budapest, Institute of Advanced Study.

Figures

Fig. 16. Xestia (s.l.) hypographa sp. n., paratype, slide No. VZ7045

Fig. 17. 17a = Xestia (s.l.) ornata (STAUDINGER), slide No. VZ7047, 17b = X. (s.l.) hypographa sp. n., paratype, slide No. VZ7045

Figs 36–42. 36–37 = Goniographa marcida (CHRISTOPH), slide No. RL7477: 36 = female genitalia, 37 = posterior part in larger magnification; 38–40 = G. gyulaipeteri sp. n., paratypes: 38 = female genitalia, slide No. RL7501, 39–40 = posterior part in larger magnification (slide Nos RL7501, RL7502); 41 = Xestia (s. l.) ornata (STAUDINGER), slide No. RL7482, posterior part in larger magni-

Figs 43–49. 43 = Xestia (s. l.) hypographa sp. n., paratype, slide No. RL7542, posterior part in larger magnification; 44–45 = Eugraphe sigma (DENIS et SCHIFFERMÜLLER), slide No. RL7596: 44 = female genitalia, 45 = posterior part in larger magnification; 46–47 = Hypernaenia denticulata (WARREN), female genitalia, slide No. RL7560: 46 = posterior part, 47 = anterior part; 48–49 = “Eugraphe” versuta (PÜNGELER), slide No. RL7504: 48 = female genitalia, 49 = posterior part in

Figs 66–73. 66–67 = Xestia (s. l.) ornata (STAUDINGER): 66 = lectotype, 67 = female, Tadjikistan; 68–69 = X. (s. l.) hypographa sp. n.: 68 = holotype, 69 = paratype, female, Kirghisia; 70–71 = Hypernaenia denticulata (WARREN): 70 = male, 71 = female (both from NW Pakistan); 72–73 =

Fig. 15. Xestia (s.l.) ornata (STAUDINGER), slide Nos a = VZ7047, b = VZ7065, c = RL7483