Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994

Wu, Shipher, Owada, Mamoru & Fu, Chien-Ming, 2013, Rediscovery of two rare ptilodontines in Taiwan: Himeropteryx yui Okano, 1969 stat. nov. and Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994 (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae), Zootaxa 3702 (2), pp. 193-197 : 194-197

Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994

(Figs 9–10; 21)

Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994 : Japan Heterocerists’ J. 177: 17, figs 1–4, 5–8; Wang, 1996: 201, fig.; Kishida & Kobayashi, 2002, Tinea 17 (2): 90; Schintlmeister, 2008: 322, figs 1554, 1557, pl. 32: 562

Ptilophora jezoensis rufula: Schintlmeister & Fang, 2001: 22 ; Wu & Fang, 2003: 650, fig. 412, pl. 7:16.

Specimens examined: Type material: Holotype. Male, TAIWAN. Yilan Hsien [Ilan County], Szuyuanakou [Siyuanyakou], 1800 m, 10-XII-1993, leg. H. Kobayashi; paratype, 1♂, same collecting data ( NSMT).

Additional specimens: TAIWAN. 3 males and 1 female, Ilan County, Siyuanyakou, 1900 m, 16-XII-2012, leg. M. Owada & S. Wu (coll. NMNS); 8 males and 1 female, same collecting data, (coll. NSMT); 2 males and 3 females, same collecting locality and date, leg. S. Wu, M. Owada (coll. TFRI); 1 female, Ilan County, Taipingshan, 1800 m, 15-XII-2012, leg. M. Owada, S. Wu & W. C. Chang (coll. NSMT); 2 males, Hualien County, Chin-ma Tunnel, 2400 m, 22-XII-2008, leg. H. H. Lin (coll. ESRI); 2 males, 17-XII-2012, leg. M. Owada & S. Wu (coll. NMNS); 4 males and 1 female, same collecting data (coll. NSMT); 1 male, same locality and date, leg. S. Wu & M. Owada (coll. TFRI); 1 male, Hualien County, Guanyuan, 2400m, 17-XII-2012, leg. M. Owada & S. Wu (coll. NSMT).

FIGURE 1–10. Dorsal views of ptilodontine moths. 1–6. Himeropterx miraculosa Staudinger, 1887 ; 1, 2. Russian Far East (coll. BMNH); 3–5. Japan (coll. NSMT); 6. Guangdong, China (coll. NSMT); 7, 8. H. yui Okano, 1969 stat. nov., Taiwan (coll. TFRI); 9–10. Ptilophora rufula Kobayashi, 1994 , Taiwan (coll. TFRI); 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. Male; 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Female. Bar scale= 10mm. Photos by Shipher Wu.

Diagnosis. This species is related to the Japanese species P. nohirae (Matsumura, 1920) . In external appearance, P. rufula can be distinguished from P. nohirae by its more reddish brown coloration and by showing a more distinct forewing discal spot. Male genitalia differences are mentioned in Kobayashi (1994). The female genitalia of P. rufula , when compared with European examples of P. plumigera (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) illustrated in Shintlmeister (2008: fig. 1553), do not show a pair of prominent processes on ostium bursae, but instead exhitit a smoothly transverse posterior margin.

Description of female (Figs 10; 21). Wingspan 39–40 mm (n= 3). Eye large; antenna dark brown, filiform. Head, thorax and abdomen covered with hair-like chestnut-brown scales. Forewing elongate, chestnut-brown, semi-transparent, apex and tornus rounded; discal spot pale, chestnut brown, elliptical; postmedial line faint, slightly serrate; scales of fringe long, chestnut-brown. Hindwing light grey fringed with chestnut-brown, triangular, apex and tornus rounded; discal spot small, chestnut brown.

Female genitalia—Ovipositor lobes membranous with short hair-like setae; both pairs of apophyses long and thin; ostium bursae sclerotized, posterior margin transverse; ductus bursae as long as posterior apophyses, basal portion sclerotized and curved, remainder membranous; corpus bursae membranous, small and sac-like.

Distribution and bionomics. This species occurs at mid-altitudes in the broad-leaf primary forest of North and Central Taiwan where Acer hostplans such as A. morrisonense Hayata , A. kawakamii Koidzumi , A. serrulatum Hayata (Aceraceae) are abundant. The adults are univoltine, flying in December.