Nikara plusiodes (de Joannis, 1914 )

Saldaitis, Aidas, Volynkin, Anton V., Speidel, Wolfgang & Zahiri, Reza, 2022, A review of the genus Nikara Moore and its transfer to the Stiriinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Zootaxa 5205 (3), pp. 201-219 : 212-213

Nikara plusiodes (de Joannis, 1914) , comb. rev.

( Figs 11–14 , 18 , 22, 23 )

Nikara plusiodes de Joannis, 1914 , Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 1914: 183, fig. 67 (Type locality: [ China, Yunnan, Dali] “ Yun-nan, Tali ”).

= Chrysoptera (Plusia) aureus Bang-Haas, 1927 ; Horae Macrolepidopterologicae Regionis Palaearcticae 1: 91, pl. 10, fig. 42 (Type locality: [ China, Yunnan, Yanmen] “ China occ. mer.: Tsekou ”), syn. nov.

Type material examined. Photographs of the syntype of Nikara plusiodes ( Fig. 11 ): male, “Tali | Yun-nan” | Nicara | plusioides | type ♂. de Joan.” | red label “ syntype ” | “ Nikara | plusiodes Joan. | Bull. Soc. ent. | Fr., 1914, p. 419” | “1920–1932 | coll. L. & J. de Joannis | Muséum Paris” | QR-code label “ MNHN, Paris | EL29378” ( MNHN). Lectotype of Chrysoptera (Plusia) aureus (hereby designated) ( Figs 12 , 22 ): female, “ Tsekou | Th. Monbeig | 1909.” | “ Chrysoptera (Plusia) | aureus O. B.- Haas ” | pink label “ Type ” | “ex coll. 1/1 | Bang-Haas ” | “Horae Macrolep. | Vol. I. abgebildet | t. 10 f. 42 | beschrieb. p. 91” | red label “Prp. Nr.: 12223 NKM f | Holotypus | Chrysonicara aureus | ( Bang-Haas, 1927) | China, Type / Tsekou | (Plusia) aureus O. B.- Haas / Horae | Macrolep. Vol. I Abgebildet T 10 . 42 | Beschrieb. p. 91/ex coll. Bang- | Haas, 1/1, Manbeig Th. 1900/ | Prp. Behounek, 2017” ( MfN).

Other material examined. CHINA: 1 male, [Yunnan, Lijiang] Li-kiang, ca. 2000m, Prov. Nord-Yuennan , 31.VII.1934, H. Höne, gen. prep. by Kononenko ( ZFMK) ; 1 female, Yuennaniu , 5.IV.1934, H. Höne ( ZFMK) ; 1 female, Yunnan, Tali , 1913-412, 3, unique number NHMUK 014165092 , gen. prep. No. NHMUK010316230 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK).

Remark. In the original description of Chrysoptera (Plusia) aureus, Bang-Haas (1927) cited 3 males which are syntypes. However, in the MfN collection, we found only one female syntype specimen which indicates that the sex was incorrectly determined by the author for at least one specimen. In order to stabilize the nomenclature, we hereby designate this specimen as lectotype.

Diagnosis. The species can be easily distinguished from the congeners by its ‘Plusiinae-like’ external appearance characterised by the elongate forewing apex, the nearly straight postmedial line, and the subterminal and terminal forewing areas ochreous with a slight golden sheen. Additionally, the basal and medial forewing areas of N. plusiodes are monotonous brown with a thin dark brown antemedial line strongly angled in the cell, whereas it is indistinct in N. castanea and N. cupreomicans . The orbicular and reniform stigmata are indistinct, whereas they are encircled with shiny bluish scales in the congeners. The male genitalia of N. plusiodes is most similar to that of N. castanea due to the absence of a harpe, but differs clearly in the subapically less dilated uncus, and the less elongate valva with a convex costal margin (whereas it is nearly straight in N. castanea ). The vesica structure of N. plusiodes is reminiscent of that of N. cupreomicans , but the main chamber of the vesica of N. plusiodes is broader, the subbasal row is shorter and consisting of conspicuously longer spines, and the cornuti of the medio-distal row are conspicuously more robust. The female genitalia of N. plusiodes are distinguished from those of N. castanea and N. cupreomicans by the corpus bursae having two lateral protrusions, and the appendix bursae positioned lateroanteriorly and having a sclerotised rugose area basally which is extending into adjacent areas of the corpus bursae.

Re-description. External morphology of adults ( Figs 11–14 ). Antenna filiform in both sexes. Body brown with ochreous suffusion. Forewing length 17 mm in males and 18–19 mm in females. Forewing broadly triangular with rounded apex and somewhat convex outer margin. Forewing ground colour brown in antemedial and medial areas and pale ochreous with intense golden suffusion postmedially. Antemedial line dark brown, thin, sinuous and medially curved, diffuse. Medial line thin and indistinct, dark brown, protruding outwards and strongly angled medially. Postmedial line alomst straight, oblique, terminating at costa near apex, dark brown inwardly and ochreous with golden suffusion outwardly. Subterminal line indistinct, sunuous, represented by brown suffusion in postmedial area medially. Terminal line thin, continuous, dark brown with golden suffusion. Forewing cilia brown. Hindwing pale ochreous with brown suffusion. Hindwing pale ochreous with admixture of brown scales. Male genitalia ( Fig. 18 ). Uncus elongate and slender, laterally flattened, downcurved subbasally, somewhat dilated distally, apically tapered with tiny claw-like tip. Tuba analis with heavily sclerotised and rugose scaphium. Tegumen shorter than valva, with arms fused in posterior half. Juxta shield-like with wide rounded apical depression. Vinculum ca. 1.5 times shorter than tegumen, with thin but well-sclerotised arms, V-shaped with pointed tip. Valva elongate and narrow (length to width ratio 4.1:1), with nearly parallel margins distally and convex dorsal margin sub-proximally. Corona present, consisting of robust setae. Sacculus short (ca. 1/4 of valva length) and narrow (ca. half of basal section of valva width). Clavus narrowly triangular with rounded tip, somewhat curved medially. Phallus elongate, slightly downcurved medially and somewhat dilated distally, with broad (ca. 2/3 of its length) base of ductus ejaculatorius. Vesica sack-like, approximately equal in length with aedeagus, projecting dorsad, bearing basal transverse row of short but robust spines, and lateral elongate lengthwise cluster consisting of 14 short but robust spine-like cornuti proximally, several much larger thorn-like cornuti distally and terminating by the largest cornutus apically. Female genitalia ( Figs 22, 23 ). Papilla analis trapezoid and weakly setose. Apophyses elongate and thin, more or less equal in length, apophysis anterioris thicker than apophysis posterioris. Ductus bursae tubular, narrow, membranous. Corpus bursae with two postero-lateral semiglobular protrusions (with ca. twice larger anterior one), and semi-elliptical anterior end protruding anteriorly. Appendix bursae semi-globular, positioned anterio-laterally on left side, with sclerotised rugose area basally which protruding into adjacent areas of corpus bursae.

Distribution. The species is known from Yunnan Province of China ( Bang-Haas 1927; de Joannis 1914).

Figures

FIGURES 9–14. Nikara aureus: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 9 in ASV; 10 in AFM; 11 in MNHN (©MNHN, photo by unknown photographer); 12 in MfN; 13 in ZFMK (photo by V.S. Kononenko); 14 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

FIGURES 15–18. Nikara spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 15 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 16 and 17 in ASV 18 in ZFMK (photo by V.S. Kononenko).

FIGURES 19–23. Nikara spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 19 and 23 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 20 in HSV; 21 in AFM; 22 in MfN.