Teulisna spinulosa, Volynkin, 2023

Volynkin, Anton V, 2023, Teulisna spinulosa, a new species from Northern Vietnam (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 68, pp. 127-133 : 128-132

Teulisna spinulosa sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FB85A35C-9679-4962-93B2-B32684CAA72F

( Figs 1–3 , 9 , 12 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 9 ): male, “ Vietnam, Prov. Lao Cai, 1900–2000 m | Fan-si-pan Mts , 14 km NW Sa Pa | 103°46.06'E, 22°20.9'N, 26–29.I.1999 | leg. L. Peregovits, G. & L. Ronkay | coll. Museum Witt ” / “Slide | ZSM Arct. | 2021- 425♂ | A. Volynkin ” (MWM/ ZSM).

Paratypes: VIETNAM: 5 males, the same data as in the holotype ; 145 males, 2 females, [Lào Cai Province] 1600m, Mt. Fan-si-pan (north), Cha-pa , primary forest, 22°17'N 103°44'E, 25–30.III.1995, V. Sinyaev & A. Schintlmeister leg. , gen. prep. No. : ZSM Arct. 2021 - 427♀ (prepared by Volynkin); 3 males, 1 female, [Vĩnh Phúc Province] Tam Dao (sec.[ondary] forest), 60 km NW Hanoi, 950m, 21°34'N 105°20'E, IV.1995, V. Sinyaev leg. , gen. prep. Nos. : ZSM Arct. 2021 - 426♂, ZSM Arct. 2021 - 428♀ (prepared by Volynkin ) (all in MWM/ ZSM) .

Diagnosis. Teulisna spinulosa sp. n. ( Figs 1–3 ) is vaguely reminiscent of the Himalayan T. ganesha ( Figs 7, 8 ) but distinguished by the shorter forewing with a more elongate apex, and the costal spot of the forewing situated more distally. The male genitalia capsule of the new species ( Fig. 9 ) differ clearly from T. ganesha ( Fig. 11 ) in the longer and thinner uncus, the longer tegumen, the shorter vinculum, the longer valva with a narrower dorsal section and a broadly triangular distal saccular process (it is bilobate in T. ganesha ), the shorter and narrower phallus bearing a setose carinal process, and the sack-like vesica having two short conical diverticula and bearing two broad clusters of numerous spinules and spinulose scobination whereas the vesica of T. ganesha has several long and utricular diverticula and bears a single and long, spike-like cornutus. The male genitalia structure of T. spinulosa sp. n. is also reminiscent of the partly sympatric and externally dissimilar T. bipectinis ( Fig. 4–6 , 10 ), unlike which the new species has a thin and distally tapered uncus (it is swollen and posteriorly dilated in the congener), a shorter vinculum, a longer valva with a flattened, broadly triangular and smooth distal saccular process (it is club-shaped and serrulate in T. bipectinis ), and a membranous anellus (it bears a broad dense ring-like cluster of minute triangular thorns in the congener). The phallus of the new species is shorter than in T. bipectinis , has a shorter and less upcurved coecum, and a longer and thinner carinal process. The vesica of T. spinulosa sp. n. is broad sack-like and bears two broad clusters of ornamentation distally: a dorsal one consisting of short but robust spinules, and a ventral cluster of short spinulose scobination, whereas the vesica of T. bipectinis is narrowly tubular with a denser cluster of spinules basally and subbasally. The female genitalia of T. spinulosa sp. n. ( Fig. 12 ) can easily be distinguished from T. bipectinis ( Fig. 13 ) by the shorter ductus bursae, and the broader corpus bursae having a dilated and densely spinulose gelatinous posterior section, and a short, narrow and gelatinous anterior section whereas in T. bipectinis , the posterior section is tubular and lacking the spinules while the anterior section is broader, teardrop-shaped, and membranous with a narrow cluster of scobination along its left wall. Compared to T. ganesha ( Fig. 14 ), the female genitalia of the new species have a markedly shorter, narrower and rugose ductus bursae (it is sclerotised in the congener), an elliptical and densely spinulose corpus bursae (in T. ganesha , it is subdivided into a rather trapezoidal posterior section with a conical diverticulum on its left side, and a globular and membranous anterior section), and an irregular, gelatinous and anteriorly situated appendix bursae, which is also gelatinous but conical and laterally situated in the congener.

Description. Adults. Male. Forewing length 13.0– 13.5 mm. Head pale ochreous. Antenna pale ochreous, shortly bipectinate. Thorax ochreous with admixture of brown scales. Forewing elongate and narrow, its costal margin straight proximally and convex postmedially; apex slightly elongate. Forewing ground colour ochreous, basal third of costal margin edged with black scales. Medial and postmedial areas suffused with fuscous scales between vein M and anal margin. Costal margin with irregular fuscous spot medially. Discal spot comma-shaped, indistinct. Cell with elongate cluster of ochreous androconial scales along vein M. Postmedial line irregularly sinuous, indistinct, delimiting the area of intense fuscous suffusion. Cilia ochreous. Hindwing pale ochreous, slightly suffused with fuscous in distal half. Abdomen ochreous with ochreous yellow hair-like scales on genitalia. Male genitalia. Uncus elongate, thin, gradually tapered distally, slightly downcurved medially, with thin claw-like tip. Tegumen with strongly posteriorly dilated arms fused in posterior half. Tuba analis proximally broad and tapered distally, scaphium thin and weakly sclerotised. Vinculum shorter than tegumen, rectangular, with arms anteriorly connected by thin commissure. Valva lobular and elongate, with almost parallel margins. Dorsal section of valva distally tapered and apically rounded. Sacculus narrow, with robust, broadly triangular, flattened, and somewhat downcurved distal process protruding distally beyond the dorsal section of valva. Juxta trapezoidal and weakly sclerotised. Phallus cylindrical, somewhat S-like curved, with short, slightly upcurved and apically rounded coecum, and short finger-shaped and densely setose dorsal carinal process. Vesica broad sack-like, dilated distally, with short conical subbasal diverticulum dorsally and short conical distal diverticulum ventrally, and bearing two broad clusters of ornamentation distally: dorsal one consisting of short but robust spinules, and ventral cluster of short spinulose scobination. Vesica ejaculatorius originates ventrally-medially. Female. Forewing length 15.0–16.0 mm. Head pale ochreous. Antenna pale ochreous, sparsely ciliate. Thorax ochreous with admixture of brown scales. Forewing broader than in male and with more elongate apex. Forewing ground colour ochreous with fuscous suffusion. Costal margin with irregular fuscous spot medially. Discal spot more or less rounded, indistinct. Cilia ochreous. Hindwing uniformly pale yellowishochreous. Abdomen pale yellow. Female genitalia. Papilla analis trapezoidal with rounded corners, weakly setose. Apophyses thin, apophysis anterioris thicker and ca. twice longer than apophysis posterioris. Ductus bursae short and relatively narrow, rugose. Corpus bursae elliptical, as long as ovipositor, gelatinous and densely covered with spinules. Appendix bursae short, irregular sack-like, gelatinous, situated anteriorly.

Distribution. Northern Vietnam (Lào Cai and Vĩnh Phúc Provinces).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the broad clusters of numerous spinules and spinulose scobination in the phallus vesica of the new species. The name is a noun in apposition to the generic name.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Teulisna spp.: adults. The specimens are deposited in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 9–11. Teulisna spp.: male genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 12–14. Teulisna spp.: female genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in MWM/ZSM.