Oroplexia mugeca, Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015

Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015, A new species of Oroplexia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from China, Zootaxa 3964 (5), pp. 583-588 : 583-587

Oroplexia mugeca sp. n.

( Figs 1–2 , 11 , 16 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig.1 ), China, W. Sichuan, near Kangding, road to Mugecuo lake, H- 3200 m, 21.VIII.2014, Floriani & Saldaitis leg., slide No. PGY 4045m (coll. PGM, later to be deposited in the HNHM).

Paratypes: 4 males, 1 female ( Fig 2 ) with the same data as the holotype (colls AFM, ASV), slide No: PGY4093 (female), 1 female, China, W. Sichuan, near Moxi, road to Mugecuo lake, H- 3100 m, 07.X.2012, N 029º84.350’, E 102º04.170’, Floriani leg. (coll.AFM).

Diagnosis and description. Wingspan 35–40 mm; the females are larger than the males. The new species is similar externally to the species pair Oroplexia euplexina ( Draudt, 1950) ( Figs 3, 4 ) and Oroplexia variegata Hreblay & Ronkay, 1998 ( Figs 5, 6 ), however it indicates striking contrast with Oroplexia tripartita (Leech, 1900) ( Figs 7, 8 ) and somewhat Oroplexia apameoides Hreblay & Ronkay, 1998 ( Figs 9, 10 ) in the male and female genitalia. O. mugeca has dark brown head and body pubescence and forewing ground colour, brown ochre suffused basal, antemedial-, postmedial- and subterminal transverse lines and conspicuous, white, partly finely grey filled reniform stigmata. The basal- and the subterminal area are somewhat lighter brown suffused, in the lower section of the latter one is more ochre suffused. The hindwing is brownish grey with darker, diffuse medial line, weakly defined, lunulate discal spot, broad darker marginal area. The five species are similar externally, the vestiture of the head and body, the pattern and coloration of the wings are apparently with almost the same ground plan. O. apameoides is the most easily separable by its significantly smaller size and red brown ground colour of forewing and lighter red brown hue of the hindwing. The main distinctive external features for the separation of the further three species from the O. mugeca are as follows: O. mugeca has, in comparison with them, darker thoracic vesture and forewing ground colour, particularly from those of O. variegata and O. tripartita ; more elongated, apically more pointed forewings, much darker (without the whitish or fawn colour suffusion) subterminal and terminal area, particularly from those of O. variegata and O. tripartita ; the lack of the whitish or fawn colour patch of the apex, the presence of the ochre patch in the termen and the darker colouration of the hindwing. The differences between the genitalia among the five species are remarkably large in case of both sexes, therefore the study of the genitalia can easily confirm the species identity of the examined specimen(s).

Male genitalia. The main features of O. mugeca ( Fig. 11 ) are the long, thin uncus, the long, horn like, tapering, terminally pointed ampulla, the distally broaden valva, of which the cucullus part broadly rounded terminally, having a slight neck; the short, broadly V form vinculum and the tubular vesica, bearing medially a bundle of long spines and a terminal diverticulum. O. mugeca can be easily separated from the species pair O. euplexina and O. variegata ( Figs 12 and 13 ) by a series of conspicuous differences. The key features are the significantly shorter uncus, the much broaden cucullus with neck, the shape of the giant ampulla, which is horn like in the new species, however stick like in the species pair; the giant, two times broader dorsal extension of the fultura inferior which is a rather thin process in the species pair O. euplexina and O. variegata . The best key features for easy separation are the aedeagus and the vesica, which clearly indicates, that O. mugeca displays a different lineage within Oroplexia . The aedeagus of the new species is almost straight but curved in the species pair; the vesica tubular bearing medially a bundle of long spines and a conspicuous terminal diverticulum in the new species, while ample, almost globular subbasally-medially in the species pair, having a large, sclerotized area medially with numerous tiny and short cornuti, of which the density is the most strong in the middle streak; the terminal diverticulum lacks. The new species is more distinctive from those of O. apameoides ( Fig 15 ) by its conspicuously smaller uncus, cucullus, the giant, horn like, more detached ampulla and less developed harpe, whereas the vesica of the O. apameoides is also tubular, but coiled, without terminal diverticulum. The genitalia of the new species more remarkably differs from those of O. tripartita ( Fig 14 ) particularly by its much larger and differently shaped cucullus, ampulla and dorsal extension of fultura inferior; while in the vesica of O. tripartita the medial spinulose area splitted into two parts (a broader-shorter and a longer-narrower), the terminal diverticulum is present, but conjectural.

Female genitalia. O. mugeca ( Fig. 16 ) differs strikingly from the externally more or less similar congeners ( Figs 17– 20 ) by its much larger and stronger sclerotised ostium bursae, the confluent, dilated appendix bursae-corpus bursae complex, which is strongly sclerotized proximally, densely wrinkled—folded, while the distal parts of both are membranous. The ductus bursae is longer and more sclerotized-ribbed than in O. euplexina and O. variegata ( Figs 17– 18 ), however shorter and anteriorly broader than in O. apameoides and O. tripartita ( Figs 20–19 ).

Biology and distribution. Only known from the area of China's Sichuan province on the east edge of the Tibetan plateau. Six specimens were collected in end of August and single female in October at altitudes ranging from 3100 to 3200 metres. Both males and females are attracted to lights even during periods of strong rain but appear to have a local distribution as O. mugeca was discovered in only one valley near Moxi, Mugecuo lake. The new species was encountered in mountain virgin mixed forest habitat dominated by broad-leaved trees, rhododendron and bamboo.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Oroplexia spp. adults. 1. O. mugeca sp. n., male, holotype, China, Sichuan (PGM); 2. O. mugeca sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan (AFM); 3. O. euplexina, male, China, Sichuan (PGM); 4. O. euplexina, female, China, Sichuan (PGM); 5. O. variegata, male, paratype, Taiwan, Hsiangyang (PGM); 6. O. variegata, female, Taiwan, Hohuanshan (PGM); 7. O. tripartita, male, China, Sichuan (PGM); 8. O. tripartita, female, China, Sichuan (PGM); 9. O. apameoides, male, paratype, Nepal, Ganesh Himal (PGM); 10. O. apameoides, female, paratype, Nepal, Ganesh Himal (PGM).

FIGURES 11 – 15. Oroplexia spp. male genitalia. 11. O. mugeca sp. n., holotype, prep. PGY 4045; 12. O. euplexina, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4124; 13. O. variegata, paratype, Taiwan, Hsiangyang, prep. PGY 4102; 14. O. tripartita, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 3343; 15. O. apameoides, paratype, Nepal, Ganesh Himal, prep. PGY 4115.

FIGURES 16 – 20. Oroplexia spp. female genitalia. 16. O. mugeca sp. n., paratype, prep. PGY 4093; 17. O. euplexina, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4120; 18. O. variegata, Taiwan, Hohuanshan, prep. PGY 4101; 19. O. tripartita, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4125; 20. O. apameoides, paratype, Nepal, Ganesh Himal, prep. PGY 4113.