Vargalorta, Benedek & Volynkin & Saldaitis & Tóth, 2022

Benedek, Balázs, Volynkin, Anton V., Saldaitis, Aidas & Tóth, Balázs, 2022, On the taxonomy of the Conistra generic complex with descriptions of three new genera and a new species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae), Zootaxa 5141 (5), pp. 442-458 : 451-452

Genus Vargalorta gen. n.

Type species: Agrocholorta taiwanawae L. Ronkay, G. Ronkay, Gyulai & Varga, 2017 .

= Agrocholorta (Pacificorta) L. Ronkay, G. Ronkay, Gyulai & Varga, 2017 , unavailable name.

Remarks. (1) Despite Pacificorta was described as a subgenus of Agrocholorta , the fundamental differences in their valva and phallus structures suggest that this group of species should be considered as a distinct genus closely related to Conistra and not Agrocholorta . (2) In the original description of Pacificorta ( Ronkay et al. 2017), the authors did not designate a type species for the subgenus while, according to the Article 66.1 of ICZN (1999), “an ichnotaxonomy at the genus-group level proposed after 1999 must have a type species fixed for its name to be available”. Thus, the name Pacificorta is unavailable and a new genus is established herein instead of it.

Diagnosis. Species of the genus ( Figs 19, 20 ; also illustrated by Shikata (2015) and Ronkay et al. (2017)) are externally clearly different from other members of the Conistra generic complex ( Figs 1–18 ) and more reminiscent of certain groups of the Agrochola generic complex, e.g., Leptologia Prout (illustrated by Ronkay et al. (2017)). The male genital capsule of Vargalorta gen. n. ( Fig. 29 ) is most similar to Conistra ( Figs 24–27 ) and Suginistra ( Fig. 28 ) but differs in the pin-like apical process of the valva, a feature considered here as autapomorphic. The female genitalia of Vargalorta gen. n. ( Fig. 39 ) display no remarkable differences from Conistra ( Figs 34–37 ).

Description. External morphology of adults ( Figs 19, 20 ). Forewing length 15–18 mm in males and 18–20 mm in females. Antenna filiform in both sexes. Body and forewing ground colour varying from greyish-brown to reddish-brown. Forewing relatively broad, with pointed apex and straight outer margin. Pattern brown. Transverse lines thin, double. Subbasal line short, indistinct. Antemedial line sinuous. Medial line almost straight between cell and anal margin and angled inwards on Cu. Postmedial line slightly sinuous. Subterminal line interrupted into row of small spots. Terminal line sinuous. Orbicular and reniform stigmata large, latter one with dark spot posteriorly. Hindwing greyish-brown with paler proximal part and small and indistinct, semilunar discal spot. Male genitalia ( Fig. 29 ). Uncus slender, elongate, down curved medially. Tegumen short, with broad, triangular and apically rounded penicular lobes. Vinculum more or less equal in length to tegumen, narrowly U-shaped. Valva narrow, gradually tapering distally. Costa with pin-like apical process directed distally and few tiny denticles on inner surface outwards from base of harpe. Clasper short, with thin, stick-like harpe somewhat dilated basally. Sacculus short but broad. Juxta large (in proportion to tegumen-vinculum complex), shield-like with tapered posterior half and posterior medial depression. Phallus relatively long and narrow, slightly tapered and down curved distally. Vesica narrow, tubular, recurved ventrally, with few semiglobular granulose medial diverticula and one robust thorn-like distal cornutus. Female genitalia ( Fig. 39 ). Ovipositor short, conical. Papillae anales trapezoid with rounded corners, setose. Apophyses thin, more or less equal in length, apophyses posteriores thinner than apophyses anteriores. Ostium broad. Antrum long, more or less champagne glass-shaped, dorso-ventrally flattened, heavily sclerotised, connected to ductus bursae with very short membranous ring. Ductus bursae tubular, narrow, heavily sclerotised. Corpus bursae pear-shaped, membranous, with four band-like signa of different lengths. Appendix bursae smaller than corpus bursae, sack-like, gelatinous with broad sclerotised areas.

Distribution. Species of the genus are known from southern Japan and Taiwan Island.

Etymology. The generic name is an aggregation of the surname Varga and the genus group name Telorta Warren and is dedicated to Prof. Zoltan Varga (Debrecen, Hungary), one of the authors of Pacificorta . The gender is feminine.

Number of taxa. The genus comprises four valid species, V. taiwanawae comb. n., V. nawae comb. n., V. amamiensis comb. n. and V. kimurai comb. n.

Figures

FIGURES 17–20. Type species of Suginistra and Vargalorta gen. n.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 17, 19 and 20 in HNHM; 18 in CAV.

FIGURES 1–8. Marcinistra gen. n. and Baimistra gen. n. spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 and 2 in HNHM; 3–6 in AFM; 7 and 8 in ZSM.

FIGURES 9–16. Type species of subgenera of Conistra: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 9, 10 and 16 in HNHM; 11, 12 and 15 in BBT; 13 and 14 in GGF.

FIGURES 27–29. Type species of Conistra (Dasycampa), Suginistra and Vargalorta gen. n.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 27 in BBT; 28 and 29 in HNHM.

FIGURES 24–26. Type species of subgenera of Conistra: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 24 and 26 in HNHM; 25 in BBT.

FIGURES 36–39. Conistra, Suginistra and Vargalorta gen. n. spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 36 and 39 in HNHM; 37 in BBT; 38 after Ronkay et al. (2017).

FIGURES 30–35. Marcinistra gen. n., Baimistra gen. n. and Conistra spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 30 and 34 in HNHM; 31 in AFM; 32 and 33 in ZSM; 35 in BBT.