Zadadra neodistorta Joshi, Kirti & Singh, 2015

Joshi, Rahul, Kirti, Jagbir Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2015, Two new species of genus Zadadra Moore (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India, Florida Entomologist 98 (2), pp. 536-536 : 536-

Zadadra neodistorta Joshi, Kirti & Singh sp. nov. (Figs. 6–10)

DIAGNOSIS

Male

Adult (Fig. 6). Head with frons blackish; vertex dull orange. Antennae black, base yellow. Labial palpi black at tips. Thorax with patagia and tegulae grey. Forewing fuscous grey; costal area ochreous, suffused with fulvous; a costal spot beyond middle, with an obscure obliquely curved fuscous band from the spot to inner margin; inner margin narrowly ochreous, termen obtuse. Hindwing pale yellow, tinged with fuscous towards apex; androconial patch fuscous, not reaching beyond discal cell. Abdomen grey with ventral surface and anal tuf orange.

Male genitalia (Fig. 7, 8 and 9). Uncus swollen at base, tip blunt, sparsely setosed; tegumen longer than uncus, inverted V-shaped; vinculum broad, shorter than tegumen; saccus wide and rounded. Valvae with costa linear; cucullus like halters; valvula sclerotized, sickle shape; sacculus shorter than costa, saccular process broad and elevated in front. Juxta strong spine like; transtilla sclerotized, eye-like. Aedeagus (Fig. 10) slightly S shape; vesica membranous without cornuti; ductus ejaculatorius entering laterally.

Wing span. Male 38 mm

FEMALE: UNKNOWN.

MATERIAL EXAMINED

HOLOTYPE: 1 male INDIA. Sikkim, Rongli , 1400 m, 05.V.2009. (Registration number: PUP/RJ – 143a) . PARATYPES: 2 males INDIA. Sikkim, Rongli , 1400 m, 05.V.2009 - 2 3. (Coll. R Joshi). (Registration numbers: PUP/RJ – 143b; PUP/RJ – 143c)

DISSECTED SPECIMEN: PUP/RJ –143a; Slide no. Gen. 3 PUP/RJ –143a

TYPE LOCALITY

Rongli (Sikkim, India)

ETYMOLOGY

Name of the species pertains to its allied species, Z. distorta

(Moore).

REMARKS

Morphologically, Z. neodistorta sp. nov., resembles Z. distorta (Moore) but can be differentiated by the presence of a narrow costal fascia on the forewing, and the smaller androconial patch on the hindwing of the males. The distinct male genital features of neodistorta sp. nov. are: cucullus halter like and the saccular process is sickle shaped, without any projection on the inner side. Whereas, in Z. distorta Moore the cucullus is uniformly broad & tube- like and the saccular process is short and thick with a projection on the inner side. The new species also differs from Z. cucullata sp. nov. in the presence of a costal spot on the forewing (absent in Z. cucullata ). Furthermore, the presence of an androconial patch on the hindwing of the male separates it from the other two species, Z. c ostalis (Moore) and Z. fuscistriga (Hampson) .

An updated key to the known species of Zadadra Moore

1. Hindwing of male with an androconial patch.............................................................................. 2

—. Hindwing of male without androconial patch............................................................................. 4

2. Forewing without post medial costal spot; male genitalia with cucullus broad and flap like........................ Z. cucullata sp. nov.

—. Forewing with post medial costal spot; male genitalia with cucullus narrow and rod like.......................................... 3

3. Hindwing with androconial patch short; male genitalia with cucullus halter like and valvula sclerotized, sickle-shape, without any projection on inner side................................................................................... Z. neodistorta sp. nov.

—. Hindwing with androconial patch long; male genitalia with cucullus uniformly thick and valvula short, thick with a projection on inner side........................................................................................... Z. distorta (Moore)

4. Forewing with post medial costal spot; male genitalia with uncus broad at base narrowing towards tip, distal saccular process smooth and slightly curved...................................................................................... Z.costalis (Moore)

—. Forewing without post medial costal spot; male genitalia with uncus swollen at tip, distal saccular process of valvae wavy and strongly angled...................................................................................... Z. fuscistriga (Hampson)