Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, 2017

Volynkin, Anton V., Dubatolov, Vladimir V. & Kishida, Yasunori, 2017, Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, gen. nov., with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4299 (1) : -

Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida , gen. nov.

Type species: Barsine nubifascia Walker, [1865] .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized moths, the male antennae are bipectinate, the female antennae are ciliate. Venation ( Fig. 4 ) is similar to Barsine . Forewing pattern consists of dotted transverse lines in the subbasal and medial areas, and cuneal connected shadows in the subterminal area with longitudinal dark strokes on veins. Due to the presence of ventral costal, distal costal and distal saccular processes, the male genital capsule of Barsura ( Figs. 1, 2 ) is also similar to Barsine ( Figs. 25–31 , 42–45 , 55–58 ), but in Barsura the ventral costal process is situated subapically, whereas in the majority of Barsine the ventral costal process is situated more or less medially. Barsine umbrosa ( Hampson, 1896) comb. nov. ( Figs. 25, 26 , 42 , 55 ) is the only exception, for it has the genital capsule similar to Barsura species. However, its vesica structure and the female genitalia are typical for Barsine . The main differences of male genitalia of Barsura and Barsine are in the vesica structure: in Barsura it is unique for the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex, because it has a carinal plate with one or several thorns, the subbasal ventral diverticulum with a bunch of thorn-like cornuti, and two (apical and lateral) large fields of strong thorn-like cornuti of different sizes, whereas in Barsine (and related genera Cyme Felder and Nepita Moore ) a number of diverticuli can vary in different species-groups, but there are fields of numerous small and very short cornuti only; in Asura , as member of which the species of Barsura were treated earlier ( Hampson 1900, Daniel 1952, Fang 1993; 2000), the medial costal process is short and situated medially (whereas in Barsura it is situated subapically), and cornuti in vesica are spine-like and assembled into large bundles and bands. The female genitalia ( Fig. 3 ) of the new genus is very characteristic and it clearly differs from those of all other related genera by the short ductus bursae with asymmetric lateral sclerotized folds, the very small corpus bursae subdivided into two asymmetric and heavily sclerotized lateral lobes, with numerous short spinules on inner surface, and a small, globular, weakly sclerotized anterior section with weak spine-like scobination.

Etymology. The genus name is a combination of the generic names Barsine and Asura . Gender is feminine.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Barsura nubifascia morphology. 1, male genital capsule; 2, male aedeagus with everted vesica; 3, female genitalia; 4, venation scheme (after Hampson 1900).

FIGURES 20 – 26. Barsura and Barsine spp.: adults. 20, Barsura melanoleuca, holotype ♂, Sikkim (© NHM); 21, Barsura melanoleuca, ♂, Sikkim (© NHM); 22, Barsura melanoleuca, ♀, Sikkim (© NHM); 23, Barsura umbrifera, syntype ♂, China, Tibet (© NHM); 24, Barsura umbrifera, syntype ♀, China, Tibet (© NHM); 25, Barsine umbrosa, holotype ♂, [India, Meghalaya] Khasis (© NHM); 26, Barsine umbrosa, ♀, Sikkim ZFMK).

FIGURES 27 – 33. Barsine and Asura spp.: adults. 27, Barsine defecta Walker, the type species of Barsine, lectotype ♂, Nepal (© NHM); 28, ditto, ♂, N India, Uttar Pradesh (ZFMK); 29, ditto, ♀, N India, Uttar Pradesh (ZFMK); 30, Barsine cuneonotatus (Walker), syntype ♀, Ceylon (© NHM); 31, Barsine prominens (Moore), syntype ♂, [India, Meghalaya] Khasis (© NHM); 32, Asura cervicalis Walker, the type species of Asura, syntype ♂, Australia (© NHM); 33, Asura fulguritis Hampson, holotype ♀, Bali (© NHM).

FIGURES 42 – 44. Barsine spp.: male genitalia. 42, B. umbrosa, Khasis, slide AV 1891 m Volynkin; 43, B. defecta, the type species of Barsine, India, Sikkim, slide AV 1997 m Volynkin; 44, B. cuneonotatus, Sri Lanka, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 2879 m Holloway (© NHM).

FIGURES 45 – 47. Barsine and Asura spp.: male genitalia. 45, Barsine prominens [India, Meghalaya] Khasis, slide AV 1914 m; 46, Asura cervicalis, the type species of Asura, Australia, slide AV 2380 m Volynkin (© NHM); 47, Asura fulguritis, Bali, slide AV 5327 m Holloway (© NHM).

FIGURES 54 – 59. Barsura, Barsine and Asura spp.: female genitalia. 54, Barsura umbrifera, syntype, China, Tibet, slide AV 1854 f Volynkin; 55, Barsine umbrosa, E India, Khasis, slide AV 1935 f Volynkin; 56, Barsine defecta, the type species of Barsine, Thailand, slide AV 1799 f Volynkin; 57, Barsine cuneonotatus, Sri Lanka, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 4669 f Holloway (© NHM); 58, Barsine prominens, Sikkim, slide AV 1917 f Volynkin; 59, Asura cervicalis, the type species of Asura, Australia, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 4488 f Durante (© NHM).