Apha zephyrus Zolotuhin & Pugaev, 2020

Zolotuhin, Vadim V., Pugaev, Sergey N. & Du, Tran Thieu, 2020, A review of Apha floralis species group (Lepidoptera: Eupterotidae), Acta Biologica Sibirica 6, pp. 611-635 : 611

Apha zephyrus Zolotuhin & Pugaev sp. nov.

Figs 5 , 6

Material examined.

Holotype, ♂, " China / Yunnan, | Dianceng Shan , | 25°41'N, 100°05'E, | 2.200 m, 15-30.VII.2004, | leg. Sinaev & his team" (MWM) . Allotype, ♀, China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang , 2.000 m, 3.VII.1935, H. Höne (ZFMK) . Paratypes, 6 ♂♂, China, prov. Yunnan, Dali Bali aut. Pref., Yunlong , 13 km N of Caojian, Feng Shuing Mts , 2.400 m, 20.V.-23.VI. 1999, leg. R. Brechlin (MWM) ; ♂, China, Yunnan, 18 km SW of Baoshan , 2.100 m, 16-19.V.2003, leg. Murzin (MWM) ; ♂, China, Yunnan, Wudingshan , N-Xiangyan, 3.200 m, VI.2000, leg. native collector (MWM) ; 2 ♂♂, China, W-Yunnan, Wudingshan , N-Xiangyan, 3.200 m, E. VI. 2000, leg. local collector (SMFL) ; 2 ♂♂, China, Yunnan, Dian Cang Shan, 25°41'N, 100°05'E, 2.200 m, 15-30.VII.2004, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); m#, China, South-Yunnan, Yueson Ximeng, 1.200 m, Mitte V.2000, leg. native collector (MWM) ; 2 ♂♂, China, E-Yunnan, Huangcaotai, Malong , 2.450 m, EVI. 2000, leg. local collector (SMFL) ; ♂, China, E-Yunnan, West Qiubei, Yangxiong Mts. 2.500 m, VI.2000, leg. native collector (MWM) ; 3 ♂♂, China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang , 9., 14., 16.VII.1934, H. Höne (ZFMK) ; ♂, China, N-Yunnan, Sanfengshan, Yaoan , 2.200 m, VII. 2000, leg. local collector (SMFL) ; 3 ♂♂, China, SE-Sichuan, Gaomushan, Guling (near west Guizhou border), about 1.900 m, leg. Ying et al. (SMFL) ; ♂, China, prov. Jiangxi / Fujian, Wuyi Mt., Zhod , 1.490 m, VIII.2000, leg. native collector (MWM) ; ♂, Thibet, H. Testont (MNHN); m#, East-Tibet, Tonge-Pelung , 2.000 m, 24.VI.[19]96 (SMFL); m#, Thibet Oriental, Chasseurs thibetains du P. Dejean, 1903 (MNHN) ; ♂, Tibet, Vrianatong, E. Le-Moult, coll. Sheljuzhko (ZMSU) ; ♂, Myanmar, VIII.2006, Chudu Raji, 2.800 m, Kachin (SMFL) ; ♂, N. Vietnam, Mt. Fan-si-pan, 1.600 -1.800 m, near Chapa , 22°20'N, 103°40'E, secondary forest, May 1996, leg. local collectors (MWM) .

Description.

Male (Fig. 5 ). The fore wing length is 25-29 mm. The costa is straight; the fore wing apex is weakly falcate. The antemedial fascia is dimpled and curved. The postmedial fascia is straight and ends in the apex zone, but does not reach the apex. The submarginal fascia is sinuate and joins with the postmedial fascia at the wing apex. The postmedial fascia is a “double” line. The fore wing yellow apical patch encloses a distinct black spot. The discal dot is ovoid, dark brown and distinct. The basal spot is wide, dark brown with ragged margins, sometimes indistinct or completely absent. In the hind wing, the postmedial fascia is straight until approaching the costa where it angles outwards, it has a sharp inner boundary and is distinctly separated from the basal dark shadow, but the outer boundary of the fascia is not well defined and blurred. The submarginal fascia is present as a line of dashes on the veins terminating near the costa as an indistinct patch.

Male genitalia (Figs 17 , 18 ). The bases of uncus lobes are slender and distinctly separated; their apices are pointed and directed inwards. The base of the valvae is wide but narrows towards the apex and terminates in two small spurs. The costa is straight with a little, medial depression. The saccus is not large, its length not greater than its width. The aedeagus is short, thick; its coecum is rounded and twice as long as it is wide. Distally the vesica is curved at a right angle to the utricular basal part carrying cornuti. All cornuti are of equal length.

Female (Fig. 6 ). The fore wing length is about 33 mm. The females are paler and the wings broader than the males, but the wing pattern is similar. In the hind wings the indistinct patch situated near the costa on the submarginal fascia is developed as in males.

Female genitalia (Fig. 28 ). The anterior apophyses are 3 times shorter than the posterior apophyses, with small apical rounded thickening. The postvaginal plate has a broad medio-caudal dent. The antevaginal plate consists of a pair of small plates, which are situated close together. The antrum is rectangular, sclerotized, slightly longer than the antevaginal plate. The ductus bursae has constant width along the full length. The corpus bursae is ball-shaped, with a medial thorn-shaped signum.

Diagnosis.

This taxon is a sister species of A. floralis and is its vicariant, being found allopatrically in southern China, northern Vietnam and north-eastern Myanmar. The costal margin of the fore wing is straight as in A. floralis , it distinguishes them from A. kantonensis and A. chloralis . The yellow postmedial fascia of the hind wing is not distinctly visible (but its basal shadow is well expressed) and does not transect the middle of the wing as in A. floralis but is closer to a wing base. The apical fore wing patch is yellow, and encloses a distinct black spot. The submarginal fascia terminates apically as two dots on the vein. It also differs from related species in genitalic characters, especially by the wide valvae base, the narrowed apex which terminates with one, two or three small spurs, and the small, medial depression on a straight costa; the lobes of the uncus are narrowly separated from each other in contrast to A. floralis and A. kantonensis . From A. chloralis it also differs in the shape of the uncus lobes. Vesica with cornuti different from A. floralis but similar to A. kantonensis and A. chloralis ; the field with cornuti is divided into two parts by a ring lacking any cornuti. Position of the postmedial fascia in the hind wing distinguishes the females of the species from those of A. floralis : in A. floralis it divides the wing into two, rather equal halves and therefore its end point on the hind wing costa does not correspond to the fore wing’s postmedial fascia at the tornus. In contrast, in A. zephyrus , both fore and hind wing fasciae come together at almost the same point. The signum is a bit shorter than in A. floralis . The species A. zephyrus differs from A. witti by the presence of a dark small spot near the forewing apex situated close to the costa and by the blurred dark submarginal marking near the costa of the hind wing ( A. witti has no such markings); the length of the rami in the A. zephyrus male antennae are diagnostically half the length of those of A. witti . Transversal hind wing fascia diagnostically angled in M1 zone in both sexes in A. zephyrus .

Distribution.

China: Yunnan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xizang; northern Vietnam; north-eastern Myanmar (Fig. 58 ).

Bionomics.

This high altitude, montane species develops one generation per year; the moths are on the wing from May to August depending on the elevation at which they occur. They are known from 1200-3200 m. Preimaginal stages and host plants are unknown.

Etymology.

In Greek mythology, Zephyrus or Zephyr (Greek: Ζέφυρος), is the god of the West Wind. He was reported to have had several wives in different stories, one of which was the nymph Chloris, upon whom he bestowed the domain of the flowers. The Romans later raised her status to goddess and gave her the name of Flora - the Latin name for flowers.

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. 1 - male lectotype Apha floralis Butler, 1881, Darjiling, 79. 57 (BMNH); 2 - male A. floralis Butler, 1881, East-Nepal, Surke Danda, 3 km NE Sukeyer, Lali Kharka 18. V. 1997, 2.600 m, lg. Hreblay & Szecsenyi (MWM); 3 - female A. floralis Butler, 1881, Nepal Annapurna Himal, 2.450 m, 83 ° 43 ' E, 28 ° 22 ' N, 23 - 24. VI 1996, leg. Gy. M. Lszl & G. Ronkay (MWM); 4 - female holotype Preptothauma oxydiata Draudt, 1931, West-Columbia, Altaquer, 500 m., Maerz-Juni 1927 (ZMHU); 5 - male holotype Apha zephyrus sp. n., China / Yunnan, Dianceng Shan, 25 ° 41 ' N, 100 ° 05 ' E, 2.200 m, 15 - 30. VII. 2004, leg. Sinaev & his team (MWM); 6 - female allotype A. zephyrus sp. n., China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang, 2.000 m, 3. VII. 1935, H. Hoene (ZFMK); 7 - male holotype A. witti sp. n., China, Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1.400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 8 - female allotype A. witti sp. n., China / Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM).

Figures 15 - 20. Male genitalia: 15 - holotype Apha floralis Butler, 1881, GU- 93, Darjiling, 79. 57 (BMNH); 16 - A. floralis Butler, 1881, MWM- 11.922, Nepal, Annapurna Himal, 1.700 m, 1 km N of Tal, 84 ° 23 ' E, 28 ° 28 ' N, 08. VI. 1996, leg. Hreblay & Szaboky (MWM); 17 - holotype A. zephyrus sp. n., MWM- 16.858, China / Yunnan, Dianceng Shan, 25 ° 41 ' N, 100 ° 05 ' E, 2.200 m, 15 - 30. VII. 2004, leg. Sinaev & his team (MWM); 18 - paratype A. zephyrus sp. n., SMFL- 2135.10, East-Tibet Tongme-Pelung, 2.000 m, 24.06.96 (SMFL); 19 - holotype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.770, China, Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1.400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 20 - paratype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.745, China, Sichuan, Wolong Reserv, Siguliang Shan, 31 ° 09 ' N, 103 ° 06 ' E, May 2006, 1.500 - 1.800 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM).

Figures 28 - 30. Female genitalia: 28 - female allotype A. zephyrus sp. n., ZFMK- 2011 - 02, China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang, 2.000 m, 3. VII. 1935, H. Hoene (ZFMK); 29 - female allotype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.297, China / Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 30 - female paratype A. kantonensis Mell, [1930], ZMHU- 2007 - 08, [China], " ex Raupe ", ex coll. R. Mell (ZMHU).

Figures 58 - 59. Distribution maps of Apha floralis group.