Polymixis quarta, Saldaitis, Aidas, Benedek, Balázs & Babics, János, 2015

Saldaitis, Aidas, Benedek, Balázs & Babics, János, 2015, A new Polymixis (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) species from China, Zootaxa 3990 (2), pp. 287-295 : 287-288

Polymixis quarta sp. n.

( Figs 1–4 , 15 , 21 )

Type material. Holotype: male ( Fig. 1 ), China, NW Yunnan, Baima Xue Shan, near Yak La pass, N028º24.900’, E098º59.800’, 18. V. 2012, H- 3900 m, leg. Floriani, slide No. JB 2039m, DNA No. BC ZSM Lep. 65247 (coll. GBG / ZSM).

Paratypes: 2 males with the same data as the holotype, 12 males, 2 females ( Figs 2, 3 ) from the same place but 21– 22. V. 2012; slide Nos JB2211f, JB2272f, DNA Nos. BC ZSM Lep. 65246, Lep. 65248, Lep. 65249, 2 males, 4 females ( Fig. 4 ), China, W. Sichuan, road Menghugang/Kangding, N029º49.955’, E102º02.827’, 12. IV. 2010, h- 3000 m, leg. Floriani; slide Nos PGy 2411m, PGy 2437m, DNA Nos BC ZSM Lep. 65244, Lep. 65246, 1 male, 1 female, China, W. Sichuan, Kangding, near Zheduo Pass, N030º17.022’, E101º50.256’, 13. IV. 2010, h- 3230 m, leg. Floriani, slide No. PGy 2412m, 3 males, 2 females, China, N. Sichuan, road Jiuzhaigou–Songpan, N 33°08.770’, E 103°43.624’, 17. iv. 2015, h- 2900 m, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis (colls AFM, BBT, ASV and PGM).

Diagnosis. The new species is the eastern allopatric sibling - species of P. albiorbis ( Figs 5–8 ) but has a larger average size ( P. quarta wingspan 42–48 mm, (n–23) compared to P. albiorbis (wingspan 40–44 mm, (n–6)) and can be separated by the males’ pectinated antennae. Polymixis quarta differs from P. albiorbis in its characteristically bicoloured marginal area, elliptical shaped orbicular stigma, conical shaped claviform stigma, larger reniform stigma and the longer discal lunulate stigma in the hindwing. The male genitalia ( Fig. 15 ) of P. quarta differs from those of P. albiorbis ( Figs 16, 17 ) by its characteristically well-developed penicular lobes, less prominent cucullus, longer vinculum and characteristically shorter aedeagus with smaller and differently shaped rasp-like extension of the carinal plate. The female genitalia ( Fig. 21 ) of P. quarta differs from P. albiorbis ( Figs 22, 23 ) by having heavily and longer sclerotized ductus bursae and a trapezoid-shaped ovipositor.

Description. Holotype wingspan 47 mm, forewing length 21 mm (Paratypes’ wingspan 42–48 mm, forewing length 19–22 mm). Head greyish-brown; thorax dark chocolate brown with fine brownish hairs; collar with sharp blackish median line; palpi short, moderately hairy, greyish–brown; antennae of males characteristically bipectinated, females filiform; forewing elongated, triangular in shape, apex finely pointed; ground colour chocolate brown with fine purple irroration; submedial fold characteristically short but straight, more or less faded; basal field greyish-brown with an additional cream-coloured line at inner margin; subbasal fascia obsolete; antemedial fascia and postmedial fascia black; marginal area chocolate brown with whitish-brown outer suffusion; medial fascia faded; orbicular and reniform stigma sharply framed by black scales, orbicular stigma more or less elongated, somewhat elliptical in shape, filled with paler brown coloured scales, reniform stigma filled with cream-coloured scales and with fine brownish scales at distal end of cell; claviform stigma characteristically short but wide, conical in shape, more or less faded; marginal area bicoloured, proximal part whitish-brown, distal part blackish-brown; subterminal fascia blackish brown; terminal fascia yellowish brown, followed by minute black dots on veins; cilia concolorous; hindwing pale ochreous-brown, covered with fine, black scales; discal spot dark brown, distinct. Male genitalia ( Fig. 15 ). Uncus short, slender with more or less parallel margins, apically hooked; tegumen relatively wide, sclerotized, trapezoidal; penicular lobes characteristically large, rounded with wide basal plate; fultura inferior rhomboidal, with quadrangular ventral end and relatively elongated basal extension; vinculum short and broad, sclerotized; valvae symmetrical, elongated with relatively parallel margins; cucullus terminally rounded, densely setose, apex rounded; costal margin sclerotized with a short but strong, triangular shaped costal extension; ampulla (harpe) relatively large but slender, digitiform; sacculus wide, subquadrangular shape, strongly sclerotized; saccular extension short and heavily sclerotized, finger-shaped; clavus short, rounded, semicircular; aedeagus characteristically short, cylindrical, ventrally curved; carinal plate covered by rasp-plate, with relatively elongated, wide and rounded distal extension; vesica dorsally everted, membranous. Female genitalia ( Fig. 21 ). Ovipositor short, trapezoidal; papillae anales moderately hairy; apophyses short, finely curved; ostium bursae sinuous in shape; ductus bursae medium length, posterior part characteristically sclerotized, anterior part relatively short and membranous; corpus bursae elongated elliptical, membranous, covered by four short, finely sclerorized signumstripes; cervix bursae short and conical in shape, weakly sclerotized.

Molecular analysis. DNA barcoding corroborates the morphological evidence of a new species of Polymixis . Full length 658 base pair 'barcodes' of the Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 5' Region (CO1-5P) gene were prepared by the University of Guelph's barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) by methods described in Hebert et al. (2003). Molecular variation based on the Kimura two-parameter distance model for COI DNA barcodes between four specimens of P. quarta and three specimens of P. m agnirena was 3.98% and even greater between P. quarta and ten specimens of P. albirena (4.3%) while divergence rates between P. albirena and P. m a gn i re n a were at least 3.15%. Polymixis quarta specimens from Yunnan differ from Sichuan specimens by 1.08%.

Biology and distribution. Twenty one male and nine females were collected at ultraviolet light on 12–13 April, 2010, 18–22 May, 2012 and 17 April, 2015 in remote parts of northwest China's Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces near the Zheduo and Yak La passes of the Kangding, Baima Xue mountain ranges and near Jiuzhaigou. The new species was collected at altitudes ranging from 2900 to 3900 meters in mountain mixed forests dominated by various conifer trees, bushes and rhododendron. Other recently described Noctuidae species collected there at that time include Lasianobia pensottii Saldaitis, Floriani, Ivinskis & Babics, 2013 , Dasypolia irene Floriani, Benedek & Saldaitis, 2014 , Cerastis aspira Gyulai, Ronkay & Saldaitis, 2011 and Hada antonraui Gyulai, Ronkay & Saldaitis, 2011 .

Etymology. P. quarta is the fourth species known from this Polymixis species group and “ quarta ” means “fourth” in Latin.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Polymixis ssp. adults. 1. P. quarta sp. n., male, holotype, China, Yunnan (coll. GBG / ZSM); 2. P. quarta sp. n., male, paratype, China, Yunnan (coll. AFM); 3. P. quarta, female, paratype, China, Yunnan (coll. ASV); 4. P. quarta, female, paratype, China, Sichuan (coll. BBT); 5. P. albiorbis, male, Bhutan (West), Prov. Paro (coll. BBT); 6. P. albiorbis, female, paratype, Nepal, Ganesh Himal (coll. PGM). 7. P. albiorbis annapurnae, male, paratype, Nepal, Annapurna Himal (coll. HNHM); 8. P. albiorbis annapurnae, female, paratype, Nepal, Annapurna Himal (coll. HNHM).

FIGURES 15 – 17. Polymixis ssp. male genitalia. 15. P. quarta sp. n., holotype, capsule, prep. JB 2039; 16. P. albiorbis, Bhutan, capsule, prep. JB 2205; 17. P. albiorbis annapurnae, paratype, capsule, prep. PGy 3604.

FIGURES 21 – 26. Polymixis ssp. female genitalia. 21. P. quarta sp. n., paratype, genitalia prep. JB 2272; 22. P. albiorbis, paratype, genitalia prep. PGy 3605; 23. P. albiorbis, Bhutan, prep. JB 2206; 24. P. albirena, China, Yunnan, prep. JB 2045; 25. P. m ag ni ren a, holotype, genitalia prep. YM 0300; 26. P. magnirena, genitalia prep. JB 1058.