Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950

Saldaitis, Aidas, Benedek, Balázs, Behounek, Gottfried & Stüning, Dieter, 2014, A revision of the genus Bombyciella Draudt, 1950, with description of a new species and a new genus (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae: Xyleninae), Zootaxa 3893 (4), pp. 551-561 : 552-553

Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950

( Figs 1–4 , 9, 11 , 13, 14 , 21 )

Type-material examined. Lectotype (hereby designated in order to stabilize nomenclature): male ( Fig. 1 ), [ China], “Tapaishan im Tsinling, Sued-Shensi, Ca. 3000 m, 21. 8. 1936, H. Höne” [red, printed label, day and month stamped]; “ Holotype, Bombyciella talpa Draudt , male (symbol)” [hand-written by Draudt on light-red label]; “ Bombyciella talpa Draudt , male (symbol)” [hand-written by Draudt on white label]; “ Lectotype male, Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950: 63 , Saldaitis, Benedek, Behounek & Stüning designated 2014” [red, printed label]; genitalia preparation No. 2269-DS, in coll. ZFMK.

Paralectotypes: 1 female ( Fig. 2 ), [ China], “Tapaishan im Tsinling, Sued-Shensi, Ca. 3000 m, 25. 8. 1936, H. Höne” [red, printed label, day and month stamped]; “Allotype, Bombyciella talpa Draudt , female (symbol)” [handwritten by Draudt on light-red label]; “ Bombyciella talpa Draudt , male (symbol)”) [hand-written by Draudt on white label]; “ Paralectotype, female, Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950: 63 , Saldaitis, Benedek, Behounek & Stüning 2014”) [red, printed label]; 1 male, “Tapaishan im Tsinling, Sued-Shensi, Ca. 1700 m, 12. 8. 1936, H. Höne” “ Paralectotype, male, Bombyciella talpa Draudt, 1950: 63 , Saldaitis, Benedek, Behounek & Stüning 2014” [red, printed label]; in coll. ZFMK;

Notes. In the description, Draudt (1950: 63) mentions “a few specimens from Tai-pei-shan, 13.vii.–25.viii.36 ” [translated from German], later he labelled a male and a female as holotype and allotype [subsequent, invalid type designation], at least the syntype dated 13.vii. is missing. The specimen chosen by Draudt as “ Holotype ” was designated as the lectotype here.

Additional material: 1 male, “Tapaishan im Tsinling, Sued-Shensi, Ca. 1700 m, 17. 5. 1936, H. Höne”, “ Bomb. talpa Drdt, male, Boursin det.”, Préparation No. Hö 731, CH. Boursin”; 1 female, “Tapaishan im Tsinling, Sued-Shensi, Ca. 3000 m, 7. 9. 1936, H. Höne”, “Cuc.”; coll. ZFMK; 1 male, 1 female ( Figs 3, 4 ), China, N. Sichuan, near Barkam, Zhe Gu Shan pass, H- 3300 m, 21. IX. 2011, N31°55.625”, E102°39.290”, Floriani leg., 2 females, China, W. Sichuan, Meng Bi Shan Mt., near Meng Bi Shan pass, H- 3500 m, 20. IX. 2011, N31°42.968”, E102°16.795”, Floriani leg., in AFM and NRCV collections; slide Nos BJ 2028m, BJ2029f.

Description. ( Figs 1–4 ) [ Draudt, 1950: 63; translated from German] “ A small, delicate species. Head ( Fig. 9 ) and thorax iron-black, tufts black, abdomen greyish-brown, tufts black. Forewings velvety mole-like grey, medial band coloured like thorax, bordered by deep-black transverse lines. Both these lines thinly bordered yellow at the far sides. The broad subbasal line black, between costa and submedian fold distally and posteriorly also thinly bordered yellow. Antemedian line curved back in cell, postmedial line slightly dentate, curving widely around the reniform stigma to reach the lower corner of the cell, continued in a shallow curve to hit the posterior margin almost at right angles. Both anterior stigmata large, lying in the somewhat lighter grey cell. Marginal area getting darker grey distally, a subterminal line shadowy indicated. Fringes of the same colour. Hind wings light grey, almost not darker at margin, underside even lighter, with a strong silken shine, discal dot, postmedial and subterminal line slightly indicated, almost invisible. Wingspan 22–26mm ”.

Extended redescription. ( Figs 1–4 ) Wingspan of the available specimens 24–26mm, forewing length 11–12mm (N=5). Postmedial line of forewings always angled near posterior margin resulting in terminal part of the line reaching the posterior margin obliquely; upright scales of frons greyish-white. Male genitalia. ( Figs 13, 14 ) Uncus broad, dorso-ventrally flattened, rhombic shaped, weakly setose dorsally, apex acute; gnathus reduced; tegumen ventro-caudally with large, rounded peniculus lobes; vinculum large; saccus u-shaped; valvae broader at base, gradually tapering towards apex, apex evenly rounded, with distinct corona; cucullus weak; sacculus strongly sclerotized, harpe strong, S-curved and apically rounded and a rather large and strong, thorn-like, digitus present at ¾ of ventral margin of valvae; juxta with a large, spatulate process posteriorly; aedeagus strongly bent at caudal 1/ 3, carina present as a row of larger and smaller spines, vesica basally with a densely dentate surface and a group of narrow, rather long cornuti, arranged on a retroflexed diverticulum at middle. Female genitalia. ( Fig. 21 ) Ovipositor with elongated papillae anales; apophyses posteriores very long, apophyses anteriores short but thick, ostium bursae wide, sraightly-cutted, antrum strongly sclerotized and funnel-shaped; ductus rather long and gently curved, anteriorly tapering, cervix bursae small, conical in shape, corpus bursae membranous, narrow, sack-like, without signum.

Bionomics and distribution. The type-material and some additional specimens from the Höne collection have been collected at Taipai Shan the high point of Shaanxi Province, at elevations between 1700m and 3000m, mainly in August. One specimen collected in May indicates a spring-generation in addition to this summer-generation. A single male and a few females collected at lights on very cold nights on 21, 22 September, 2011 at an elevation of 3300–3500 m in shrubby, swampy areas of North and West Sichuan Province extend the known range of B. talpa considerably.

Etymology. Draudt (1950: 63) described the ground colour of this species as “velvety mole-like grey”. The species-name “ talpa ” is derived from the generic name of the European Mole, Talpa europaea Linnaeus.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Bombyciella spp., adults. 1. B. talpa, male, lectotype, China, Shaanxi (coll. ZFMK); 2. B. talpa, female, paralectotype, China, Shaanxi (coll. ZFMK); 3. B. talpa, male, China, Sichuan (coll. AFM); 4. B. talpa, female, China, Sichuan (coll. NRCV); 7. B. antra sp. n., male, holotype, China, Sichuan (GBG / ZSM); 8. B. antra sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan (AFM).

FIGURES 7 – 12. Maxiana gen. n., Euplexia spp., Bombyciella spp., adults, head and abdomen. 7. M. sericea, male, lectotype, China, Zhejiang (coll. ZFMK); 7 a. E. chloerythra, male, N. Vietnam, Lang Son (coll. NRCV); 8. M. sericea, males, lectotype and paralectotypes, China, Chekiang (coll. ZFMK); 9. B. talpa, male, lectotype, China, Shaanxi (coll. ZFMK); 10. M. sericea, male, China, Hunan (coll. ZFMK); 11. B. talpa, male, lectotype, China, Shaanxi (coll. ZFMK); 12. M. sericea, male, China, Hunan (coll. ZFMK).

FIGURES 13 – 18. Bombyciella spp. and Maxiana gen. n., male genitalia. 13. B. talpa, lectotype, gen. capsule, prep. 2269 - DS; 14. B. talpa, lectotype, aedeagus, prep. 2269 - DS; 15. B. antra sp. n., holotype, gen. capsule, prep. BJ 2160 m; 16. B. antra sp. n., holotype, aedeagus, prep. BJ 2160 m; 17. M. sericea, lectotype, gen. capsule, prep. 2270 - DS; 18. M. sericea, lectotype, aedeagus, prep. 2270 - DS;

FIGURES 19 – 22. Maxiana gen. n., Bombyciella spp. and Euplexia spp. male and female genitalia. 19. M. sericea, paralectotype, gen. capsule, prep. 2272 - DS; 20. M. sericea, paralectotype, aedeagus, prep. 2272 - DS; 21. B. talpa, female, genitalia prep. BJ 2029 f; 22. B. antra sp. n., paratype female, genitalia prep. BJ 2030 f; 23. E. chloerythra, male, gen. capsule, prep. PGy 3913 m; 24. E. chloerythra, male, aedeagus, prep. PGy 3913 m.