Isochlora intricans ( Alphéraky, 1882 )

Volynkin, Anton V., Titov, Sergey V., Matov, Alexey Yu., Tóth, Balázs, Saldaitis, Aidas, Rakhimov, Ruslan D. & Egorov, Petr V., 2023, On the taxonomy of the genus Isochlora Staudinger with descriptions of two new species from Mongolia and Qinghai, China (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae), Zootaxa 5374 (3), pp. 409-423 : 413

Isochlora intricans ( Alphéraky, 1882)

( Figs 4–8 , 23 , 28 )

Nephelodes? intricans Alphéraky, 1882 , Horae Societatis entomologicae Rossicae, 17: 41, pl. 2, fig. 42 (Type locality: [ China, Xinjiang, Yulduz] “montagnes du Jouldousse ... 13,000 ’ ”)

Type material examined. Holotype (by monotypy) ( Figs 4 , 28 ): female, pink label “Tian Chian | 17 VII 1879. | Juldus | 12000 ’.” / pink label “Intricans | Alph. | ♀ Original.” / “ Coll. Gr. [and] Dk.[Duke] | Nikolay | Mikhailovich” (in Russian) / “? Nephelodes | Intricans | Alph.” / “70.” / “Slide | AV7366 ♀ | A. Volynkin ” ( ZISP).

Additional material examined. CHINA: 1 male, Tian-Schan oc., Juldus Min. [E Tien Shan, Lesser Yulduz], V .1911, gen. prep. No.: AV7363 ( ZISP); 1 male, Tien Shan, Yulduz, VII ( ZISP) ; KYRGYZSTAN: 2 females, Terskey Ala-too, Borskaun River gorge, 6.VII.1978 and 9.VII.1978, Petrikevich leg., gen. prep. No.: AV7364 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, same locality as previous but 9.VII.1978, Ivanov leg. ( ZISP) ; 1 female, same locality as previous but 4.VII.1978, V . Prasolov leg. ( ZISP); KAZAKHSTAN: 1 male, 2–3.VII.2022, SE Kazakhstan, Almaty Region, Raiymbek District , E Terskey Ala-too Ridge, Ulken-Kakpak Gorge, 42˚32’34N 79˚56’29E, 2900m, R .D. Rakhimov & P. V. Egorov leg. ( CAV); 1 female, Transili Alatau, Issyk, alt. 3200m, 24.VII.1936, gen. prep. No.: AV7365 ( ZISP) .

Remarks. (1) The species was described from a single female ( Alphéraky 1882), which is hereby considered as holotype by monotypy. (2) Hreblay et al. (1998: fig. 32) illustrated the female genitalia of the species from “ Tibet ” without the slide number and depository of the specimen dissected being mentioned. Taking into account the fact that the male genitalia of the Mongolian specimen were also captioned as “ Tibet ” by the authors, the occurrence of the species in Tibet is extremely dubious. Unfortunately, the slide illustrated and the specimen, to which it belongs, were not located neither in the HNHM nor in Hreblay collection therefore their label data remain unclear.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 17.5–18.0 mm in males and 17.0–18.0 mm in females. The differences between I. intricans and its Mongolian sibling species I. hreblayi sp. n. are discussed above in the diagnosis of the latter.

Distribution and bionomics. Eastern and northern parts of the Tien Shan Mountain Massif (southeastern Kazakhstan, eastern Kyrgyzstan and northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China) ( Fig. 33 ). The species is hereby reported from Kazakhstan for the first time. In the eastern Terskey Ala-too Range (SE Kazakhstan) the species was collected in a high mountain valley with rich subalpine vegetation at an altitude of 2900m ( Fig. 35 ).

Figures

FIGURE 33. Distribution map of Isochlora spp. in the Tien Shan Massif and Mongolian Altai.

FIGURE 35. The habitat of Isochlora intricans: Southeast Kazakhstan, Almaty Region, Raiymbek District, eastern Terskey Ala-too Ridge, Ulken-Kakpak Gorge, 42˚32’34N 79˚56’29E, 2900m, 2.VII.2022 (photo by R.D. Rakhimov).

FIGURES 1–8. Isochlora spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 and 2 in MfN; 3 in MH/HNHM; 4–6 and 8 in ZISP; 7 in CAV.

FIGURES 20–23. Isochlora spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 20 and 21 in MfN; 22 in MH/ HNHM; 23 in ZISP.

FIGURES 28–32. Isochlora spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 28, 29, 31 and 32 in ZISP; 30 in MfN.