Heliocheilus translucens

Volynkin, Anton V., Stüning, Dieter & Matov, Alexej Yu., 2015, A review of the Palaearctic Heliocheilus translucens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 species-group with description of a new species from West Mongolia (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Heliothinae), Zootaxa 3915 (2), pp. 279-286 : 280

The H. translucens species-group

The species-group comprises three species, one of which is described below as new. All three species are Palaearctic and distributed distinctly allopatric, to our present knowledge.

External morphology of adults. Medium-sized moths with well defined noctuid pattern. Males have swollen forewing costa and elliptical and elongate transparent hyaline areas devoid of scales in distal part of dilated area between R1 and R2 and in the cell. Females have somewhat broader forewings with not swollen costa and without hyaline areas. In H. translucens and H. tengri , head, thorax and forewing colouration varies within the species from pale greyish-brown or olive-brown to orange- or reddish-brown. The third species, H. fervens , has more monotonous, shiny brownish-orange head, thorax and forewing colouration. In the male genitalia, uncus long and narrow, somewhat extended in medial part; tegumen moderately long; penicular lobes wide, weak; juxta wide, shield-like; vinculum short, weak, V-shaped. Valva elongate, narrow, slightly curved and extended apically; corona presented; sacculus weak, narrow, short. Aedeagus short, straight; lamina of carina trigonal, robust; vesica long, tubular, without cornuti, twisted, often upturned anteriorly and dorsally, distally gradually tapered, has two moderately large subbasal diverticuli and a longitudinal sclerotised band in the medial part. In the female genitalia, ovipositor relatively short, subconical. Papillae anales trigonal, with large setae. Apophyses relatively long, thin; apophyses anteriores longer than apophyses posteriores. Ostium bursae sclerotised, relatively short, wide, more or less trapezoidal, with strongly sclerotised lateral margins. Ductus bursae moderately long, extended at junction to corpus bursae, right side of its anterior part sclerotised and ribbed. Right side of posterior part of corpus bursae strongly sclerotised and ribbed. Anterior part of corpus bursae sack-like, with one-three signa. Appendix bursae relatively large, ovoid, heavily sclerotised at junction to posterior part of the corpus bursae, its posterior part conically narrowed.