Ecologica Montenegrina 27: 90-94 (2020) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em

https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8244801C-62F1-4D44-A649-15C989C0B0ED

Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. from Laos (: : )

VITALY M. SPITSYN* & GRIGORY S. POTAPOV

Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 163000, Arkhangelsk, Russia *Corresponding author: [email protected]

Received 29 December 2019 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 23 January 2020 │ Published online 24 January 2020.

Abstract Spilarctia procedra inhabits the southern part of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. The northernmost records of this species were known in Southern Thailand, on the border with Malaysia (6° N). In this article, we present the first record of Spilarctia procedra from Laos (20° N) with a description of the new subspecies Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. We also report the first record of Spilarctia gopara from Myanmar.

Key words: Oriental Region, tiger , new subspecies, Spilarctia punctata species group.

Introduction

The Spilarctia punctata species group contains 13 species, the range of which expands from India and South China to the Philippines and Bali (Dubatolov & de Vos 2010). Until recently, only 2 species were known from the north of Indochina, i.e. Spilarctia gopara (Moore, 1859) and S. ummera Swinhoe, 1889 (Dubatolov & de Vos 2010). Spilarctia procedra (Swinhoe, 1907) inhabits the southern part of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia (from Sumatra to Bali). The northernmost records of this species were known in Southern Thailand, on the border with Malaysia (6° N) (Černý & Pinratana 2009). However, we collected two individuals (male and female) of Spilarctia procedra from the north of Laos. The geographic distance between the new occurrence and the northern border of the species range is more than 1600 km. Our specimen from Laos has the male genitalia structure as the typical S. procedra, but the wings coloration is noticeably different from it. Based on these differences, we describe the northern specimens as a separate subspecies Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. Additionally, the first record of Spilarctia gopara for Myanmar is presented in this study.

Material and Methods

We studied the materials from the collections of the Russian Museum of Biodiversity Hotspots (RMBH), Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Preparations of the

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SPITSYN & POTAPOV genitalia were made according to the standard procedure. Abdomen was boiled in 8% КОН during 6 min. In the next stage, the genitalia were cleaned from abdominal segments with the help of two needles and placed into a drop of ethanol on a temporal slide. The aedeagus vesica was everted using an insulin syringe with ethanol. The genitalia are stored in microtubes in an ethanol-glycerin mixture. The images of the genitalia were taken with a research stereomicroscope (AXIO Zoom.V16, Carl Zeiss, Germany). The images of specimens were taken with a Canon EOS 80D camera (Canon Inc., Tokyo, Japan).

Taxonomy

Family Erebidae Leach, [1815] Subfamily Arctiinae Leach, [1815] Tribe Arctiini Hampson, 1894 Spilarctia Butler, 1875 Type species: Phalaena lutea Hufnagel, 1766

Spilarctia punctata species group Spilarctia procedra procedra (Swinhoe, 1907) Type locality: “Padang, Sumatra” [Indonesia]. Distribution. Southern Thailand; Malay Peninsula; Indonesia: Sumatra to Bali (Černý & Pinratana 2009, Bucsek, K. 2012) (Fig. 3).

Figure 1. Spilarctia spp.: A-D S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov.: A) holotype male, upperside; B) holotype male, underside; C) paratype female, upperside; D) paratype female, underside. E) Male specimen of S. gopara (Moore, 1859) (Myanmar); F) Male specimen of S. ummera Swinhoe, 1889 (N. Thailand).

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Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis Spitsyn & Potapov ssp. nov. Figs. 2A-2D, 3A

Type material. Holotype male, LAOS: Oudomxay Province, Muang Xay City, tropical forest with bamboo patches, 20°39’04”N, 101°58’18”E, 04-06.V.2016, Spitsyn leg. (RMBH, voucher no. Sph0813). Paratype female, Oudomxay Province, Muang Xay City, damaged forest on the border of the city, 20°39’46”N, 101°58’14E, 01-03.V.2016, Spitsyn leg. (RMBH, voucher no. Sph0814). Diagnosis. Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. differs from the nominative subspecies by the absence of a dashed line in the postdiscal area of the forewing, by converging spots at the costal margin and at the apex of the central cell, as well as by a more pronounced series of spots in the marginal part of the hindwings. Of the closely related species in the north of Indochina, it is known only two species, i.e. Spilarctia gopara (Moore, 1859) and S. ummera Swinhoe, 1889 (Fig. 1E-1F). S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. differs from S. gopara in the absence of a black field on the hindwing, as well as a small number of spots on the forewing (Fig. 1A-E). Additionally, S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. can be distinguished by very short branches on the inner side of the antenna (significantly less than half of the branches length on the outer side of the antenna). The branches on the inner side of the antenna of S. gopara are about half of the branches length on the outer side of the antenna. The male genitalia are very similar, however S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. differs from the other taxa by broader genitalia with broad valva, and it has differences in the structure of the juxta, the upper side of which does not have a concave center (Fig. 2A- B). S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov. differs from S. ummera by the presence of spots in the marginal part of the hindwing, as well as in the specific structure of the male genitalia (valva of S. ummera are expanded in the apical part, while valva of S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp.nov. does not have such an extension) (Fig. 1A-D, F, 2A, C). The male genitalia and the external morphology of the nominative subspecies of S. procedra are illustrated by Dubatolov (2006).

Figure 2. Male genitalia and aedeagus of Spilarctia spp.: A) S. procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov., holotype; B) S. gopara (Moore, 1859); C) S. ummera Swinhoe, 1889.

Description. Male morphology: Wingspan 34 mm, forewing length 16 mm. Eye black. Antenna black, branches on the inner side of the antenna very short (significantly less than half of the branches length on the outer side of the antenna). Frons white with black spots near eyes. Vertex white. Labial palpus relatively long (longer than eye diameter), orange, apex and dorsal side black. Proboscis short. Thorax, patagium and tegula whitish gray. Ventral side of thorax orange. Legs bicolor; coxa, trochanter and femur

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SPITSYN & POTAPOV orange; tibia and tarsus gray (the inner side orange); on the coxa of forelegs is large gray elongated spot. Forewings light brown with 5 black dots. One point located at the base, two others on the costal vein (dividing it into approximately three equal parts) and two very small points located in the apex of the central cell and above the bend of anal vein. Underside of the forewing light brown with orange tint and a spot in the apex of the central cell. Hindwing orange with a series of black spots in the marginal part of the wing and one round spot in the apex of the central cell. Underside of hindwing follows the pattern of the upper side. Upper part of abdomen orange with a row of black dots on the top. Tip of abdomen white. Underside of abdomen white with 2 rows of black spots on sides. Male genitalia: Tegumen large and broad. Uncus large and wide, slightly curved in apical part. Saccus large, wide, rounded. Valva elongated. Juxta broad; upper edge straight, without a notch. Aedeagus long, has a sclerotized area in apical part. Vesica relatively small; medial diverticulum has a granulose field. Female morphology: Wingspan 47 mm, forewing length 24 mm. The color is similar to the color of the male, except for the absence of an upper spot on the costal vein of the forewing. The inner surface of the legs is white-gray. The antenna structure of the female is not known. Female genitalia: not studied. Distribution. Only known from the type locality, in the Oudomxay Province of Laos (Fig. 3). Etymology. The name of this subspecies refers to the type locality, i.e. the Oudomxay Province of Laos.

Figure 3. Distribution of Spilarctia procedra (Swinhoe, 1907): the red filling indicates the range of S. procedra procedra; the red circle indicates the type locality of Spilarctia procedra oudomsayensis ssp. nov.

Spilarctia gopara (Moore, 1859) Figs. 2E, 3B

Material examined. Myanmar, Rakhine State, disturbed tropical forest, 18°37’17”N, 94°22’03”E, 05.XII.2018, Spitsyn leg. – 3♂. Distribution. India: Sikkim, Assam; Nepal; Thailand (Černý & Pinratana 2009); Myanmar. Remarks. First record for Myanmar.

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Acknowledgements This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (no. АААА-А17-117033010132-2).

References

Bucsek, K. (2012) Erebidae, Arctiinae (Lithosiini, Arctiini) of Malay Peninsula – Malaysia. Institute of Zoology SAS, Bratislava, 170 pp. Černý, K. & Pinratana, A. (2009) Moths of Thailand. Arctiidae. St. Gabriel Publ., Bangkok, 283 pp. Dubatolov, V. V. (2006) New Spilarctia species from Western Indonesia (Lepidoptera, Arctiinae). Atalanta, 37 (3/4), 399–407. Dubatolov, V. V. & de Vos, R. (2010) Tiger-moths of Eurasia (Lepidoptera, Arctiinae). Neue Entomologische Nachrichten, 65, 1–106.

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