See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324993326 Lemyra elena, a new species from Sichuan, south-western China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) Article in Zootaxa · May 2018 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4418.2.8 CITATIONS READS 3 332 3 authors, including: Aidas Saldaitis Anton V Volynkin Nature Research Centre Altai State University 168 PUBLICATIONS 200 CITATIONS 200 PUBLICATIONS 363 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Taxonomy and Systematics of Lithosiini (Erebidae: Arctiinae) in Old World View project Taxonomy and Systematics of Eurasian Noctuidae. View project All content following this page was uploaded by Aidas Saldaitis on 25 May 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Zootaxa 4418 (2): 187–193 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Correspondence ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2018 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4418.2.8 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:442EEC45-BFED-4FA6-A6F2-3D744A315F8A Lemyra elena, a new species from Sichuan, south-western China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) AIDAS SALDAITIS1, 4, ANTON V. VOLYNKIN2 & JUOZAS DÛDA3 1 Nature Research Centre, Akademijos str., 2, LT-08412, Vilnius-21, Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected]; 2 Altai State University, South Siberian Botanical Garden, Lenina str., 61, RF-656049, Barnaul, Russia; Tomsk State University, Institute of Biology, Ecology, Soil Science, Agriculture and Forestry, Lenina Avenue, 36, RF-634050, Tomsk, Russia. E-mail: [email protected]; 3 World Insect Gallery, Taikos str., 1, Linkaièiai, Joniškis reg., Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected] 4 Corresponding author. The genus Lemyra Walker, 1856 belongs to the tribe Arctiini of the subfamily Arctiinae Leach, 1815 (family Erebidae Leach, 1815). The genus was revised by Thomas (1990). At present it is subdivided into two subgenera, Lemyra and Thyrgorina Walker, [1865] and includes more than 100 valid species, many of which were described during last three decades (Fang 1993; Inoue 1993; Tshistjakov & Kishida 1994; Kirti & Gill 2008; Černý 2011; 2014; Černy & Pinratana 2009; Dubatolov 2007; 2010; Kirti & Singh 2016). During a lepidopterological expedition to the southwestern part of China’s Sichuan Province in July of 2016, a species of Lemyra belonging to the subgenus Thyrgorina was collected. After further examination it was determined to be new to science. Its description is presented below. Abbreviations for private and institutional collections used herein: AFM = Alessandro Floriani (Milan, Italy); ASV = Aidas Saldaitis (Vilnius, Lithuania); NHMUK (formerly BMNH)—Natural History Museum (London, UK); MWM/ ZSM—Museum Witt Munich / The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (Museum Witt München / Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Munich, Germany); WIGJ—World Insect Gallery (Joniškis, Lithuania). Lemyra (Thyrgorina) elena Saldaitis, Volynkin & Duda, sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2, 11–13) Type material. Holotype (Figs. 1, 12): ♂, China, E Sichuan, 30 km SE from Ping Wu, H-1420 m, N32°20.725’ E104°36.650’, 7.VIII.2016, A. Floriani & A. Saldaitis leg., slide AV4312♂ Volynkin (Coll. NHMUK). Paratypes: 21 ♂, same data as in the holotype, slide AV4311♂ Volynkin (Colls ASV, AFM, NHMUK & WIGJ). Diagnosis. The species has two color forms: the light one with dark yellow hindwing (Fig. 2) and the dark form with intense blackish suffusion in medial and subterminal areas of hindwing (Fig. 1). Lemyra elena sp. nov. belongs to the jankowskii-flavalis species-group including five valid species and one subspecies, Lemyra jankowskii jankowskii (Oberthür, 1880) (Figs 3, 14), Lemyra jankowskii soror (Leech, 1899) (= vialis Oberthür, 1911) (Figs 4–6, 15), Lemyra heringi (Daniel, 1943) (Figs 7, 16), Lemyra flavalis (Moore, [1866]) (Figs 8, 17), Lemyra punctilinea (Moore, 1879) (Figs 9, 18) and Lemyra hanoica (Daniel, 1953) (Figs 10, 19) (Thomas 1990). New species closest relative is L. jankowskii. Externally, L. elena (Figs 1, 2) clearly differs from its relatives (Figs 3–10) by its dark yellow forewing ground colour, dark yellow hindwing with a reddish suffusion at anal margin and often with an intense blackish suffusion in the medial and subterminal part of the wing (the dark form), and by the genitalia structure. Only L. heringi (Figs 7, 16) is externally similar to L. elena due to its pale yellow hindwings, but can be easily separated by the smaller size, the paler forewing with a conspicuously less pointed apex, the lighter hindwing without a red suffusion at the anal margin, and the much paler abdomen covered with orange scales (whereas in L. elena the abdomen is covered with bright red scales). The male genitalia of L. elena (Figs 12, 13) are similar to those of L. jankowskii (Figs 14, 15) and differ by the narrower apex of uncus, the shorter and apically rounded ventral process of valva, the broader aedeagus, the weaker sclerotized carinal band, the longer ventral cluster of spines in the medial section of vesica, and the longer lateral cluster of spines connecting to the ventral one. Description. Adult (Figs 1, 2, 11). Length of wingspan of male 37–40 mm (holotype 39 mm), forewing 16–19 (holotype 19 mm). Male antennae bipectinate. Head and thorax dark yellow; upper side of abdomen bright red, under Accepted by L. Pinheiro: 16 Mar. 2018; published: 7 May 2018 187 FIGURES 1–8. Lemyra spp., adults. 1, L. elena, holotype ♂, China, E Sichuan (NHMUK); 2, L. elena, paratype ♂, China, E Sichuan (NHMUK); 3, L. jankowskii jankowskii, ♂, Russian Far East, Primorye terr. (MWM/ZSM); 4, L. jankowskii soror, ♂, China, N Sichuan (AFM); 5, L. jankowskii soror, syntype ♂, [China, Sichuan, Kangding] Ta-Chien-Lu (©NHMUK); 6, L. jankowskii soror, holotype ♂ of Diacrisia vialis, [China], eastern border of Tibet Plateau (©NHMUK); 7, L. heringi, paratype ♂, China, Yunnan, Lijiang (MWM/ZSM); 8, L. flavalis, ♂, E Nepal, Milke Danda (MWM/ZSM). 188 · Zootaxa 4418 (2) © 2018 Magnolia Press SALDAITIS ET AL. FIGURES 9–10. Lemyra spp., adults. 9, L. punctilinea, ♂, Nepal, Ganesh Himal (MWM/ZSM); 10, L. hanoica, holotype ♂, N Vietnam, Hanoi (MWM/ZSM). FIGURE 11. Lemyra elena, ♂ paratypes, China, E Sichuan (ASV). side pale ochreous, lateral part of abdomen with row of black spots. Forewing ground color dark yellow, pattern pale grayish brown, consists of small subdiscal spot and broad, inclined cross line consisting of spots of different size between veins; cilia dark yellow. Ground color of hindwing dark yellow, slightly paler than that of forewing, with reddish suffusion at anal wing margin; pattern pale grayish brown, consists of short semilunar discal spot and three spots in subterminal area at anal corner (pale form, see fig. 2) or broad dark area in medial, subterminal and partly subbasal areas (dark form, see fig. 1); terminal area and cilia dark yellow. Male genitalia (Figs 12, 13). Uncus robust, trigonal, with strongly narrowed apex and rounded tip; tegumen broad and moderately sclerotized; juxta broad, weakly sclerotized; vinculum large, rectangular with rounded angles. Valva elongated, narrow, slightly broadened and rounded apically, with broad and short, trigonal ventral process situated in distal third of valva rounded apically. Aedeagus long, slightly S-like curved; carina forms long and narrow dorsal band reaching the medial part of vesica; vesica broadened medially, with one small subbasal diverticulum latero-dorsally, and two large clusters of robust spines connected laterally; distal section of vesica nrrowed, conical; vesica ejaculatorius directed dorsally. Female unknown. LEMYRA ELENA, SP. NOV. FROM CHINA Zootaxa 4418 (2) © 2018 Magnolia Press · 189 FIGURES 12–15. Lemyra spp., male genitalia. 12, L. elena, holotype, China, E Sichuan, slide AV4312♂ Volynkin; 13, L. elena, paratype, China, E Sichuan, slide AV4311♂ Volynkin; 14, L. jankowskii jankowskii, ♂, Russian Far East, slide MWM 33786 Volynkin; 15, L. jankowskii soror, China, N Sichuan, slide AV4313♂ Volynkin. 190 · Zootaxa 4418 (2) © 2018 Magnolia Press SALDAITIS ET AL. FIGURES 16–19. Lemyra spp., male genitalia. 16, L. heringi, paratype, China, Yunnan, slide MWM 33508 Volynkin; 17, L. flavalis, Nepal, slide MWM 33509 Volynkin; 18, L. punctilinea, Nepal, slide MWM 33906 Volynkin; 19, L. hanoica, holotype, N Vietnam, slide MWM 620 Daniel. LEMYRA ELENA, SP. NOV. FROM CHINA Zootaxa 4418 (2) © 2018 Magnolia Press · 191 FIGURE 20. China, E Sichuan, 30 km SE from Ping Wu, H-1420 m, N32°20.725’ E104°36.650’, 7.VIII.2016, the type locality of Lemyra elena (photo by A. Saldaitis). Biology and distribution. Twenty two males were collected at ultraviolet light during single night at early August, 2016 in a Ping Wu County in southwestern Sichuan Province’s Longmen Shan mountain range. The new species was collected at altitudes of approximately 1400 meters in scarce mountain mixed forest, in between small agriculture fields, dominated by various deciduous trees, bamboo and bushes (Fig. 20). Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Elena Kazyrytskaya (Lida, Belarus), for her deep understanding and support of the entomological activities of the third author. Acknowledgements We are grateful to Dr. Thomas J. Witt (MWM, Munich, Germany) and Dr. Wolfgang Speidel (ZSM, Munich, Germany) for the opportunity of authors work at MWM/ZSM collection, Dr. Alberto Zilli and Mr. Geoff Martin (NHMUK, London, UK) for their kind assistance provided during the junior author’s work in the NHMUK collection and Mr. Alessandro Floriani (Milan, Italy) for his enthusiastic companionship during the China trips. The authors wish to express their thanks to the reviewer Dr. Vladimir V. Dubatolov (Novosibirsk, Russia) for his critical comments. References Černý, K. (2011) A Review of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) from the Philippines. Entomofauna, 32 (3), 29–92. Černý, K. (2014) Ten new species of Lemyra Walker, 1856, Spilosoma Curtis, 1825 and Juxtarctia Kirti & Kaleka, 2002 from South East Asia (Noctuoidea, Erebidae, Arctiinae). Nachrichten des entomologischen Vereins Apollo, N.F., 35 (1/2), 53–59. Černy, K. & Pinratana, A. (2009) Moths of Thailand, Vol.