Scoliokona nanlingensis Kallies & Arita

Kallies, Axel, Arita, Yutaka, Owada, Mamoru, Wu, Guo-Yi & Wang, Min, 2014, The Paranthrenini of Mainland China (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae), Zootaxa 3811 (2), pp. 185-206 : 195

Scoliokona nanlingensis Kallies & Arita sp. nov.

( Figs 21, 22 , 36 )

Material examined. Holotype. 1♂, Prov. Guandong, Shaoguang, Nanling, 800 m, 8.IX.2005 ( SCAU). Paratypes. 1♂, same data as holotype ( NSMT, Fig. 22 ); 1♂, same locality, 1.VIII.2006 ( NSMT); 2♂, same locality, 900 m, 11.–14.VII.2010 ( NSMT, CAK, Gen. Prep. AK719); 1♂, Guangxi, Guilin, Maoershan, 730 m, 16.VIII.2009; 2♂, 1♀, same locality, 500–1500 m. 6–10.VIII.2007 ( Fig. 21 , NSMT, CAK).

Description. Male ( Figs 21–22 ). Wingspan 32.5 mm; forewing length 14.5 mm; body length 20 mm. Most body parts black; hindwings with distinctive transparent areas. Head: labial palps subdorsally white, except from the tip; ventral scales with white tips; frons dark grey to black, with some white laterally; pericephalic scales black and white dorsally, white ventrally. Thorax: black, with few yellow scales dorsal posteriorly, fore coxa with some white scales at the base. Forewing: opaque, black with a bluish sheen; covered with indistinct reddish brown scales between cubital stem and anal margin, and in the area of the cell; ventrally similar but reddish brown scales more extensive, covering about 2/3 of the wing. Hindwing: with two large transparent areas basad of discal spot and small transparent area distad of the discal spot. Abdomen: tergite 2 with very narrow yellow line at distal edge; sternites with small yellow wedge-shaped marks in distal part; anal tuft well-developed, fan like. Female. Very similar to male.

Biology. One specimen collected on the flowers of Patrinia .

Genitalia. Male (Gen. prep. AK719, Fig. 36 ). Valva very broad and relatively short; with a well separated extensive field of multifurcate setae dorso-basally, each with 3 to 4 finger-like projections; with a simple medial crista with 1–2 simple setae; ventrally with a narrow row of simple setae, short and soft towards the apex, very strong towards the base; gnathos simple, uncus without setae; phallus with apical plate very small.

Variability. One of the specimens smaller with 30 mm wingspan. Some specimens show larger transparent areas, ie with three transparent cells distal of the hindwing discal spot.

Diagnosis. S. nanlingensis cannot be confused with any other known species of Scoliokona . It is however, similar to the females of S. zygophora , which was described from Sarawak (Borneo) and S. cyanogama comb. nov., described from Johor, Malaysia. The females of all three taxa show a similar hindwing pattern; however, both S. cyanogama and S. zygophora have all scaled parts of fore and hindwings with a strong bluish to greenish shine. Importantly, and unlike S. nanlingensis sp. nov., S. cyanogama shows strong sexual dimorphism, with the male bearing entirely clear hindwings and simple brown forewings, thus appearing like a species of Nokona . S. zygophora is known only from a single female, which is very similar to that of S. cyanogama . It has a larger outer transparent area than both S. nanlingensis sp. nov. and S. cyanogama , almost extending to the apex of the hindwings.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 28. Paranthrenini. Figs 21 – 22. Scoliokona nanlingensis sp. nov. 21. ♂, paratype, Maoershan (CAK). 22. ♂, (NSMT). Figs 23 – 24. Scoliokona shimentai sp. nov. 23. ♂, paratype, Shimentai (CAK). 24. ♂, paratype, Vietnam (NSMT). Figs 25 – 26. Scoliokona spissa sp. nov. 25. ♂, paratype, Maoershan (CAK). 26. ♀, paratype, Nanling (CAK). Figs 27 – 28. Adixoa leucocyanea. 27. ♂, Dadongshan (CAK). 28. ♀, holotype, Mt. Longtou (MNHB).

FIGURES 36 – 37. Paranthrenini, Male Genitalia. Fig. 36. Scoliokona nanlingensis sp. nov. (CAK), a—phallus tip, enlarged. 37. Scoliokona shimentai sp. nov. (CAK), a—phallus tip, enlarged.