Barsura melanoleuca ( Hampson, 1894 ) Hampson, 1894

Volynkin, Anton V., Dubatolov, Vladimir V. & Kishida, Yasunori, 2017, Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, gen. nov., with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4299 (1) : -

Barsura melanoleuca ( Hampson, 1894) , comb. nov.

Miltochrista melanoleuca Hampson, 1894 , Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Moths) 2: 120 (Type locality:

[E India, Sikkim] “Sikhim”).

Type material examined. Holotype (by monotypy) ( Fig. 20 ): ♂, greyish printed label "Sikkim, Möller, 1888" / greyish handwritten label " Miltochrista melanoleuca Hampson Type ♂" / printed greyish ring label with a red ring "Type" / greyish handwritten label "Allied to nubifascia and maculifascia, not in coll. Atk." / printed greyish label "Collectio H.J. Elwes" / printed greyish label "Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-I. " / white printed label with QRcode "NHMUK010604391" (Coll. NHM).

Additional material examined. 1 ♂, [NE India] Sikkim, 9000', July 1895, J.G. Pilcher (Coll. NHM) ; 1 ♀, [NE India] Sikkim interior, Möller [leg.], collectio H.J. Elwes ( Coll. NHM) ; 1 ♂, [NE India] Sikkim, 9000', VII.1895, J.E. Pilcher (Coll. NHM), slides BMNH (E) Arct- 6505m Volynkin (male), BMNH (E) Arct-6506f Volynkin (female) ; 5 ♂, Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga SE, 27°30'N, 88°20'E, 2600 m, 9–10.VIII.1995, leg. E. Afonin & V. Sinjaev, ex coll. A. Schintlmeister (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 ♂, Sikkim, Pemayangise , 22.VII.1995, 1900 m, leg. E. Afonin & V. Sinjaev, ex coll. A. Schintlmeister (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) ; 5 ♂, Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga Himal , 27°30'N, 88°20'E, 2600 m, 9–10.VIII.1995, leg. Afonin & Sinjaev (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) ; 2 ♂, 4 ♀, Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga Himal , 27°30'N, 88°20'E, 3000 m, 7–8.VIII.1995, leg. Afonin & Sinjaev (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) ; 31 ♂, 2 ♀, East Nepal, Deorali Danda, 1 km NE of Chitre , 3060 m, 9.VIII.2000, leg. Csövári & Hreblay, slide ZSM Arct . 30/ 2014m Volynkin (male) (Coll. MWM/ZSM); 2 ♂, East Nepal, Deorali Danda, 6 km NW of Yamphudin , 2900 m, 8.VIII.2000, leg. Csövári & Hreblay (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 ♂, East Nepal, Jyaudra Danda, Amjilassa , 2450 m, 30.VI.1998, leg. Márton Heblay & Balázs Benedek (Coll. MWM/ ZSM) .

Diagnosis. Forewing length is 15.5– 16 mm in males and 17 mm in females. The species has an unmistakable appearance due to its milky-white ground color and the chocolate-brown diffuse pattern. Externally, B. melanoleuca resembles Barsine umbrosa , but differs by its larger size, the paler body coloration, the milky-white ground color, darker forewing ground color, absence of a costal subbasal shade, the narrower subterminal shades, and absence of an intensive brown suffusion in the marginal area of hindwing. The male genitalia differs from those of two other species of the B. simplifascia species-group by the narrower trigonal distal costal process with the almost straight dorsal margin, the much shorter trigonal distal saccular process, the more robust thorns in the carinal plate, and the broader cornuti in the additional apico-lateral diverticulum and the lateral field of cornuti. The female genitalia differs from those of two other members of the species-group by the very broad and strongly sclerotized ductus bursae and the larger spines in the lateral sclerotized lobes of corpus bursae.

Distribution. E Nepal, E India (Sikkim), China (Tibet) ( Fang 2000).

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 26. Barsura and Barsine spp.: adults. 20, Barsura melanoleuca, holotype ♂, Sikkim (© NHM); 21, Barsura melanoleuca, ♂, Sikkim (© NHM); 22, Barsura melanoleuca, ♀, Sikkim (© NHM); 23, Barsura umbrifera, syntype ♂, China, Tibet (© NHM); 24, Barsura umbrifera, syntype ♀, China, Tibet (© NHM); 25, Barsine umbrosa, holotype ♂, [India, Meghalaya] Khasis (© NHM); 26, Barsine umbrosa, ♀, Sikkim ZFMK).