Ovipennis kitchingi Volynkin, S.

Huang, Si-Yao, Volynkin, Anton V., Černý, Karel, Li, Zhi-Hong & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2024, Review of the bicolora Fang and binghami Hampson species-groups of the genus Ovipennis Hampson with descriptions of five new species from Southwestern China and Indochina (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5399 (5), pp. 540-554 : 549-550

Ovipennis kitchingi Volynkin, S. -Y. Huang & Černý, sp. n.

( Figs 9 , 22 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 9 , 22 ): male, “N. Thailand: 1000m | Fang, km 9 on Doi Pa | Hom Pok rd, Doi Poo | Meun, 25.x.1991 ” / “ I.J. Kitching | & A.M. Cotton | BM 1992-9 ” / QR-code label with unique ID: “ NHMUK010292448 ”, gen. prep. Volynkin ( NHMUK).

Paratype. THAILAND: male, Lampang Prov., Chae Son NP, 1496m, 18°51'23''N 99°22'E, 1. VI .2005, K. Černý leg., gen. prep. No.: AV2572 ( CKC) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 6.5–7.0 mm in males. The male of O. kitchingi sp. n. is largely reminiscent of O. takia sp. n. but distinguished by the narrower, dash-like basal ochreous orange basal patch stretching along the costal margin whereas it is broadly triangular occupying the subbasal part of the anal margin in the congener. The male genital capsule of O. kitchingi sp. n. differs from that of O. takia sp. n. in the apically broader uncus, the medially somewhat broader valva having a slightly narrower sacculus, and the considerably narrower distal saccular process possessing shorter projections, where the ventral one is markedly shorter than the dorsal, whereas in O. takia sp. n., the ventral process is more or less equal in length to the dorsal one. The phalli of the two species are alike. The vesica structure of O. kitchingi sp. n. is very similar to O. takia sp. n. but the distal diverticulum of the former species bears a cluster of somewhat longer and markedly thicker spiniform cornuti compared to its congener.

The female is unknown.

Distribution. Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai (Fang District) and Lampang Provinces).

Etymology. The new species is named after Dr Ian James Kitching (NHMUK, London), a distinguished expert of Sphingidae taxonomy, one of the collectors of the holotype.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Ovipennis spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 in IZCAS; 2, 3 and 11 in CHSY; 4 in WIGJ (ex CAV); 5, 8 and 14 in CKC; 6 in CAV; 7, 13 and 15 in MWM/ZSM (7 ex CKC); 9 and 12 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 10 in SCAU (ex CHSY).

FIGURES 20–23. Male genitalia of Ovipennis spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 20 and 23 in CKC; 21 in MWM/ ZSM; 22 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).