Phlogophora plumbeola ( Hampson, 1894 )

Bandyopadhyay, Uttaran, Dey, Rushati, Bhattacharyya, Kamalika, Mallick, Kaushik, Mazumder, Arna, Gayen, Subrata, Das, Moumita, Raha, Angshuman, Sanyal, Abesh Kumar, Kumar, Vikas, Uniyal, Virendra Prasad & Chandra, Kailash, 2021, Taxonomy and ecology of genus Phlogophora Treitschke, 1825 (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) in Indian Himalaya with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5004 (2), pp. 311-342 : 330

Phlogophora plumbeola ( Hampson, 1894)

[ Fig. 16, 45, 46]

Euplexia plumbeola Hampson, 1894 , Fauna Brit. Ind., 2: 217.

Euplexia plumbeola Hampson : Hampson, 1908, Cat. Lepid. Phalaenae Br. Mus., 7: 235.

Phlogophora plumbeola (Hampson) : Yoshimoto, 1994, in Haruta, Tinea , 14: 111.

Type locality: Sikhim [= Sikkim, India]

Material examined: India: 1 ♂, Uttarakhand, Dist. Uttarkashi, Govind National Park, Taluka , 31.06264° N, 078.26350° E, 2900 m, 14. VI. 2012 ; 1 ♂, Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Kedarkanta , 31.02863° N, 078.16183° E, 2800 m, 29. V. 2012 ; 2 ♂♂, Dist. Pithoragarh, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Gowalghat , 29.91398° N, 080.40338° E, 2248 m, 14. VI. 2018 ; 5 ♂♂, Gowalghat , 29.91782° N, 080.40010° E, 2462 m, 16. VI. 2018 ; 1 ♂, Jimjhini , 29.92121° N, 080.39719° E, 2627 m, 18. VI. 2018 ; 4 ♂♂, Vayman , 29.92711° N, 080.38988° E, 3065 m, 03. VII. 2018; coll. A. K. Sanyal & team.

Diagnosis: Wing expanse: Male 36–38 mm. The plumbeous/slaty blue-grey colour of the head, thorax and forewing is typical to P. plumbeola which also justifies the species name. Bunch of golden hairs present at the end of thorax. The golden pattern on the forewing is distinct on plumbeous background; reniform spot distinctly golden; a submarginal golden band with three prominent outward dentations between veins 2 and 4. Hindwing fuscous with a distinct whitish marginal line not reaching the costa and an indistinct medial line. Underside of forewing pale slatygrey; hindwing white and grey suffused, with black cell spot and prominent waved postmedial line.

Male genitalia: Male genitalia is characterized by moderately broad uncus with lanceolate apex; broad valva with acute cucullus and a long medially bent harpe; the basal plate of harpe with apical sclerotization and presence of short digitus; sacculus with presence of multiple irregular spines in the dorsal margin.

Distribution: India: Uttarakhand, Sikkim ( Hampson 1898). Global: Nepal ( Yoshimoto 1994).

Bionomics: Although, known till date only from Central Himalayan landscape of Sikkim and Nepal, our current record extends its distribution west-ward up to north-western Uttarakhand. Currently the species is found to fly within an altitudinal range of 2200–3000 m, preferably in Oak-Fir dominated Temperate Forest patches within an annual mean temperature of 8–12 ºC and annual precipitation of 1400–1700 mm. Individuals were found to be active in a very narrow seasonal window, mainly in the transition of pre-monsoon and monsoon.