Disepholcia caerulea Butler, 1889

Behounek, Gottfried, Han, Hui-Lin & Kononenko, Vladimir, 2011, A revision of the genus Trisuloides Butler, 1881 with descriptions of three new species from China (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Revision of Pantheinae, contribution I, Zootaxa 3069, pp. 1-25 : 23-24

Disepholcia caerulea Butler, 1889

Trisuloides caerulea Butler, 1889 , Illustrations of Typical Specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera in the Collection of the British Museum 7: 5, 35, pl. 128, fig. 3, (TL: India, Himachal Pradesh, Dharmsala [ST: BMNH, London) = coerulea auct, nec, Butler, 1889; = caerula auct., nec, Butler, 1889.

Material eamined. 28 specimens from Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China (collections AB, AP, GB, ZFMK, ZSM, NEFU).

Diagnosis. ( Fig. 39 ). Disepholcia caerulea has a similar ground plan of forewing coloration and pattern as Trisuloides ; externally it differs from Trisuloides by its larger size (wingspan 70–75 mm) and by having blackbrown with blue metallic hindwings, without yellow medial part and terminal band as in Trisuloides . The male genitalia of D. caerulea ( Fig. 42 ) is generally similar to Trisuloides , but differs by shape of editum, which is more strongly sclerotised than in Trisuloides , seen as a long, finger-like extension and by the shape of harpe which is strongly sclerotised, finger-like, positioned transversally and slightly arched basally. The aedeagus of D. caerulea is long, relatively thin, with sclerotised carina; vesica simple, tubular. The female genitalia of D. caerulea ( Fig. 70 ) differ by the presence of extremely large, strongly sclerotised antrum which is almost equal to corpus bursae in length, very short ductus bursae and presence of a postvaginal plate with two lateral extensions and small central bifurcate extension.

Distribution and biology. The genus occurs in North India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, South and South-East China, including Taiwan Island.

Figures

FIGURES 39 – 44. Discepholcia, Tambana, Xanthomanthis, adults and male genitalia. 39 – Discepholcia caerulea, male, Thailand (AP); 40 – Tambana variegata, male, Vietnam (GR); 41 – Xanthomantis cornelia, male, South Korea (NIAST); 42 – Discepholcia caerulea, male genitalia, China, genit. prep. HHL- 1767 - 1 (NEFU); 43 – Tambana variegata, male genitalia, Vietnam, genit. prep. 378 Speidel (WS); 44 – Xanthomantis cornelia, male genitalia, South Korea, genit. prep. 94 - 1 (NIAST).

FIGURES 67 – 71. Trisuloides and Disepholcia, female genitalia. 67 – T. sericea, North India, genit. Prep. Z 4219 GB; 68 – T. rotundipennis, South Korea, genit. prep. HHL- 480 a- 2; 69 – T. becheri, China, genit. prep. HHL- 1508 - 2; 70 – Discepholcia caerulea, China, genit. prep. HHL- 1766 - 2; 71 – Xanthomantis cornelia, Russia, Primorye terr., 1295 IBP.