Lygephila (Sinocampa) longicoecum Kononenko & Fibiger

Kononenko, Vladimir & Fibiger, Michael, 2008, A new subgenus and three new species of catocaline noctuids from China (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae: Catocalinae), Zootaxa 1876, pp. 19-28 : 22-23

Subgenus Sinocampa Kononenko & Fibiger , new subgenus

Type-species: Lygephila (Sinocampa) longicoecum Kononenko & Fibiger , new species.

Diagnosis. Compared with subgenus Lygephila [type-species Lygephila lusoria (Linnaeus, 1758) ] the new subgenus Sinocampa differs by the conspicuous structures of the male and female genitalia. In male genitalia these are: heavily sclerotised armature, narrow uncus; extremely short tegumen; extremely broad vinculum and saccus; extremely curved costa of valva; the huge, flat clasper; extremely long sacculus; and extremely long, narrow coecum of aedeagus. In the female genitalia it differs by massive, sclerotised, subapically expanded antrum; and the globular corpus bursae. Such different structures would often support establishment of a new genus, were it not for the remarkable similarities of the adults, and that each of the above structures finds parallels in the type-species of Lygephila ; thus it seems wiser to retain the link between the two lineages by treating them as subgenera.

Description. Imago. Similar in size and wing shape to species in the subgenus Lygephila . Antennae of male ciliate; those of female also ciliate, with shorter lamellae. Proboscis fully developed; eyes large, round; lower part of clypeofrons with deciduous scales. Labial palpi erected, covered by dense scales; their 3rd segment two times shorter then 2nd. Male genitalia. Uncus long and narrow; tegumen very short, weak; vinculum extremely long and broad; saccus extremely broad; juxta anchor-shaped; valva long and extremely broad, apically pointed; costa very broad, curved; sacculus extremely long; clasper-harpe plate like, extremely broad and long; aedeagus long and narrow, coecum extremely long and narrow; vesica with multiple small, rounded diverticula, a few of them elongate. Female genitalia. Ovipositor lobes quadrangular, setose; apophyses almost equally long and narrow, stick-like; ostium wide; antrum long, taper, V-shaped, heavly sclerotised, slightly folded anteriorly; ductus bursae very short, cylindric, dorsal wall with rounded heavily sclerotised plate; corpus bursae super-elliptic shaped.

Distribution. The subgenus is only known from central China.

Etymology. The subgenus is formed by combination of the words “ Sino ” [Chinese] and “ -campa ”, the last part of the generic name Toxocampa , a synonym of Lygephila .