Ctenoceratoda nefasta, Puengeler, 1907

Varga, Zoltán, Gyulai, Péter, Ronkay, Gábor & Ronkay, László, 2018, Review Of The Species Groups Of The Genus Ctenoceratoda Varga, 1992 With Description Of Four New Species And A New Subspecies (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 64 (1), pp. 51-74 : 57

The nefasta -group

Diagnosis – A relatively poorly known species group since we have almost exclusively old, “classic” material from two ( nefasta and optima ) of the three species. Externally, the members of this lineage resemble the species of the sukharevae -group, but the structure of the male genitalia displays the closer relationship with the tancrei -group.

Medium-sized ( nefasta and optima ) or large ( leucostigma ) moths with robust body, long and strongly bipectinated male antennae, relatively broad forewings with ochreous-greyish ground colour and regular maculation.

In the male genitalia, the uncus is relatively short and acute, the ampulla is long and slightly falcate with acute or obtuse tip, the “neck” of cucullus is relatively long and the “head” is rounded, relatively small, without incision.

Checklist

Ctenoceratoda nefasta (Püngeler, 1907, Hadula ), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift. Gesellschaft Iris zu Dresden 19: 221, pl. 8, fig. 2. Type-locality: [ China, Xinjiang] Lob-Noor;

Ctenoceratoda optima (Alphéraky, 1897, Haderonia ), in Romanoff, Mémoires sur les Lépidoptéres 9: 236, pl. 12, fig. 7. Type-locality: [ China] “Oulan-boulak, Nan-chan”;

Ctenoceratoda leucostigma Gyulai et Varga, 2010 , Folia entomologica hungarica 70: 182, figs 1-3, gen. figs 9–13. Type-locality: China, Qinghai [Kuku-Noor region], 20 km N of Da Qaidam city.

Bionomics and distribution – All species are confined to some extremely cold-continental parts of Inner Asia.