Conisania (Conisania) sejilaensis, Pan & Zheng & Volynkin & Saldaitis & Gyulai & Tóth, 2023

Pan, Zhaohui, Zheng, Weilie, Volynkin, Anton V., Saldaitis, Aidas, Gyulai, Péter & Tóth, Balázs, 2023, On the identity of Conisania leuconephra Draudt, 1950 with a description of a new species from Xizang, China (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae), Zootaxa 5346 (1), pp. 94-100 : 95-97

Conisania (Conisania) sejilaensis sp. n.

( Figs 1–4 , 8, 9 , 12 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 8 ): male, STS-32731, Sejila Mountain , Linzhi City, Xizang, China, N:29°40'4'' E:94°18'56'', 31-III-2021, h 3110m (coll. Pan Zhaohui ( TAAHU).

Paratypes. 2 males, 2 females, the same data as holotype, unique iD Nos.: STS-32726, STS-32727, STS-32729, STS-32730 ( TAAHU) ; 1 male, STS-32713, Sejila Mountain, Linzhi City , Xizang, China, 29°39'58''N 94°20'39''E, 18.iii. 2021, 2044m (coll. Pan Zhaohui) ( TAAHU) ; 1 female, China, Tibet, Qamdo , 3200m, 14.vi.1996, W. Fickler leg., gen. prep. No.: GYP 1910 (prepared by P. Gyulai) ( PGM) ; 1 male, China, Tibet, 10 km E of Nyemo , 3800m, 17.viii.1996, 26°19'N 90°17'E, Hreblay & Szin leg., gen. prep. No.: 9417 Hreblay (Coll. Hreblay in HNHM) .

Diagnosis. Conisania sejilaensis sp. n. ( Figs 1–4 ) is reminiscent of C. leuconephra ( Figs 5–7 ), from which the new species can easily be distinguished by the longer rami of the male antenna, the somewhat less elongate forewing apex, the darker, greyish-brown colouration of the body and both wings (it is pale brown in the congener), and the unicolorous pale brown orbicular and reniform stigmata whereas in C. leuconephra , the orbicular stigma is whitish with a brown core while the reniform one is off-white with a slight brownish suffusion. The male genital capsules of the two species are similar but in C. sejilaensis sp. n. ( Figs 8, 9 ), the cucullus is narrower and slightly more elongate, and the juxta is narrower than the corresponding structures of the similar congener ( Figs 10, 11 ). The phallus of the new species differs from C. leuconephra in the proximally thinner carinal process. Compared to C. leuconephra , the vesica of C. sejilaensis sp. n. has a ventral medial diverticulum bearing a cluster of longer and more robust spines. In the female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ), the new species differs from C. leuconephra ( Fig. 13 ) in the longer and posteriorly narrower antrum, the somewhat shorter and posteriorly narrower ductus bursae, the slightly smaller posterior gelatinous pocket of the corpus bursae situated at the junction with the ductus bursae, and the markedly shorter proximal sclerotised plate of the appendix bursae.

Description. Adults ( Figs 1–4 ). Forewing length 15.5–16.5 mm in males and 16.0 mm in females. Male antenna shortly bipectinate, female antenna filiform. Head and thorax greyish-brown with admixture of whitish scales. Forewing ground colour greyish-brown with intense fuscous suffusion in both outer half of medial area and subterminal area, and with a series of blackish spots on costa. Subbasal, ante- and postmedial lines dark fuscous, wavy, double, and diffuse. Orbicular stigma pale brown, edged with dark fuscous outwards and inwards, and open on veins. Reniform stigma pale brown with irregular margins edged with dark fuscous. Subterminal line irregularly broken, dark fuscous and diffuse, inwardly edged with a series of pale ochreous spots. Terminal line interrupted into blackish spots between veins. Forewing cilia greyish-brown with admixture of whitish scales. Hindwing pale greyish-brown with fuscous suffusion on veins. Hindwing cilia pale greyish-brown. Abdomen pale greyish-brown. Male genitalia ( Figs 8, 9 ). Uncus elongate and slender, laterally flattened, downcurved, and gradually tapering distally. Tuba analis as broad as half of tegumen length. Arms of tegumen narrow and weakly sclerotised, with small and semielliptical penicular lobes. Vinculum somewhat longer than tegumen, with narrowly U-shaped saccus. Valva somewhat upcurved medially with narrowly conical, apically rounded, and setose cucullus. Costa with short and triangular distal-dorsal process and a strongly elongated and slightly upcurved blade-like digitus. Sacculus broad (ca. 2/3 of valva width), clavus reduced. Saccular process massive, elliptical, with rugose dorsal margin, distally reaching the base of digitus, and dorsally protruding beyond the dorsal margin of valva. Juxta shield-like, weakly sclerotised. Anellus sclerotised. Phallus elongate and cylindrical, slightly S-like curved medially, with rounded coecum. Carina elongate, band-shaped, protruding to proximal section of vesica dorsally and terminating with robust claw-shaped process. Vesica elongated and medially recurved, its proximal section with subbasal plate bearing few spines ventrally. Dorsal medial diverticulum utricular and granulose. Ventral medial diverticulum bearing an elongate cluster of numerous robust spines. Distal section of vesica with a longitudinal band-shaped cluster of numerous spines. Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ). Ovipositor short, conical. Papilla analis rectangular, weakly sclerotised, and setose. Apophyses elongate and thin, apophysis anterioris somewhat thicker than apophysis posterioris. Antrum somewhat shorter than ovipositor, heavily sclerotised, and funnel-shaped. Ductus bursae elongate, sclerotised with gelatinous margins, posteriorly tapered, anteriorly rugose with right lateral protrusion. Corpus bursae teardropshaped, bearing longitudinal band-shaped lateral signum almost interrupted medially, and with gelatinous pocket posteriorly at junction with corpus bursae. Posterior end of corpus bursae gelatinous and rugose and bears an irregular sclerotised plate fused with sclerotisation of ductus bursae. Appendix bursae elongate, tubular, and gelatinous, with an area of weak sclerotisation apically and a short longitudinal band-shaped sclerotised plate proximally.

Distribution. The new species is currently known from the south-eastern Xizang Autonomous Region of China ( Fig. 14 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, the Sejila Mountain.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution map of Conisania spp. in China.

FIGURES 1–7. Conisania spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1–4 in TAAHU; 5 in ZFMK (photo by S.-Y. Huang); 6 and 7 in HNHM.

FIGURES 8–11. Conisania spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 8 and 9 in TAAHU; 10 in ZFMK (photo by S.-Y. Huang); 11 in HNHM.

FIGURES 12–13. Conisania spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 12 in TAAHU; 13 in HNHM.