Mythimna rufulosa, Wiltshire, 1986

Dûda, Juozas, Saldaitis, Aidas & Volynkin, Anton V., 2021, Redescription of Mythimna rufulosa Wiltshire with the first record of the species from Jordan (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 48, pp. 23-27 : 24-26

Mythimna rufulosa Wiltshire, 1986

( Figs 1–7 )

Mythimna rufulosa Wiltshire, 1986, Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 8: 294 (Type locality: “ Saudi Arabia, Asir, Al Foqa ”) .

Material examined. 8 males, 3 females, S Jordan, 12 km NW from Aqaba, h- 70m, 29°33.7937'N, 35°07.7499'E, 1–5.iii.2011, Saldaitis leg. , gen. prep. Nos.: AV6472 (male), AV6483 (female) (prepared by Volynkin); 12 males, 4 females, the same locality but 7–10.iii.2011, Dūda & Saldaitis leg ( AFM, ASV, CAV, GMF-B, HSV, JSL, MDS & WIGJ) .

Redescription. Adults ( Figs 1–4 ). Forewing length 10–12 mm in males and 11–12 mm in females. Antennae of both sexes filiform. Head and thorax colour varying from ochreous to pale rosy brown. Forewing ground colour varying from ochreous to pale rosy brown with slight suffusion of blackish-brown scales and intense white suffusion on veins. Subbasal line blackish-brown, diffuse, dilated at costal margin, tapered posteriorly and disappearing at anal margin. Antemedial line blackish-brown, diffuse, oblique outwards from costal to anal margin, irregularly wavy. Reniform stigma orange-brown, narrow, diffuse. Postmedial line blackish-brown, diffuse, smoothly arcuate, tapered at costal margin. Terminal line blackish-brown, diffuse, interrupted into dash-like spots between veins. Cilia as ground colour with diffuse blackish-brown spots between veins. Hindwing greyish-brown with intense pale yellowish-ochreous suffusion basally and along costal margin and blackish-brown suffusion on veins. Cilia pale ochreous with admixture of dark greyish scales. Abdomen pale ochreous. Male genitalia ( Fig. 5 ). Uncus slender, laterally flattened, curved subbasally and almost straight medially and distally, gradually tapered distally and pointed apically. Tegumen narrow, moderately sclerotised. Vinculum shorter than tegumen, V-shaped with short triangular saccus. Valva dilated medially and tapered postmedially. Cucullus narrowly clavate with short and apically pointed dorso-apical thorn, heavily setose. Costa with short, curved, basally dilated and apically rounded ampulla medially directed distally. Sacculus with broad, conical and apically rounded clavus. Juxta short, almost rhomboidal. Phallus cylindrical, almost straight, with dilated proximal half and short and apically rounded coecum. Vesica directed dorsad, with broad, apically rounded and distally granulose ventral diverticulum, membranous sack-like latero-distal diverticulum, and long, narrow, slightly medially curved and apically rounded terminal cornutus. Vesica ejaculatorius relatively broad. Female genitalia ( Fig. 6 ). Papilla analis asymmetrical with strongly elongate dorsal part, heavily sclerotised. Apophyses long and slender but heavily sclerotised, more or less equal in length. Antrum calyculate. Ductus bursae twice longer and somewhat narrower than antrum, dorso-ventrally flattened and heavily sclerotised. Corpus bursae sack-like, slightly constricted medially. Posterior section gelatinous laterally on right side, weakly sclerotised and rugose medially, and heavily sclerotised with convex lateral margin laterally on left side. Anterior section shortly elliptical, membranous. Appendix bursae semiglobular, moderately sclerotised, originating posterolaterally from heavily sclerotised side of posterior section of corpus bursae, directed posteriorly.

Distribution. The species is known from Saudi Arabia ( Wiltshire 1986), mainland Yemen ( Hacker 2016) and Jordan (a new record).

Bionomics. In Jordan, the specimens were collected in the locality typical for the vicinities of Aqaba, at a hot, dry, stony and arid wadi with sparse vegetation (solitary thorny trees, bushes and shrubs) ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

Figure 7. Southern Jordan, 12 km NW from Aqaba, 70 m, 29°33.7937'N, 35°07.7499'E, the habitat of Mythimna rufulosa (photo by A. Saldaitis).

Figures 1–4. Mythimna rufulosa: adults. Depository of the specimens: 1 in CAV; 2 and 4 in WIGJ; 3 in ASV.

Figures 5–6. Mythimna rufulosa: male (5) and female (6) genitalia. The specimens dissected are deposited in WIGJ.