Platoplusia florianii, Saldaitis & Volynkin, 2023

Saldaitis, Aidas & Volynkin, Anton V., 2023, Platoplusia florianii, a new species from north-western Yunnan, China (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Plusiinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 62, pp. 122-126 : 123-125

Platoplusia florianii sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B3CE9521-3B89-4CAB-AC46-DA09E90FC3F1

( Figs 1 , 4, 6, 8 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 4, 6, 8 ): male, “Cina [ China] NW- Yunnan | Zhongdian mt. 3.200 [3200m] | 2–9 agosto [August] 2002 | A. Floriani leg.” / “Slide | AV7313 ♂ | A. Volynkin ” (AFM).

Diagnosis. Platoplusia florianii sp. n. ( Fig. 1 ) is externally largely reminiscent of P. tancrei ( Figs 2, 3 ) but can be distinguished by its somewhat broader forewing with an almost straight costal margin (it is slightly concave in the congener), the intense greenish-brown suffusion in the medial area (especially in the cell), and the presence of two creamy semilunar spots in the medial area along the postmedial line between the veins Cu 1, Cu 2 and A 1+2. In the male genital capsule ( Fig. 4 ), the new species is clearly distinct from P. tancrei ( Fig. 5 ) due to its longer, slenderer and less downcurved uncus, the considerably shorter and Vshaped vinculum (it is distally rather U-shaped in the congener), the proximally broader valva with a markedly longer harpe, the shorter and clavate medial process of the juxta densely covered with more robust denticles ( Fig. 6 ) (it is distally tapered and finely serrulate in P. tancrei ( Fig. 7 )), and the more heavily setose anellus. The phallus of P. florianii sp. n. is significantly shorter than in the congener (in proportion to the size of the genital capsule) and having a shorter coecum. Compared to P. tancrei , the vesica of the new species is shorter, bearing two larger proximal cornuti (in P. tancrei , there is a single cornutus), and lacking the terminal cornutus. In addition, the 8 th abdominal sternite of the new species ( Fig. 8 ) has a hexagonal armature whereas it is horseshoe-shaped in P. tancrei ( Fig. 9 ).

Description. External morphology of adult male ( Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 14.0 mm in holotype. Antenna filiform. Head pale brown. Thorax greenish-brown, tegulae edged with ash grey. Forewing broad, triangular, with almost straight costal margin, tapered apex, strongly convex outer margin, and somewhat convex anal margin. Antemedial area bluish-grey with six longitudinal greenish-brown dashes of various lengths. Antemedial line sinuous, greenish-brown with creamy inner area between vein Cu and anal margin. Medial area greenish-brown with large bluish-grey patch at anal margin between antemedial and medial lines, three diffuse bluish-grey dashes on costal margin, and two large semilunar creamy spots at postmedial line between veins Cu 1, Cu 2 and A 1+2. Gamma mark white, almost foot-shaped. Orbicular stigma pale bluish-grey, semicircular, opening to costal margin. Medial line brown, irregularly dentate, distinct between costal margin and vein Cu 2, and paler and diffuse between vein Cu 2 and anal margin. Orbicular stigma more or less rectangular, edged with grey, indistinct. Postmedial line thin, sinuous on veins, double, brown inwards and pale bluish-grey outwards. Postmedial area pale brown with intense blackish suffusion along postmedial line, bluish-grey suffusion along outer margin, and bronze patches at apex, medially and at tornus. Subterminal line brown. broken, indistinct. Terminal line thin, greyish-brown, diffuse. Cilia pale grey with dark brownish-grey speckles on veins. Hindwing ground colour pale greyish-creamy with weak blackish-brown suffusion subbasally and medially and intense blackish-brown in distal third along outer margin. Terminal line creamy. Cilia greyish-brown with admixture of creamy scales. Abdomen brown, each segment edged with grey. Male genitalia ( Figs 4, 6 ). Uncus elongate, narrow but heavily sclerotised, downcurved and slightly constricted subbasally, with claw-shaped tip. Tegumen short with broad arms. Tuba analis broad and membranous. Vinculum as long as tegumen, V-shaped with robust arms and rounded tip. Valva elongate, gradually tapered distally, apically rounded. Sacculus short, with tiny conical clavus. Clasper narrow, situated proximally. Harpe narrow, stick-shaped, somewhat tapered distally and apically rounded, directed dorsally. Juxta narrow shield –like with massive, heavily sclerotised, laterally flattened and distally densely serrulate clavate central process directed ventrally. Anellus broad, heavily setose. Phallus somewhat shorter than tegumen-vinculum complex, cylindrical, straight proximally and medially and downcurved in distal quarter, with broad ductus ejaculatorius base and elliptical coecum. Main chamber of vesica significantly broader than phallus, ovoid, with granulose proximal half and bearing two spike-like cornuti on common plate-like base. Distal section of vesica narrow, conical, smoothly transitioning into vesica ejaculatorius directed distally.

Female unknown.

Distribution. The new species is currently known from its type locality in the north-western part of Yunnan Province of China.

Etymology. The new species is named after Alessandro Floriani (Milan, Italy), a renowned expert in Chinese Noctuidae and collector of the holotype.

Figures

Figures 1–3. Platoplusia spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 in AFM, 2 in CAV, 3 in ASV.

Figures 4–9. Platoplusia spp.: male genitalia (4 and 5), juxta magnified (6 and7), and distal male abdominal segments (8 and 9). Depositories of the specimens dissected: 4, 6 and 8 in AFM; 5, 7 and 9 in CAV.