Miltochrista huashen Volynkin & Huang, 2021

Volynkin, Anton V. & Huang, Si-Yao, 2021, Three new peculiar species of the genus Miltochrista Hübner, [1819] from China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4970 (3), pp. 569-576 : 572-576

Miltochrista huashen Volynkin & Huang , sp. n.

( Figs 5, 6 , 12, 15 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 5 , 12 ): male, “ China / Sichuan, Quingchenghoushan Mts. , 70 km NW Chengdu, 1400m, 15–20.VI.2005, leg. S., V., M. Murzin ”, slide ZSM Arct. 2019-749 Volynkin (Coll. MWM / ZSM).

Paratypes: 3 males, 4 females, the same data as in the holotype, slide ZSM Arct. 2019-750 (female) Volynkin (Coll. MWM / ZSM). Additional specimen examined : 1 female, 19. VI. 1980, Mt. Qingchengshan, Dujiangyan City , Sichuan Province, leg. Jiu-wei Bai, IOZ(E)972467 (Coll. IZCAS) .

Diagnosis. Miltochrista huashen sp. n. is reminiscent externally of M. xihe sp. n., but can be easily distinguished by its smaller size, the narrower forewing with an oblique anal margin, the cherry red head, thorax and forewing ground color, the intense blackish suffusion on the forewing, and the much darker, blackish hindwing and abdomen. The male genitalia of the new species differ clearly from those of M. xihe sp. n. and M. dongi sp. n. by the evenly curved uncus, the broader valva with a strongly convex costa having a small and weakly dentate basal fold, the weak and smaller distal lobe lacking a sclerotized process, the presence of a very small, tubercle-like setose process on the dorsal protrusion of the costa, the bilobate distal saccular process, and the presence of clusters of strong scobination in the aedeagus vesica. The male genital capsule of M. huashen sp. n. is mostly reminiscent of that of the externally dissimilar Miltochrista gilva Daniel, 1951 ( Figs 7, 8 , 13 ) due to its bilobate distal saccular process and the presence of a small tubercle-like medial costal process, but can be easily distinguished by the weaker uncus, the narrower arms of the tegumen, the shorter juxta, the basally broader valva with a much more convex costa having a small and weakly dentate basal fold, the absence of a distal costal process, the much longer distal lobe of the valva, the much larger triangular ventral lobe of the distal saccular process, and the much longer and more robust distal lobe of the distal saccular process. The vesica structure of the new species is dissimilar to that of M. gilva due to the absence of a robust blade-like cornutus, the presence of two clusters of spines in the medial and ventral diverticula, and the fields of robust scobination. Compared to that of M. xihe sp. n. and M. dongi sp. n., the vesica of M. huashen sp. n. can be easily recognized by its fields of robust scobination (in M. xihe sp. n. and M. dongi sp. n. there is a weak granulation only), and the less numerous spines in the medial and ventral diverticula. The female genitalia of M. huashen sp. n. differ from those of M. gilva ( Fig. 16 ) by the narrower papillae anales, the broader apophyses, the absence of an antrum, the anteriorly broader ductus bursae, the more robust spinules in the posterior section of the corpus bursae, and the presence of the signum in the anterior section of the corpus bursae.

Description. External morphology of adults. Forewing length 10–10.5 mm in males and 11 mm in females. Antennae of both sexes ciliate, with longer cilia in males, black. Sexual dimorphism poorly expressed: female has lighter fore- and hindwing coloration and much weaker blackish suffusion on forewing. Head and thorax brown with cherry red suffusion. Abdomen blackish brown. Forewing ground color cherry red, with black suffusion along veins in both sexes and strong black irroration between veins in males. Cilia cherry red with admixture of black scales. Hindwing blackish brown including cilia. Male genitalia. Uncus long, thin, laterally flattened, curved and apically pointed. Tuba analis moderately broad; scaphium thin and weakly sclerotized; subscaphium presented as short setose field. Tegumen moderately long and broad, weakly sclerotized. Juxta trapezoidal. Vinculum short, Ulike. Valva elongated, strongly broadened subbasally; costa strongly convex subbasally, lacks distal process, with small weakly dentate basal fold, and small tubercle-like setose process medially. Distal lobe of valva elongated, distally broadened and round, weak. Sacculus moderately broad, with weakly setose dorsal margin. Distal saccular process large, bilobate, its smaller ventral lobe short, triangular; distal lobe elongate, narrow and apically blunt. Aedeagus elongate, straight. Vesica broad, with fields of granulation and strong scobination; ventral diverticulum sack-like, with cluster of several short spines; medial diverticulum broad, with broad area of strong scobination and bunch of two robust spines apically; distal diverticulum conical, slightly curved, granulated; distal plate of vesica narrowly triangular, heavily sclerotized. Female genitalia. Papillae anales rectangular with rounded corners, weakly setose. Apophyses thin and elongated, apophyses posteriores ca. 2 times longer than apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae moderately broad. Antrum broad, with strongly folded ventral edge and broad rounded lateral lobes. Ductus bursae dorso-ventrally flattened, elongated, broad, broadened anteriorly and moderately sclerotized with weakly sclerotized lateral margins. Corpus bursae sack-like, its posterior section densely covered with numerous spinules. Anterior section of corpus bursae weakly spinulose scobinated, bearing small rounded weakly dentate signum medio-ventrally. Appendix bursae small, conical and membranous.

Distribution. The new species is known from Mount Qingchenghoushan and Mount Qingcheng in the Chinese Sichuan Province.

Etymology. Huāshén is the Flower Goddess in the traditional Chinese mythology.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Miltochrista spp., adults. Depositories of specimens: 1–3, 5 and 6 in MWM/ZSM; 4 in SCAU; 7 and 8 in ZFMK.

FIGURES 12–16. Miltochrista spp., male (12 and 13) and female (14–16) genitalia. Depositories of specimens: 12, 14 and 15 in MWM/ZSM; 13 in ZFMK; 16 in CKC.