Eospilarctia maciai, Saldaitis, Aidas, Ivinskis, Povilas, Witt, Thomas & Pekarsky, Oleg, 2012

Saldaitis, Aidas, Ivinskis, Povilas, Witt, Thomas & Pekarsky, Oleg, 2012, Review of the Eospilarctia yuennanica group (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) from the Indo - Himalayan region, with description of two new species and one subspecies, ZooKeys 204, pp. 57-70 : 58-60

Eospilarctia maciai sp. n. Plate 1: fig. 4Plate 2: figs 7-9Plate 6: figs 1-5

Holotype.

♂ (Plate 1: fig. 4, Plate 6: fig. 4), China, Yunnan prov. Dali Bai autonomy pref., Yulong county, Fengshuiuiny Mts., 2460 m., 13 km. N. of Coajian, 10-20 May 1999, 25°46"N, 99°06"E, leg./ex.coll. Dr R. Brechlin (slide No.OP1225m), (deposited in ZSM/MWM).

Diagnosis.

Externallythe new speciesis most similar to the sibling species Eospilarctia guangdonga Dubatolov, Kishida & Wang, 2008 status n., Eospilarctia yuennanica yuennanica (Daniel, 1943) and Eospilarctia naumanni sp. n. In Eospilarctia guangdonga (species was recently described and well illustrated (Dubatolov et al 2008)) the wing markings are noticeably paler and in the male genitalia the valvae do not widen at the excavated apex. The forewings of Eospilarctia yuennanica yuennanica have more intensive brown markings, with fascia pale white, and the male valvae widen to rough-edged apex. In Eospilarctia naumanni , the costal fascia from the forewing base do not extend to apex of medial cell. In the male genitalia the valvae are almost the same width as length, slightly curved at the middle and wide at tip; saccus massive, slightly narrowing with a blunt tip; juxta “X” shaped, top and bottom deep, juxta lateral sides with weak excavations; aedeagus straight, longer than valva, with visible bulge at ventral tip.

Description.

Male: Forewing length of holotype 26 mm, wingspan 50 mm; antennae strongly bipectinate; ground color of forewings dark blackish brown, veins yellow, wing pattern typical of genus. Costal fascia from base not extending to M cell apex. Terminal streak from M2 straight, direct to termen at 45 degree angle crossing vein M1, narrow, with even edges. Hindwings whitish yellow, with brown patches, ventral pattern and color of wings similar to dorsal.

Male genitalia (Plate 2: figs 7-9, Plate 6: figs 1-3): Uncus severely narrowing to blunt tip; valvae almost the same width as length, slightly curved medially to the wide, oval apex; tegumen wide, narrowing; saccus massive, slightly narrowing to blunt tip; juxta wide at top and bottom deep, sides slightly excavated; aedeagus straight, longer than valvae, with ventral bulge at tip; vesica with two subbasal diverticula.

Female: unknown.

Bionomics and distribution.

Known only from the Fengshuiuiny Shan Mountains in Yunnan province in southwest China, Eospilarctia maciai sp.n. is likely endemic to Yunnan, and the nearby regions of Myanmar. The single male specimen was attracted to light in mid-May at an elevation of 2500 m.

Etymology.

The new species is named after Mr Ramon Macià Vilà (Barcelona, Spain), the famous Iberian Peninsula’s Arctiidae specialist.