Apha witti Zolotuhin & Pugaev, 2020

Zolotuhin, Vadim V., Pugaev, Sergey N. & Du, Tran Thieu, 2020, A review of Apha floralis species group (Lepidoptera: Eupterotidae), Acta Biologica Sibirica 6, pp. 611-635 : 611

Apha witti Zolotuhin & Pugaev sp. nov.

Figs 7 , 8

Material examined.

Holotype, ♂, China / Sichuan, | Qionglai Shan , | 31°13'N, 102°23'E, | May 2006, 1.400 m, | leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM) . Allotype, ♀, China / Sichuan, Qionglai Shan , 31°13'N, 102°23'E, May 2006, 1400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM) . Paratypes, 6 ♂♂, China, Sichuan, Qionglai Shan , 31°13'N, 102°23'E, May 2006, 1.400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM) ; 4 ♂♂, China, Sichuan, Wolong Reserve, Siguliang Shan , 31°09'N, 103°06'E, May 2006, 1.500-1.800 m, leg. Sinaev & his team (MWM) ; ♂, China, Sichuan, Dayu, Xiling , 1.900 m, 22.IV.2001, Nativ. coll. (NSMT) .

Description.

Male (Fig. 7 ). The antennae have long rami and their length is a bit more than 1 mm. The forewing length is 26-27 mm. The forewing costa is straight, with pointed apex. The basal fascia is broad, brown, irregularly shaped. The discal dot is round, brown. The antemedial fascia is crenulate and curved towards the costa. The postmedial fascia is straight and ends in the apex zone, but not reaching the apex; it is a “double” line and similar in this respect to A. floralis and A. zephyrus . The apical fore wing patch is yellow or pale yellow. The submarginal fascia is dentate, brown. In the hind wings the postmedial fascia is straight. The submarginal fascia is curved and consists of dots situated on the veins.

Male genitalia (Figs 19 , 20 ). The lobes of the uncus are similar to those of A. zephyrus . The valvae are broad basally; their costa is concave. The cucculus is dome-shaped, with two apical spurs. The sacculus is moderately developed, triangular, pointed apically. The saccus is weakly developed, almost not protruding. The aedeagus is short, broad, with rounded coecum. The vesica is in the shape of an inverted dome, with the opening on the top; it is covered with small cornuti, which form a single, round field.

Female (Fig. 8 ). Fore wing length 30 mm. The females generally resemble the males of the species, but are paler, with wider wings. The female differs from A. floralis in the location of the postmedial fascia of the hind wing which is aligned with postmedial fascia on the fore wing (it does not transect the wing medially as in A. floralis , but is found closer to the base).

Female genitalia (Fig. 29 ). The papillae anales are bean-shaped. The posterior and anterior apophyses are of almost equal size, similar both in length, and width. The postvaginal plate has a medio-caudal dentition. The antevaginal plate consists of two high, rounded lobes with a slit between them. The antrum is bulb-shaped, equal to the antevaginal plate in height, slightly sclerotized. The ductus bursae is straight, membranous. The corpus bursae is circular-shaped, with a claw-shaped signum on the equator, somewhat shorter than in A. floralis .

Diagnosis.

A sister species to A. zephyrus and A. floralis ; all of them very similar externally. The species A. witti can be separated from A. floralis by the position of the postmedial fascia of the hind wing which is located more basally in A. witti ; the submarginal fascia of the hind wing is excavate in A. witti , but is dentate in A. floralis . In A. witti the rami of the male antennae are twice as long as those of A. zephyrus (Figs 56 , 57 ). The new species is easily distinguished by the male genitalia; although the shape of the uncus lobes resemble those of A. zephyrus and the shape of the aedeagus and vesica are similar to those of A. floralis , A. witti 's valvae are of diagnostic shape, quite dissimilar to those of either A. floralis or A. zephyrus .

Distribution.

China: Sichuan (Fig. 58 ).

Bionomics.

This high altitude, montane species develops one generation per year; moths are on the wing from April to May depending on the elevation at which they occur, they are known from 1.200 - 1.900 m. The preimaginal stages and host plants are still unknown.

Etymology.

The species is named in honor of the eminent entomologist late Dr. Thomas J. Witt (Munich, Germany) He has made many outstanding contributions to the study of Lepidoptera worldwide and is well known for his support of young scientists; he is the founder of the largest Lepidoptera collection in Europe and it is thanks to this collection that the new species was revealed.

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. 1 - male lectotype Apha floralis Butler, 1881, Darjiling, 79. 57 (BMNH); 2 - male A. floralis Butler, 1881, East-Nepal, Surke Danda, 3 km NE Sukeyer, Lali Kharka 18. V. 1997, 2.600 m, lg. Hreblay & Szecsenyi (MWM); 3 - female A. floralis Butler, 1881, Nepal Annapurna Himal, 2.450 m, 83 ° 43 ' E, 28 ° 22 ' N, 23 - 24. VI 1996, leg. Gy. M. Lszl & G. Ronkay (MWM); 4 - female holotype Preptothauma oxydiata Draudt, 1931, West-Columbia, Altaquer, 500 m., Maerz-Juni 1927 (ZMHU); 5 - male holotype Apha zephyrus sp. n., China / Yunnan, Dianceng Shan, 25 ° 41 ' N, 100 ° 05 ' E, 2.200 m, 15 - 30. VII. 2004, leg. Sinaev & his team (MWM); 6 - female allotype A. zephyrus sp. n., China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang, 2.000 m, 3. VII. 1935, H. Hoene (ZFMK); 7 - male holotype A. witti sp. n., China, Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1.400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 8 - female allotype A. witti sp. n., China / Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM).

Figures 15 - 20. Male genitalia: 15 - holotype Apha floralis Butler, 1881, GU- 93, Darjiling, 79. 57 (BMNH); 16 - A. floralis Butler, 1881, MWM- 11.922, Nepal, Annapurna Himal, 1.700 m, 1 km N of Tal, 84 ° 23 ' E, 28 ° 28 ' N, 08. VI. 1996, leg. Hreblay & Szaboky (MWM); 17 - holotype A. zephyrus sp. n., MWM- 16.858, China / Yunnan, Dianceng Shan, 25 ° 41 ' N, 100 ° 05 ' E, 2.200 m, 15 - 30. VII. 2004, leg. Sinaev & his team (MWM); 18 - paratype A. zephyrus sp. n., SMFL- 2135.10, East-Tibet Tongme-Pelung, 2.000 m, 24.06.96 (SMFL); 19 - holotype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.770, China, Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1.400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 20 - paratype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.745, China, Sichuan, Wolong Reserv, Siguliang Shan, 31 ° 09 ' N, 103 ° 06 ' E, May 2006, 1.500 - 1.800 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM).

Figures 28 - 30. Female genitalia: 28 - female allotype A. zephyrus sp. n., ZFMK- 2011 - 02, China, Prov. Nord-Yuennan, Li-kiang, 2.000 m, 3. VII. 1935, H. Hoene (ZFMK); 29 - female allotype A. witti sp. n., MWM- 17.297, China / Sichuan, Qionglai Shan, 31 ° 13 ' N, 102 ° 23 ' E, May 2006, 1400 m, leg. Siniaev & his team (MWM); 30 - female paratype A. kantonensis Mell, [1930], ZMHU- 2007 - 08, [China], " ex Raupe ", ex coll. R. Mell (ZMHU).

Figures 50 - 57. 50, 51 - caterpillars A. kantonensis Mell, [1930] (after Mell 1929 [1930]: Tafel VIII, figs 9, 10); 52, 53 - Apha kantonensis Mell, [1930]; 54 - A. chloralis; 55 - eggs A. chloralis; 56 - antenna of A. zephyrus sp. n.; 57 - antenna of A. witti sp. n.

Figures 58 - 59. Distribution maps of Apha floralis group.