Hoplodrina obscura, Wu & Owada, 2018

Wu, Shipher & Owada, Mamoru, 2018, Revision of the Hoplodrina implacata group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae: Caradrinini) of Taiwan, with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 4455 (3), pp. 571-581 : 576

Hoplodrina obscura sp. nov.

( Figs 7, 8 , 18 , 32 )

Type material. Holotype, ♂, TAIWAN, Miaoli Co., Guanwu, 2000 m, 27 – IX – 2010, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang, slide TFRI 122341, preserved in TFRI; paratype, 1♂, same collecting data as the holotype, slide TFRI 122312 ( TFRI).

Diagnosis. This species is unique in external appearance due to the indistinct forewing orbicular and reniform stigmata, the dentate submarginal line rather than straight in other species of the implacata species group. In the male genitalia, H. obscura is very similar to H. cienensis , but can be separated by the stouter uncus (as that of H. implacata ) rather than slender; the slightly concave ventral margin of valva rather than valva gradually widen towards subapical part; the absence of conical spine on carina rather than the presence of two small conical spines.

Description. Adult ( Figs 7, 8 )—Forewing length 14 mm in males (n= 2). Antenna filiform in male, ciliate in female. Head and thorax covered with ochreous-grey. Forewing ground color grey. Forewing antemedial line dark grey, strong wave-like, medial part tinged with dark grey band, postmedial line dark grey, moderately serrate; orbicular and reniform stigmata indistinct; submarginal line pale ochreous, dentate; cilia and region between submarginal line and outer margin ochreous-grey; outer margin with small triangular dot locating at central part between each vein; marginal line pale ochreous. Hindwing pale ochreous-grey, gradually darken from two third part from base, discal spot dark grey; marginal line pale ochrous; cilia ochreous-grey. Abdomen ochreous-grey.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 18 )—Uncus stout, curved toward anterior part, apical part swollen with acute tip. Tegumen moderate in width, peniculus well developed covered with long hair-like scales. Saccus tapered, Vshaped. Valva with costal and ventral margin nearly parallel, medial part of ventral margin slightly excurved; succulus moderate in size, harpe digitiform, straight; corona represented by 6 – 7 spines. Juxta plate-like, apical margin rounded. Aedeagus about 4/5 length of valva. Carina with three sclerotized bands with ventral part swollen. Vesica with three diverticula, basal one and distal one membranous, medial one covered with short dense spines. Tubular extension of vesica pointing anteriorly when fully swollen. Phallobase protruded anteriorly.

Distribution and bionomics. Endemic to Taiwan. This species is distributed in mid-elevation broad-leaved forests of central north Taiwan. The adults were only collected in late September in Guanwu (type locality) where the whole year fundamental survey was conducted by the first author during 2010 and 2011.

Etymology. Name according to the indistinct forewing maculation that is unique in the Hoplodrina implacata species group.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Habitus of species of Hoplodrina implacata group. 1. H. implacata (Wileman & West, 1929), female, holotype, Taiwan (©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London); 2. Ditto, labels (©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London); 3, 6. H. implacata, male, Taiwan; 4. H. cienensis sp. nov., male, holotype, Taiwan (TFRI); 5. Ditto, paratype, female, Taiwan (TFRI); 7. H. obscura sp. nov., male, holotype, Taiwan (TFRI); 8. Ditto, paratype, male, Taiwan (TFRI); 9. H. minimalis Kononenko, 1997, male, China (NSMT); 10. H. kononenkoi sp. nov., male, holotype, Taiwan (TFRI); 11. Ditto, paratype, female, Taiwan (TFRI); 12. H. euryptera Boursin, 1937, male, Japan (NSMT); 13. H. bunun sp. nov., male, holotype, Taiwan (NMNS); 14. Ditto, male, paratype, Taiwan (NSMT); 15. Ditto, paratype, female, Taiwan (NSMT). Scale bar= 10 mm. Photo by Shen-Horn Yen (1, 2); Shipher Wu (3–15).

FIGURES 16–23. The male genitalia of the genus Hoplodrina species. 16. H. implacata (Wileman & West, 1929), Taiwan (NSMT); 17. H. cienensis sp. nov., paratype, Taiwan (TFRI); 18. H. obscura sp. nov., paratype, Taiwan (TFRI); 19. H. kononenkoi sp. nov., paratype, Taiwan (TFRI); 20. H. bunun sp. nov., paratype, Taiwan (NMNS); 21. H. persequora Ronkay, Ronkay, Fu & Wu, 2013, Taiwan (TFRI); 22. H. minimalis Kononenko, 1997, China (NSMT); 23. H. euryptera Boursin, 1937, Japan (NSMT). Photo by Shipher Wu.

FIGURES 31–34. Life photos of the Hoplodrina species of Taiwan. 31. H. cienensis sp. nov., female, Ci’en; 32. H. obscura sp. nov., male, Guanwu; 33. H. kononenkoi sp. nov., male, Guanwu; 34. H. bunun sp. nov., male, Aowanda. Photo by Shipher Wu.