Miltochrista megalytera, Volynkin & Černý & Huang, 2022

Volynkin, Anton V., Černý, Karel & Huang, Si-Yao, 2022, Four new species of the genus Miltochrista Hübner from northern Indochina and Southwest China (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 59, pp. 46-59 : 47-51

Miltochrista megalytera sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6658EFB5-798D-463E-A3D2-544E64A2E5D3

( Figs 1–4 , 23, 24 , 38 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 1 , 23 ): male, “ Thailand | Changwat Chiang Mai | 4 km SE of Pang Faen | 1100 m, 14. XI. 1999 | leg. Márton Hreblay ” / “Genitalpräparat | Heterocera | Nr. 37.112 | Museum Witt München” (MWM/ ZSM).

Paratypes. THAILAND: 1 male, Changwat Chiang Mai, 16 km NW of Mae Ai , 1550m, 4.VII.1998, István Soós & Attila Szabó leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 255/2017 (MWM/ ZSM) ; 3 males, 1 female, Chiang Mai, Fang, Doi Pha Hom Pok , 1400m, 20°02'54''N, 99°09'49''E, 28–29.XI.2005, K. Černý leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV2781 (male), AV2782 (female) ( CKC) ; 1 female, Chiang Mai, Fang, Doi Ang Khang , 1425m, 19°54'11''N, 99°2'32''E, 19.X.2007, T. Ihle leg. ( CKC) ; 1 female, the same locality as previous, 25–26. V .2011, K. Černý leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5479 ( CKC) ; 2 males, 3 females, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, Doi Mae Taman, 1545m, 19°19'9''N, 98°49'47''E, 30.XI.2005, K. Černý leg., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5477 (male), AV5478 (female) ( CKC) ; 4 males, 2 females, Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon NP, 1416m, 18°30'59''N, 98°28'13''E, 6–7. VI.2005, K. Černý leg. ( CKC); 10 males, 4 females, Lampang, Chae Son NP, 1496m, 18°51'22''N, 99°22'03''E, 9. VI .2005, K. Černý leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5474, AV5475 (males), AV5476 (female) ( CKC) ; 1 male, Changwat Nan, 25 km N of Bo Luang , 1150m, 14.I.1999, A. Szabó & Z. Czere leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 256/2017 (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 male, 1 female, Nan Prov., Pua Doi Phu Kha , km 35, 1680m, D. Stüning leg. / Museum A. Koenig, Eing. Nr. 93/377, ex Coll., gen. prep. Nos.: AV5619 (male), AV5620 (female) ; 1 female, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ban San Chao Po, 620 m, 24– 30. VI.2006, T. Ihle leg. ( CKC); VIETNAM: 21 males, 1 female, Tam Dao (sec. forest), 60 km NW from Hanoi, 1200m, 21°34'N 105°20'E, 1–5. V.1993, Sinyaev & Simonov leg., gen. prep. Nos.: MWM 31.746, ZSM Arct. 252/2017, ZSM Arct. 257/2017, ZSM Arct. 258/2017, ZSM Arct. 2019-633 (males), ZSM Arct. 2019-634 (female) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 3 males, 1 female, Prov. Vinh Phu [c], Tam Dao , 60 km NW Hanoi, 950– 1200m, 23°34'N, 105°20'E, VI.1994, Sinyaev & Simonov leg., gen. prep. Nos.: ZSM Arct. 2019-441 (male), ZSM Arct. 2019-636 (female) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 female, Tam Dao , 950m, 23. V .1982, K. Spitzer leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5483 ( CKC) ; 2 males, 26–28.III.2012, Vinh Phuc Prov., Tam Dao , 21°27'N 105°38.37'E, 900m, V . Zolotuhin leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5910 ( SZMN) ; 1 male, 1525m, Fan-si-pan Mt. (north), Cha-pa , primary forest, 22°17'N 103°44'E, 28.X.–3.XI.1994, Sinyaev & loc. coll. leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 253/2017 (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 male, 1 female, Mai-chau, 25 km S from Moc-chau , 1400m, 20°50'N 104°40'E, secondary forest, 14–18.XI.1994, V . Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. Nos.: ZSM Arct. 2019-631 (male), ZSM Arct. 2019-632 (female) (MWM/ ZSM) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.0–10.0 mm in males and 11.5–12.0 mm in females. Miltochrista megalytera sp. n. ( Figs 1–4 ) is externally very similar to the sympatric M. setozia sp. n. ( Figs 19 –22) but distinguished by the somewhat narrower forewing with a slightly less elongate apex, and the medial transverse line of the forewing terminating at the costal margin more distally. The male genitalia of the new species ( Figs 23, 24 ) are most similar to M. idiomorfa Volynkin, N. Singh, Černý, Kirti & Datta, 2022 ( Figs 5–8 ) recently described from India, Myanmar and SW China, from which M. megalytera sp. n. externally differs by the larger discal spot of the forewing. Compared to M. idiomorfa ( Figs 25, 26 ), the male genital capsule of the new species ( Figs 23, 24 ) has a distally rounded valva (it is apically conical in the congener) with a narrower and less setose distal saccular process, and smaller latero-posterior serrulate processes of the juxta. The phallus of M. megalytera sp. n. is shorter than in M. idiomorfa (in proportion to the tegumen-vinculum complex). The vesica of the new species is more elongate than in M. idiomorfa and has more elongate and broader diverticula. In the female genitalia, M. megalytera sp. n. ( Fig. 38 ) differs from M. idiomorfa ( Fig. 39 ) in the markedly shorter antrum, and the smaller postero-lateral gelatinous diverticulum of the corpus bursae.

Distribution. The species is known from Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Lampang and Nan Provinces) and Northern Vietnam (Vĩnh Phúc, Lào Cai and SƠn La Provinces).

Etymology. The specific epithet originates from the Greek ‘μεγαλύτερος’ meaning ‘larger’ and refers to the larger discal spot distinguishing it from the similar M. idiomorfa . The name is a noun in the nominative singular in apposition.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Miltochrista spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1, 3–7 in MWM/ZSM; 2 and 8 in CKC.

Figures 23–26. Miltochrista spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 23, 24 and 26 in MWM/ZSM; 25 in NZCZSI (photo by N. Singh).

Figures 38–41. Miltochrista spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 38 in CKC; 39–41 in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 17–20. Miltochrista spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 17, 18 and 21 in CKC; 19, 20 and 22 in MWM/ZSM.