Nishada sambara ( Moore, 1859: 304 ) (Lithosia)

Singh, Navneet, Ahmad, Jalil & Raha, Angshuman, 2022, Contribution to the Erebidae fauna of the Great Nicobar Island, India with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea), Zootaxa 5165 (1), pp. 79-94 : 83

Nishada sambara ( Moore, 1859: 304) (Lithosia)

( Figs 3 , 16–17 )

Type Locality: Java ( Indonesia)

= Lithosia intacta Walker, 1862 , 6:103.

= Lithosia chryseola Snellen, 1879 , 22: 83.

= Nishada flavens Rothschild, 1912 , 19 (2): 216.

Material examined: India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Great Nicobar Island : 1 ♂, Check-post, East-West Road, 04.xi.2018 (NZCZSI, 9280/H10); 1 ♂, Watch Tower, 06.xi.2018 (NZCZSI, 9281/H10), 1 ♂, Watch Tower, 08.xi.2018 (NZCZSI, 9282/H10), K. C. Gopi & Party leg.

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 12–14 mm. Externally, N. sambara resembles many of its congeners by the overall yellowish or orange-yellow ground colour, with both the wings devoid of any characteristic markings. The species shows minor sexual dimorphism, in male, the expanded subcosta of hindwing is folded on the underside and fringed with hairs. The species is best separable by its male genitalia having characteristically appressed valva costa which is reflexed and scobinate at the apex, large saccular process with a distinct bulge at its inner side, just above the middle of its length and a small sub-apical spine at its outer side. The aedeagus is long, slightly sinuous with a distinct small spine at the carina and the vesica has two sclerotized plates with minute dentations.

Distribution: Indonesia (Bali, Java, Sumatra, North Sulawesi (Sangihe)), Malaysia (Borneo), Philippines, Thailand (Ranong, Phang Nga, Chumphon) ( Holloway 2001, Černý & Pinratana 2009), India (the Great Nicobar) (present study).

Remark: The present study reports the fifth species of Nishada from India and first from any Indian island. We observed few variations in our specimens when compared with those from other regions ( Holloway 2001). The Nicobar population have smaller forewing length (♂ 12–14 mm), broader valva costa with a distinct bulge and a minute hook at the apex and the reflexed apical extension is broader and less scobinated. Moreover, the carinal spine of the aedeagus and the sclerotized plates of the vesica are more pronounced in the Nicobar population than the Bornean population.

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Adults of new species and new records of Erebidae from the Great Nicobar Island. 1, Anoba rigida, male, dorsal side; 2, Garudinia shompen sp. nov., male (Holotype), dorsal side; 3, Nishada sambara, male, dorsal side; 4, Teulisna chiloides, male, dorsal side; 5, ditto, female, dorsal side; 6, Plusiodonta nicobarensis sp. nov., male (Holotype), dorsal side; 7, ditto, ventral side; 8, Tamba cosmoloma, male, dorsal side; 9, T. occidinawa, male, dorsal side; 10, Anereuthina renosa, female, dorsal side.

FIGURES 11–19. Genitalia of Erebidae species from the Great Nicobar Island. 11–12, Anoba rigida, male: 11, ventral view, 12, aedeagus; 13–15, Garudinia shompen sp. nov., male (Holotype): 13, ventral view, 14, lateral view, 15, aedeagus; 16–17, Nishada sambara, male: 16, ventral view, 17, aedeagus; 18–19, Teulisna chiloides, male: 18, ventral view, 19, aedeagus. Diagnostic characters indicated with black lines.