Sternitta mondulkiriensis, Qi & Bae & Han, 2020

Qi, Mujie, Bae, Yangseop & Han, Huilin, 2020, A new species of Sternitta Fibiger, 2011 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Hypenodinae Micronoctuini) from Cambodia, Zootaxa 4859 (4), pp. 596-600 : 597-599

Sternitta mondulkiriensis sp. n. ( Figs 1, 2 , 7 , 13, 14 )

Type materials. Holotype: Male , Trapeang Thmear, Prov. Mondul kiri, Cambodia, 7. X. 2010, leg. XV Le & YD Ju, genit. prep. hhl-3718-1, coll. NEFU . Paratypes: 2 male, Bokor Hill , Prov. Kampot, Cambodia, 15. I. 2013, leg. YS Bae et al., genit. prep. hhl-3721-1, coll. NEFU, another coll. INU .

Diagnosis. The new species is similar externally to S. suffuscalis (Swinhoe, 1886) ( Figs 3, 4 , 6 ), but it can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters: forewing with light grey ground color, scattered small dark brown, and with two dark brown costal patches, one narrow patch in basal line region, one broad patch in median line region; crossline more faint; reniform spot slightly oblate; male genitalia with dorsum of ampullae triangular; digitus fingershaped and without setae; phallus slightly incurved at distal 1/5 and pointed at apex; vesica with a sclerotized and coneshaped cornutus. In S. suffuscalis, the forewing ground color is smokey black, scattered small black, and without long patches at costa; crossline is black and distinct; reniform spot is swollen; male genitalia with dorsad of apmpullae bearing thumblike, apically setose process; digitus is triangular and setose at tip; phallus is extremely incurved into a fishhookshaped, and without cornutus.

Description. Adult ( Figs 1, 2 ). Wingspan of male 9.5–10.0 mm. Head and thorax light greyish white; abdomen mostly grey, and with canary yellow tufts at terminal part. Forewing light grey, subterminal and terminal lines areas suffused with dark brown; costal margin area with two dark brown patches, one narrow patch in basal line region, one wide triangle patch in median line region; crosslines more faint, except terminal line marked by blackish-brown alternate dots, postmedial line waved, black at anterior half, weakly reddish brown at posterior half; reniform stigma oblate, yellowish white, outlined in fuscous; fringes dark brown. Hindwing lighter than forewing, grey throughout; discal spot small, and indistinct, slightly dark; terminal line grey; base of fringe whitish yellow; outer margin slightly concave at middle, rather straight at anal angle area.

Male genitalia. ( Fig. 7 ). Tegumen long and narrow evenly, approximately the same length as the vinculum. Vinculum rather broader than tegumen, V-shaped. Juxta plate with thin, ligula-shaped; anellus well-developed, horn-shaped and slightly curved basally, reaching middle of tegumen. Valva broad and flat, with dorsal and ventral margins parallel for basal 4/5, and gradually narrowed towards ampullae; sacculus wide, thick, gradually narrowed towards, ventral margin with obtuse angle at posterior part, process of sacculus about 1/3 as long as sacculus; ampullae axe-shaped, heavily setose at rounded apex, dorsal process triangular, curved slightly. Digitus short finger-shaped, without setae. Phallus cylindrical basally, widest at 1/3 anterior part; with coiled at middle; distal 1/5 incurved, and gradually sharped towards apex; coecum weakly sclerotized, broad and short cone-shaped, about 1/3 as long as phallus. Vesica membranous, with a strongly sclerotized and cone-shaped cornutus.

Distribution. ( Fig. 14 ). Cambodia (Mondul kiri and Kampot).

Etymology. The species name “ mondulkiriensis ” refers to the locality of holoype: Prov. Mondul kiri.

Bionomics. ( Fig. 13 ). The new species inhabits tropical montane evergreen broad-leaved forest in Cambodia.

Remarks. It is based primarily on the male genitalia features that mondulkiriensis is placed in Sternitta .

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Sternitta spp., adults. 1. S. mondulkiriensis sp. n., male, holotype; 2. ditto, male, paratype; 3. S. suffuscalis (Swinhoe 1886), male (after Fibiger 2011); 4. ditto, female (after Fibiger 2011).

FIGURES 5–8. Sternitta spp., male genitalia. 5. S. parasuffuscalis Fibiger, 2011 (after Fibiger 2011); 6. S. suffuscalis (Swinhoe 1886) (after Fibiger 2011); 7. S. mondulkiriensis sp. n., male, paratype, genit. prep. hhl-3721-1; 8. S. hackeri Fibiger, 2011 (after Fibiger 2011).

FIGURES 13–14. The collecting sites and distribution map of S. mondulkiriensis sp. n. 13. The habitat in tropical rainforest and shrub alternate region; 14. Collecting localities in Cambodia: a. Trapeang Thmear in Prov. Mondul kiri; b. Bokor Hill in Prov. Kampot.