Barsine defecta defecta Walker, 1854

Volynkin, A. V. & Černý, K., 2017, On the taxonomy of the genus Barsine Walker, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Far Eastern Entomologist 346, pp. 17-32 : 19-22

Barsine defecta defecta Walker, 1854

Figs 1–7 , 27 , 35

Barsine defecta Walker, 1854: 546 (Type locality: [ Nepal] " Nepaul ").

Lyclene indistincta Moore, 1878: 33 (Type locality: [NE India, north of West Bengal,

Darjeeling] "Darjiling"), syn. n.

Miltochrista magna Hampson, 1894: 112 (Type locality: [NW India]" Manipur; [ Myanmar] " Bernardmyo "), syn. n.

TYPE MATERIAL. Lectotype of Barsine defecta Walker (designated by Hampson

(1900)) ( Fig. 1 ): ♂, handwritten label " Nepal " / printed label "1. Barsine defecta " / printed label "Hardwicke" / round printed label with a green circle " Type " / " Arctiidae genitalia slide

No. [printed] 4462 [handwritten]" / printed label with QR-code " NHMUK 010604322"

( NHMUK). Holotype of Lyclene indistincta Moore ( Fig. 3 ): ♀ without abdomen, handwritten label " Lyclene indistincta . ♀. (type) Moore" / printed label "Darjeeling." / printed label

"coll. Atkinson" / printed label "Coll. Staudinger" / pink printed label "Origin." / printed label

"965" / handwritten label "1057." / handwritten label " Miltochrista spilosomoides Moore ,

det. Hmpsn. " ( NKMB). Lectotype of Miltochrista magna Hampson (designated herein) ( Fig.

2): ♀, handwritten label " Miltochrista magna Hmpsn. type ♀ " / round printed label with a red circle " Type " / handwritten label " Mao Manipur, 5–7000 ft., Doherty. [18]89" / printed label " Collectio H.J. Elwes " / printed label "Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-I. " / printed label

" NHMUK 010604471" ( NHMUK).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. More than 150 specimens of both sexes from Nepal ,

N and NE India (Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya), N Myanmar

(Kachin State) ( MWM / ZSM, NHMUK, ZFMK, CKC).

TAXONOMIC NOTES. Lyclene indistincta was synonymized with B. spilosomoides by

Hampson (1900), Miltochrista magna was synonymized also with B. spilosomoides by

Daniel (1952). Examination of the type specimens of Lyclene spilosomoides ( Figs 19 , 32 )

described from NW India and Lyclene indistincta ( Fig. 3 ) and Miltochrista magna ( Fig. 2 )

described from NE India demonstrated that two latter taxa are not conspecific to spilosomoides ,

but their type specimens are identical to females of Barsine defecta which is widespread and common in eastern Himalaya, therefore here we synonymize Lyclene indistincta and Miltochrista magna with Barsine defecta .

In the original description of Miltochrista magna, Hampson (1894) reported two localities, Manipur (NE India) and Bernardmyo ( Myanmar), but mentioned only one type and not a type series (" Type in coll. Elwes "). In the NHMUK collection, we found only female specimen from Manipur labeled as type, but taking into account two localities mentioned in the original description, we must assume the existence of the type series. To avoid any confusion in the future, we designate here the specimen from Manipur as a lectotype ( Fig. 2 ) .

lectotype of Miltochrista magna Hampson , [NE India] Manipur (© NHMUK); 3 – ♀,

holotype of Lyclene indistincta Moore , [NE India, north of West Bengal] Darjeeling

( NKMB); 4 – ♂, N India, Uttar Pradesh ( ZFMK); 5 – ♀, [NE India, Meghalaya] Khasis

(© NHMUK); 6 – ♂, N Myanmar ( MWM / ZSM); 7 – ♀, N Myanmar ( MWM / ZSM) .

DIAGNOSIS. Externally, the species ( Figs 1–7 ) is similar to its sister species

B. gratissima , especially its western subspecies B. gratissima versicolor subsp. n. ( Figs. 13–

16), but differs clearly in both male and female genitalia (see the genital differences between these species in the diagnosis of B. gratissima ). Unlike B. gratissima versicolor ( Figs 15, 16 ),

females of B. defecta ( Figs 2, 3, 5, 7 , 9 ) have stably yellow forewing coloration without

(MWM/ZSM); 9 – B. defecta rubella , paratype ♀, China, Yunnan ( MWM / ZSM); 10 –

B. gratissima gratissima , holotype ♂, [N Vietnam] Cha pa, Tonkin ( MNHN, photo by J.

Barbut); 11 – B. gratissima gratissima , ♂, N Vietnam, Fan-si-pan Mts. ( MWM / ZSM); 12 –

B. gratissima gratissima , ♀, N Vietnam, Fan-si-pan Mts. ( CKC); 13 – B. gratissima versicolor , holotype ♂, N Thailand, Chiang Mai prov. (© NHMUK); 14 – B. gratissima versicolor , paratype ♂, N Laos, Luang Prabang prov. ( CKC) .

red markings and vary only in the size of black pattern elements and sometimes in the shape of the forewing apex. Male specimens of B. defecta ( Figs 1, 4, 6 , 8 ) significantly vary in their wing coloration and size, but have almost invariable genital structure. The population from

SW China (Yunnan) ( Figs 8, 9 ) differs clearly from other known populations from Himalaya and Myanmar by the slightly broader forewings, more colorful forewings and pink hindwings in males and treated here as a distinct subspecies, B. defecta rubella subsp. n.

DISTRIBUTION. Himalaya ( Nepal, N and NE India), N Myanmar ( Burma) (Kishida,

1993; 1994; Kirti & Singh, 2016). Records for Chinese provinces Guangxi and Guizhou

(Fang, 2000) can belong to B. gratissima and need confirmation. Records from Thailand and

Vietnam (Černý & Pinratana, 2009) belong to B. gratissima versicolor subsp. n.

Chiang Mai prov. ( CKC); 16 – ditto ( CKC); 17 – B. linga linga , holotype ♂, [NE India]

Darjeeling (© NHMUK) ; 18 – B. linga linga , ♀, NE India, Sikkim ( MWM / ZSM) 19 –

B. linga spilosomoides , holotype ♂, NW India (© NHMUK); 20 – B. linga spilosomoides , ♀,

N Pakistan, prov. NW-Frontier (MWM/ZSM).

Figures

Figs 1–7. Barsine defecta defecta, adults: 1 – ♂, holotype, Nepal (©NHMUK); 2 – ♀,

Figs 27–29. Barsine spp., male genitalia: 27 – B. defecta defecta, NE India, Darjeeling, slide AV1997m Volynkin; 28 – B. defecta rubella, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide MWM 31622 Volynkin; 29 – B. gratissima gratissima, N Vietnam, Fan-si-pan Mts., slide AV2501m Volynkin.

Figs 35–42. Barsine spp., female genitalia: 35 – B. defecta defecta, NE India, Khasis,

Figs 15–20. Barsine spp., adults: 15 – B. gratissima versicolor, paratype ♀, N Thailand,

Figs 30–32. Barsine spp., male genitalia: 30 – B. gratissima versicolor, holotype, N Thailand, Chiang Mai prov., slide NHMUK010313506 Volynkin (©NHMUK); 31 – B. linga

Figs 8–14. Barsine spp., adults: 8 – B. defecta rubella, holotype ♂, China, Yunnan