Notata kokoda, Vos, 2023

Vos, Rob De, 2023, A new species in the genus Notata Hampson, 1891 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5254 (1), pp. 117-126 : 118-126

Notata kokoda spec. nov.

( Figs 12–13 , 18 , 27–28 , 39–40 )

Holotype: NHMUK014201593 : ♁, [ Papua New Guinea, Oro Province] Papua: Kokoda , 1.200 ft, viii.1933, L.E. Cheesman, B.M. 1933-427.

Paratypes: NHMUK014201593 : 1 ♁; NHMUK014201595-96 : 2 ♀♀ ; NHMUK (unnumbered): 6 ♀♀, all same as holotype, with data ranging from vi–vii.1933, vii.1933 and viii.1933 .

Diagnosis: The yellowish cream-white colour of the male wings distinguishes the species from the three other whitish species N. zumkehri De Vos & Van Mastrigt, 2007 (pure white forewings, grey hindwings), N. lambertsae De Vos, 2020 (cream-white forewing, grey hindwings with white parts) and N. sinnemai De Vos, 2020 (white forewing, white hindwing with grey parts). The androconial patch on forewings and hindwings is much larger than in the other species and the shape of the male hindwing is different than in the other species, i.e. with the termen concave (in other species straight or convex). The female with pale yellowish forewings resembles that of N. lambertsae but the new species has more narrow forewings and is darker yellow, N. parva has much more yellow forewings, in N. zumkehri and N. sinnemai the forewings are white, in N. aurifimbria the forewing has distinct golden fringes and in N. modicus the forewings have an oblique postmedian line. The male genitalia are remarkably reminiscent of those of N. lambertsae , but there are some differences. The small process at the end of the cucullus, just between the long curved process and the sacculus, is in kokoda short and rather triangular, while in lambertsae it is longer and finger-shaped. The sclerotized curve at the rim of the sacculus is in kokoda shorter than in lambertsae . The long curved process on the cucullus is in lambertsae more robust than in kokoda . In the female genitalia is the band with spikes at the bottom of the bursa in kokoda less dense than in lambertsae and the shape is different. The shape of the band most resembles that of N. zumkehri but is narrower in N. kokoda . Notata parva has the lower half of the bursa covered with only slightly sclerotized spikes, N. sinnemai has the band in the central part of the bursa like N. aurifimbria , but in sinnemai it is less densely and irregularly spiked than in aurifimbria .

Description: Fwl. ♁ 10 mm, ♀ 9.5 mm. Male with head and antennae cream-white, antennae with distal third suffused with dark grey.Thorax, abdomen and legs brown-yellow, anal tuft of same colour. Forewings of male almost rectangular, costa at basal third curved, termen slightly convex, almost straight. Hindwing broad, termen below apex slightly concave. Androconial marks on forewing and hindwing large, more or less oval and stretched. Colour of both wing pairs yellowish cream-white, near apex and margins somewhat darker, hindwings with a yellow fringeline. Androconial patches fawn-coloured at the underside of forewing and upperside of hindwing, seen through and indicated by a darker colour on upperside forewing and underside hindwing.

Female with head, antennae and patagia pale yellow. Meso- and metathorax and abdomen darker yellow. Legs yolk-yellow. Forewings like in male rather rectangular, curved at base, termen oblique and almost straight, unicolorous pale yellow without pattern. Hindwings broadly triangular shaped with round termen, cream-white with a yellow fringeline. Underside wings identical to upperside.

Male genitalia: Uncus beak-shaped, to the blunt apex narrowing. Tegumen wide. Vinculum with a short flattened saccus. Valvae of the typical Notata structure, costa of cucullus more or less straight with a curved robust distal process, at the first half with a stronger sclerotized narrow ridge, and with a rather blunt apex which passes the apex of sacculus. Smaller distal process on cucullus rather triangular. Sacculus with basal sclerotized flap and distally slightly sclerotized with the distal part slightly rectangular. The sclerotized curve at the rim of the sacculus short. Aedeagus bottle-shaped and small, at coecum broad, slightly curved in the middle and distally narrow.

Female genitalia: Antrum small and bowl-shaped, ductus bursae rather long and straight, forming a thick sclerotized tube and shortly continued as a constricted unsclerotized wrinkled tube, then split into a wide connection at the right to the ductus seminalis, running in a large globular bulla seminalis. At the left the cervix is widely connected to a small globular bursae which has a broad curved band of densely arranged asterisk-shaped spikes.

Distribution: The species is known only from the type locality Kokoda in the eastern part of Papua New Guinea, in the Oro Province.

Etymology: The specific epithet is homonymic of the type locality, Kokoda.

Figures

FIGURES 9–13. Notata species: 9. Notata sinnemai De Vos, 2020, holotype ♁, Mokwam, Papua Barat, Indonesia, RMNH.INS.1282838; 10. N. sinnemai De Vos, 2020, paratype ♀, Demaisi, Papua Barat, Indonesia, RMNH. INS.1282812; 11. N. aurifimbria De Vos, 2020, holotype ♀, Jiwika, Baliem Valley, Papua, Indonesia, RMNH. INS.1282799; 12. N.kokoda spec. nov., holotype ♁, Kokoda, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, NHMUK014201593 (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 13. N. kokoda spec. nov., paratype ♀, Kokoda, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, NHMUK014201596 (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

FIGURES 14–18. Aedaegi of male Notata species: 14. Notata parva, Bali, Indonesia, RMNH-RV1194; 15. N. zumkehri, Lelambo, Papua, Indonesia, RMNH-RV1191; 16. N. lambertsae, Demaisi, Arfak, Papua Barat, Indonesia, RMNH.INS.1282815; 17. N. sinnemai, Demaisi,Arfak, Papua Barat, Indonesia, RMNH.INS.1282839; 18. N.kokoda spec. nov., Kokoda, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, NHMUK014201593 (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

FIGURES 21–28. Male genitalia of Notata species, arrow points at small distal process on cucullus: 21. N. zumkehri, genital armature, Lelambo, Papua, Indonesia, RMNH-RV1191; 22. N. zumkehri, distal part of left valve, RV1191; 23. N. lambertsae, genital armature, Demaisi, Arfak, Papua Barat, Indonesia,RMNH.INS.1282815; 24. N. lambertsae, distal part of left valve, RMNH.INS.1282815; 25. N. sinnemai, genital armature, RMNH.INS.1282839; 26. N. sinnemai, distal part of left valve, Demaisi, Arfak, Papua Barat, Indonesia, RMNH.INS.1282839; 27. N. kokoda spec. nov., genital armature, Kokoda, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, NHMUK014201593 (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 28. N. kokoda spec. nov., distal part of left valve, NHMUK014201593 (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

FIGURES 37–40. Female genitalia of Notata species: 37. Notata aurifimbria, genital, Jiwika, Baliem Valley, Papua, Indonesia, RMNH.INS.1282799; 38. N. aurifimbria, bursa magnified, RMNH.INS.1282799; 39. N. kokoda spec. nov., genital, Kokoda, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, NHMUK014201596; 40. N. kokoda spec. nov., bursa magnified, NHMUK014201596 (©The Trustees of NHMUK).