Aulocera auloceroides (H. Huang, 1999)

(Fig. 16)

Paroeneis spec.: H. Huang, 1998: 225, pl. 4: 3b, 4b.

Paroeneis auloceroides H. Huang, 1999: 652, TL: Pai, S.E. Tibet; H. Huang, 2000. Lambillionea, 100 (1): 155.

Paroeneis palaearcticus auloceroides: H. Huang, 2001: 97.

Aulocera pumilus auloceroides: Sakai, Aoki & Yamaguchi, 2001: 55.

Aulocera atunsensis [sic] auloceroides: Lang, 2019: 147.

Aulocera pygmaea auloceroides: Lang, 2021: 23; Lang, 2022: 122.

Material examined. Photo: 1 ♀, holotype of Paroeneis auloceroides Huang, China: S.E. Tibet, Pai, 4000 m, 4.IX.1995, leg. H. Huang (QDEC) .

Diagnosis. According to Huang (2001), it (the female holotype) is “close to ssp. atuntsensis [actually compared with the female of A. melanoleuca stat. nov. from Demu-la Pass, Zayu] but differs in the much broader and more conjoined discal bands”.

Remarks. Aulocera atuntsensis and A. melanoleuca stat. nov. are allopatric in addition to morphological differences mentioned above. For the same reason, it is not appropriate to retain the taxon auloceroides as a subspecies of A. pygmaea since, in the female, the same degree of differences can be found. Hence its specific status is restored. This species is still only known from the unique female holotype. Therefore, we were unable to determine its relationship with A. melanoleuca stat. nov., whose habitat is about 200 km to the east. Hence, it is possible that melanoleuca is merely an eastern subspecies or even a junior synonym of auloceroides, pending further study.

Distribution. China (S.E. Tibet).