Problepsis delphiaria auriculifera Warren, 1897

Xue, Dayong, Cui, Le & Jiang, Nan, 2018, A review of Problepsis Lederer, 1853 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from China, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4392 (1), pp. 101-127 : 115

Problepsis delphiaria auriculifera Warren, 1897

Figs 12, 13 , 40 , 61 , 82 , 99

Problepsis auriculifera Warren, 1897 , Novit. zool. 4: 59. Syntypes 1 ♂, 1♀, Singapore ( NHM).

Problepsiodes argentisquama Warren, 1899b, Novit. zool. 6: 337. Holotype ♂, Peninsular Malaysia: Penang ( NHM).

Diagnosis. The species is easily recognized by the following characters: the pectinations of the male are about equal length of the diameter of the shaft, and the antennae of the female is dentate; the vertex is black; the hind tarsus of the male is about one-half the length of the tibia; the ocellus of the forewing is inverted pyriform, tapered at posterior part, smooth on the outer margin; the ocellus of the hind wing is oval; the underside of the wings has heavy dark greyish brown suffusions from the base to the submarginal lines except the area near the anal margin of the forewing and the area near the costa of the hind wing. The male genitalia are similar to those of P. transvehens ( Prout, 1918) , but the fused socii and the juxta are longer; the aedeagus is narrower, curved at the apex and near the central part, and has a tiny spine-like subapical process on lateral side, while in P. transvehens , it is not curved, and forms a long lobe terminally, and the subapical process is larger and triangular; the vesica has a short sclerotized band, while it has a small irregular shaped lobe in P. transvehens ; the eighth sternite of the male is longer, and narrower at posterior part. The female genitalia are unique in the following characters: the lamella postvaginalis is weakly sclerotized with a pair of small digitiform processes on left side; the ductus bursae is narrow and long, weakly sclerotized on posterior half, membranous with a narrow sclerotized band on anterior half.

Material examined. CHINA: Hainan ( IZCAS): 1♀, Baisha, Nankai, 270 m, 20–22.XI.2009, coll. Yang Chao , IZCAS slide no. Geom-04561; 1 ♂, Ledong, Jiaxi, 220 m, 15.XII.2009, coll. Du Zhaohui et al (presented by Insect Collection of Nankai University ), IZCAS slide no. Geom-04560.

Distribution. China (Hainan), Singapore.

Figures

FIGURES 1–22. Adults of Problepsis. 1, P. albidior, male, Yunnan; 2–3, P. eucircota, male, Zhejiang, 2, upperside, 3, underside; 4–5, P. stueningi sp. nov., male, holotype, Gansu, 4, upperside, 5, underside; 6, P. vulgaris, male, Tibet; 7, P. paredra, male, Sichuan; 8. P. subreferta, male, Yunnan; 9, P. batangnensis sp. nov., male, holotype, Sichuan; 10, P. plagiata, male, Shaanxi; 11, P. apollinaria apollinaria, male, Hainan; 12–13, P. delphiaria auriculifera, male, Hainan, 12, upperside, 13, undside; 14, P. transvehens, male, Guangdong; 15–17, P. conjunctiva, male, 15, Tibet, 16–17, Hainan; 18, P. crassinotata, Tibet; 19–20, P. diazoma, male, Fujian, 19, upperside, 20, underside; 21–22, P. discophora discophora, male, Beijing, 21, upperside, 22, underside. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 40–48. Male genitalia of Problepsis. 40, P. delphiaria auriculifera, Hainan; 41, P. transvehens, Hainan; 42–43, P. conjunctiva, 42, Hainan, 43, Tibet; 44, P. crassinotata, Yunnan; 45, P. diazoma, Hunan; 46, P. discophora discophora, Beijing; 47, P. discophora kardakoffi, Heilongjiang; 48, P. phoebearia, Russia. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 59–72. Aedeagus of Problepsis. 59, P. plagiata, Shaanxi; 60, P. apollinaria apollinaria, Hainan; 61, P. delphiaria auriculifera, Hainan; 62, P. transvehens, Hainan; 63–64, P. conjunctiva; 63, Hainan, 64, Tibet; 65, P. crassinotata, Fujian; 66, P. diazoma, Hunan; 67, P. discophora discophora, Beijing; 68, P. discophora kardakoffi, Heilongjiang; 69–70, P. phoebearia, 69, Russia, 70, Beijing; 71, P. shirozui, Guangxi; 72, P. superans, Guizhou. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 73–91. Male eighth sternite of Problepsis. 73, P. albidior, Sichuan; 74, P. eucircota, Jiangxi; 75, P. stueningi sp. nov., paratype, Gansu; 76, P. vulgaris, Guangdong; 77, P. paredra, Hubei; 78. P. subreferta, Yunnan; 79, P. batangnensis sp. nov., paratype, Sichuan; 80, P. plagiata, Shaanxi; 81, P. apollinaria apollinaria, Hainan; 82, P. delphiaria auriculifera, Hainan; 83, P. transvehens, Hainan; 84, P. conjunctiva, Hainan; 85, P. crassinotata, Yunnan; 86, P. diazoma, Fujian; 87, P. discophora discophora, Beijing; 88, P. discophora kardakoffi, Heilongjiang; 89, P. phoebearia, Russia; 90, P. shirozui, Guangxi; 91, P. superans, Guizhou. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 99–107. Female genitalia of Problepsis. 99, P. delphiaria auriculifera, Hainan; 100, P. transvehens, Guangdong; 101, P. conjunctiva, Fujian; 102, P. crassinotata, Yunnan; 103, P. diazoma, Zhejiang; 104, P. discophora discophora, Beijing; 105, P. discophora kardakoffi, Heilongjiang; 106, P. phoebearia, Heilongjiang; 107, P. superans, Zhejiang. Scale bar = 1 mm.