Comibaena auromaculata, Han & Galsworthy & Xue, 2012

Han, Hongxiang, Galsworthy, Anthony C. & Xue, Dayong, 2012, The Comibaenini of China (Geometridae: Geometrinae), with a review of the tribe, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165 (4), pp. 723-772 : 747-748

COMIBAENA AUROMACULATA SP. NOV.

( FIGS 19 , 73 , 123 , 159 )

Description (male): Antenna bipectinate, outer rami longer than inner rami, terminal one-quarter ciliate. Frons brown scattered with reddish-brown scales. Labial palpus brown scattered with pinkish scales; ventral surface white. Vertex white. Tegula green, pale yellowish sub-basally. Dorsal side of thorax and the two anterior segments of abdomen green, with white intersegment, ventral side of thorax and abdomen white. Hind tibia in male dilated, with hair-pencil, and terminal extension about half length of the first tarsus.

Forewing length: ♂ 13–15 mm. Outer margin of both wings smooth. Hindwing rounded. Wings clear green, diffused with some whitish and yellowishgreen transverse stripes, veins pale yellowish. Forewing with costal area yellowish-green, slightly tapering towards apex, white subapically; antemedial line white, upper half curved and lower half straight, diffusely marked with white inside; postmedial line close to outer margin, white, slightly concave inwards between M 1 and M 3, almost straight from M 3 to CuA 2, approaching outer margin obliquely on CuA 2, then rapidly bent inwards a short distance and continuing down to tornal angle; a large white patch present outside postmedial line above M 3; yellow tornal patch large, rounded, edged with purplish on tornal angle; terminal line appearing only as small black dots near tornal angle; fringes with basal half clear green, terminal half paler, median part a narrow dull white band. Hindwing with costal area whitish, diffusely marked with yellow on apex, another diffuse yellow patch present on tornal angle, containing at tornal angel a purple patch of varying size, mixed with some blackish and reddish-brown scales; terminal line black, discontinuous, almost linear on apex, expanded inwards slightly; fringes purple, basal half much darker, whitish at middle, giving appearance of a whitish ring. Discal spots on both wings black dots. Underside green; black discal spot on forewing larger than that of hindwing; transverse lines indistinct; yellow patches on upperside matched by whitish patches on underside; hindwing with basal part green, terminal part much paler, separated by a white, curved postmedial line; terminal line and fringes similar to upperside.

Third sternite in male with a pair of setal patches. Male eighth tergite with posterior margin protruding, concave at middle and forming two small blunt processes; eighth sternite with posterior margin slightly protruding and sclerotized.

Male genitalia. Uncus well divided. Socii tapering and hooked. Valva slender, with apex blunt; costal lobe slender, distal part of it well sclerotized, truncate, spinose, and with a pointed tooth on the end of ventral margin; sub-basally with a finger-like process. Vinculum deeply concave at middle, two branches blunt. Aedeagus slender.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis: The species superficially resembles Comibaena dubernardi in having a large tornal patch on the hindwing. Comibaena auromaculata is distinctive in having a large yellowish tornal patch on both wings and a yellowish apex to the hindwing. In the male genitalia, Comibaena auromaculata is similar to Comibaena flavicans and Comibaena chalybeata in the truncate costal lobe of the valva, but the lobe is much broader in Comibaena flavicans , the vinculum of the other two species is only slightly concave, and the socii of Comibaena auromaculata are less strongly expanded. The finger-like process on the ventral margin of the costal lobe is present in Comibaena flavicans , but absent in Comibaena chalybeata .

Holotype, ♂, China: Yunnan: Lijiang, Mountain Vivarium , 3260 m, 15–18.vi.2009, coll. Xue Dayong ( IZCAS) . Paratypes ( IZCAS): China: 1♂, same locality as holotype , coll. Han Hongxiang; 2♂, Yunnan: Lijiang, Wenhai , 3097 m, 19.vi.2009 , coll. Han Hongxiang; 3♂, Yunnan: Lijiang, Ganheba , 3296 m, 23.vi.2009 , coll. Han Hongxiang, Yang Chao, IZCAS slide no. Geom-01058; 1♂, Li-kiang ( China), Provinz Nord-Yuennan , 17.vi.1934, H. Höne ( ZFMK) ; 1♂, A-tun-tse (Nord-Yuennan), Talsohle c. 3000 m, 21.vi.1937, H. Höne ( ZFMK) .

Distribution: China (Yunnan).

Etymology: A combination of the Latin words aurum and macula, referring to the yellow tornal patches on both wings.

Figures

Figures 1–26. Comibaenini moths. 1, Comibaena quadrinotata; 2, Comibaena fuscidorsata; 3, Comibaena cassidara; 4, Comibaena attenuata; 5, Comibaena biplaga; 6, Comibaena apicipicta; 7, Comibaena striataria; 8, Comibaena delineata; 9, Comibaena dubernardi; 10, Comibaena ornataria; 11–15, Comibaena pictipennis; 11, from Darjeeling; 12, syntype of Comibaena pictipennis superornataria; 13, from Tengchong, Yunnan; 14, from Baoshan, Yunnan; 15, from Nanchuan, Sichuan; 16, Comibaena parornataria sp. nov., holotype; 17, Comibaena bellula sp. nov., holotype; 18, Comibaena decora sp. nov., holotype; 19, Comibaena auromaculata sp. nov., holotype; 20, Comibaena tibetensis sp. nov., holotype; 21, Comibaena tancrei; 22, Comibaena sheni sp. nov., holotype; 23, Comibaena argentataria; 24, Comibaena signifera subargentaria; 25, Comibaena takasago; 26, Comibaena flavicans. Scale bar = 13 mm.

Figures 67–78. Male genitalia. 67–69, Comibaena pictipennis. 67, from Dahaoping, Tengchong, Yunnan; 68, from Nyingchi, Tibet; 69, from Qingchengshan, Sichuan; 70, Comibaena parornataria; 71, Comibaena bellula; 72, Comibaena decora; 73, Comibaena auromaculata; 74, Comibaena tibetensis; 75, Comibaena tancrei; 76, Comibaena sheni; 77, Comibaena argentataria; 78, Comibaena signifera subargentaria. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 108–131. Aedeagus. 108, Comibaena quadrinotata; 109, Comibaena fuscidorsata; 110, Comibaena cassidara; 111, Comibaena attenuata; 112, Comibaena biplaga; 113, Comibaena apicipicta; 114, Comibaena striataria; 115, Comibaena delineata; 116, Comibaena dubernardi; 117, Comibaena ornataria; 118–119, Comibaena pictipennis; 118, from Tengchong, Yunnan; 119, from Nyingchi; 120, Comibaena parornataria; 121, Comibaena bellula; 122, Comibaena decora; 123, Comibaena auromaculata; 124, Comibaena tibetensis; 125, Comibaena tancrei; 126, Comibaena sheni; 127, Comibaena argentataria; 128, Comibaena signifera subargentaria; 129, Comibaena takasago; 130, Comibaena flavicans; 131, Comibaena nigromacularia. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 156–175. The male eighth segment. In Figures 156–174, the tergite is on the left and the sternite is on the right. 156, Comibaena fuscidorsata; 157, Comibaena apicipicta; 158, Comibaena ornataria; 159, Comibaena auromaculata; 160, Comibaena tancrei; 161, Comibaena nigromacularia; 162, Comibaena procumbaria; 163, Comibaena tenuisaria; 164, Comibaena cenocraspis; 165, Comibaena latilinea; 166, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 167, Thetidia kansuensis; 168–170, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 171, Linguisaccus minor; 172, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 173, Protuliocnemis candida; 174, Protuliocnemis dissimilis; 175, tympanal organ of Pro. dissimilis. Scale bar = 1 mm.