Lemyra (Thyrgorina) persephone Saldaitis, Volynkin & Dubatolov, 2020: 447

Singh, Harsimranjeet, Raha, Angshuman, Kirti, Jagbir Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Lemyra Walker (Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India, Zootaxa 5454 (1), pp. 1-69 : 28

Lemyra (Thyrgorina) persephone Saldaitis, Volynkin & Dubatolov, 2020: 447

( Figs 72, 73 , 173, 174 )

TL: 40 km Sud [South of] Gongshan, Salween valley, W[est] Yunnan, “C[h]ina [ China]

Material Examined: India, Uttarakhand: [Pithoragarh district], Chilamdhar , 1 ♂, 9.x.2017, A.K. Sanyal, Gayen & Nandi Das leg. ( NZCZSI; 12536/H10) ; West Bengal: [Darjeeling district], Singalila NP, Srikhola , 1 ♂, 17.x.2018, A.K. Sanyal & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12534/H10) ; Sikkim: [West Sikkim district], Yuksom , 1 ♂, 20.xi.2019, A.K. Sanyal & Party leg. ( NZCZSI; 12535/H10) .

Diagnosis. Forewing length: ♂ 15 mm. Externally, L. (T.) persephone ( Figs 72, 73 ) is readily separable from other congeners by the wings strongly leaden with grey. But, interestingly its male genitalia is quite similar to that of L. (T.) melanosoma ( Figs 171, 172 ), however, in L. (T.) persephone ( Figs 173, 174 ), tegumen is slightly broader, juxta is more elongated, terminal section of valva is more elongated, aedeagus is distinctly broader and more robust and vesica has much broader patch of spines than in L. (T.) melanosoma ( Fig. 172 ).

Distribution. Indian records: Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim (present study). Global records: China (West Yunnan) ( Saldaitis et al. 2020).

Remarks: Herein, L. (T.) persephone reveals a new distribution record from India. so far, it is reported from China at an Altitude of 1650 m. The species is found from an altitude around 1900 m in East Himalayan sub-tropical wet hill forest of West Bengal and Sikkim. Whereas in North West Himalaya, the species is observed at an altitude of 1714 m. in Himalayan chir pine forest of Uttarakhand.

Figures

FIGURES 63–73. Habitus of Lemyra spp. 63–64. L. spilosomata, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Ahwa, Gujarat, India); 65–66. L. multivittata, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Jhandi, West Bengal, India); 67. ditto, female, dorsal side (Manebhanjyang, West Bengal, India); 68–69. L. pseudoburmanica, male, dorsal side and ventral sides (Devikulam, Kerala, India). 70–71. L. melanosoma, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Mangan, Sikkim, India); 72–73. L. persephone, male, dorsal and ventral sides (Yoksum, Sikkim, India).

FIGURES 167–178. Genitalia of Lemyra spp. 167–168. L. multivittata, male: 167, ventral view, 168, Aedeagus; 169–170. L. pseudoburmanica, male: 169, ventral view, 170, Aedeagus; 171–172. L. melanosoma, male: 171, ventral view, 172, Aedeagus; 173–174. L. persephone, male: 173, ventral view, 174, Aedeagus; 175–176. L. nigrescens, male: 175, ventral view, 176, Aedeagus; 177–178. L. collarlis, syn. nov., male: 177, ventral view, 178, Aedeagus.