Cyana sikkimensis ( Elwes, 1890 )

Singh, Navneet, Volynkin, Anton V., Kirti, Jagbir Singh, Datta, Harvinder Singh & Ivanova, Maria S., 2020, A review of the genus Cyana Walker, 1854 from India, with descriptions of five new species and three new subspecies (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 4738 (1), pp. 1-93 : 38-40

Cyana sikkimensis ( Elwes, 1890)

( Figs 104, 105 , 206 , 270 )

Bizone sikkimensis Elwes, 1890 , Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London 1890: 395, pl. 32, figs 5, 6 (Type locality: [ India, Sikkim] “on Tonglo, at 10,000 feet elevation”).

Type material examined. Lectotype (designated herein): ♂, printed label “ Tonglo , Sikkim, 10,000 feet. July 1886. H. J. Elwes ” / handwritten label “ Bizone sikkimensis Elwes type” / printed label “ Collectio H. J. Elwes ” / printed label “Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939–1.” / printed round label with a red circle “Type” / printed label with a unique identifier “NHMUK010597912” (Coll. NHMUK); paralectotype: 1 ♀, printed label “Tonglo, Sikkim, 10,000 feet. July 1886. H. J. Elwes ” printed label “ Collectio H. J. Elwes ” / printed label “Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939–1.” (Coll. NHMUK).

Other material examined. SIKKIM: 1 ♂ , Sikkim, 86–136 (Coll. NHMUK); 1 ♀ , Sikkim, O. Möller, 7000’, [18]89 (Coll. NHMUK); 1 ♀ , Tonglo , Sikkim, 10,000 feet, VII.1886, H.J. Elwes, slide NHMUK010313271 (♀) Volynkin (Coll. NHMUK); 3 ♂, 2 ♀ , Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga Himal , 27°30’N, 88°20’E, 1900 m, 15.VIII.1995, leg. Afonin & Siniaev (Coll. MWM / ZSM); 11 ♂, 9 ♀ , Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga Himal , 27°’30’N, 88°20’E, 2225 m, 11–14.VIII.1995, leg. Afonin & Siniaev, slide MWM 34427 (♂) Volynkin (Coll. MWM / ZSM); 8 ♂, 8 ♀ , Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Himal , 27°30’N, 88°20’E, 3000 m, 7–8.VIII.1995, leg. Afonin & Sinajev (Coll. MWM / ZSM); 29 ♂, 36 ♀ , Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga SE, 27°30’N, 88°20’E, 2000 m, 22–31.VII.1995, leg. E. Afonin & V. Sin- jaev ex coll. Schintlmeister (Coll. MWM / ZSM); 29 ♂, 39 ♀ , Sikkim, Mt. Kanchenjunga SE, 27°30’N, 88°20’E, 2600 m, 9–10.VIII.1995, leg. E. Afonin & V. Sinjaev ex coll. Schintlmeister, slide MWM 34428 (♀) Volynkin (Coll. MWM / ZSM) ; WEST BENGAL: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ , Darjiling / Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939–1, slide NHMUK010313270 (♂) Volynkin (Coll. NHMUK) .

Remark. Elwes (1890) described the species based on an unknown number of syntypes of both sexes. In order to stabilize the nomenclature, here we designate the male specimen deposited in NHMUK and labeled as “Type” as lectotype.

Diagnosis. Forewing length is 18–18.5 mm in males and 20–21 mm in females. Cyana sikkimensis resembles externally C. dohertyi , but differs clearly by its larger size, broader forewing of both sexes, narrower antemedial line being loop-like curved in the cell (in C. dohertyi that is broader and angled medially), narrower postmedial line, the absence of a subterminal line (present in C. dohertyi ), its smaller discal spots forming a triangle strongly elongated longitudinally with a distal spot situated on the postmedial line (in C. dohertyi the spots are larger and form a compact triangle in the medial area), and the absence of a discal spot on hindwing (present in C. dohertyi ). The male genitalia of C. sikkimensis differ from those of C. dohertyi by their slightly shorter distal saccular process, the broad and round medial cluster of spinules in aedeagus vesica (that is long and semilunar in C. dohertyi ), and the longer distal diverticulum. The female genitalia of C. sikkimensis differ from those of C. dohertyi by the much broader posterior sclerotized section of the corpus bursae, the smaller signum, and the longer and narrower basal sclerotized part of the appendix bursae.

Distribution. The species is Himalayan, known from North East India (Sikkim and north of West Bengal) and East Nepal ( Kishida 1993, as C. dohertyi ). Records for China ( Daniel 1952; Fang 1992; 2000) need confirmation.

Figures

FIGURES 104–111. Cyana spp.: adults. 104, C. sikkimensis, ♂, India, Sikkim (MWM/ZSM); 105, ditto, ♀, India, Sikkim (MWM/ZSM); 106, C. divakara, ♂, India, Sikkim (MWM/ZSM); 107, ditto, ♂, Nepal (MWM/ZSM); 108, ditto, ♀, India, Sikkim (MWM/ZSM); 109, C. britomartis, holotype ♂, India, Arunachal Pradesh (NZCZSI); 110, ditto, ♂, India, West Bengal (MWM/ZSM); 111, ditto, ♀, India, West Bengal (MWM/ZSM).

FIGURES 206–209. Cyana spp.: male genitalia. 206, C. sikkimensis, India, Sikkim, slide MWM 34424 Volynkin; 207, C. divakara, India, Sikkim, slide MWM 34471 Volynkin; 208, C. britomartis, holotype, India, Arunachal Pradesh; 209, ditto, paratype, India, West Bengal, slide MWM 34445 Volynkin.

FIGURES 268–272. Cyana spp.: female genitalia. 268, C. dohertyi dohertyi, India, Sikkim, slide NHMUK010313264 Volynkin (©NHMUK); 269, C. dohertyi eirene, paratype, India, Uttarakhand, slide MWM 35882 Volynkin; 270, C. sikkimensis, India, Sikkim, slide MWM 34428 Volynkin; 271, C. divakara, India, Sikkim, slide MWM 34472 Volynkin; 272, C. britomartis, paratype, India, West Bengal, slide MWM 34447 Volynkin.