Loxopamea jakobi, Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015

Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2015, Two new species of the genus Loxopamea Hreblay & Plante 1995 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from China, Zootaxa 4032 (3), pp. 345-350 : 349-350

Loxopamea jakobi sp. n. ( Figs 3, 4 , 8, 9 , 14, 15 )

Type material. Holotype: female ( Figs 3 , 14 ) China, W. Sichuan, road Yaan/Kangding, Erlang Shan Mt., H- 2161 m, N29°87’ 340”, E102°30’ 970”, 20.VIII.2014, Floriani & Saldaitis leg., slide No PGY4094f (coll. PGM, later to be deposited in the HNHM).

Paratypes: 12 males, 10 females ( Figs 4 , 8, 9 , 15 ), with the same data as the holotype; slide Nos PGY 4040 m, PGY 4086 m, PGY 4090 m, PGY4043f (colls AFM, ASV & PGM).

Diagnosis and description. Wingspan 29–32 mm, length of forewing 14–16 mm. The adults of the L. jakobi sp. n. are easily separable from the closely related Taiwanese Loxopamea rufus ( Chang, 1991) ( Figs 5, 6 ) by their generally darker brown forewings with more extensive dark brown suffusion particularly in the middle and marginal fields, the regularly more white suffused reniform stigma and the somewhat distinct wing pattern (more arcuated postmedial line and obscure orbicular and claviform spots). The hindwing colouration of the two sister-species is practically the same, but the ground colour of the new species is slightly darker on both surfaces. The pubescence of the head and the thorax are darker deep chocolate-brown in L. jakobi without the rufous hue. The antemedial and postmedial crosslines are clearly visible, thin, defined by blackish and ochre-brown scales. The orbicular is a tiny circular spot, defined by black scales. The reniform stigma is variable brown and white, in certain specimens the white colouration enlarged in almost the whole stigma, but sometimes it is restricted to the outer edge of the stigma as a white semi annulus; however, the lower corner of the stigma is always defined by a rather sharp black dot. In the external features somewhat similar to L. augustasi ( Figs 1, 2 ) (however in the genitalia armature very distinctive, since the two new species belong to different species groups), the pubescence of the head and the thorax and the basic colouration of the wings are darker brown in L. jakobi , whereas in L. augustasi the forewings are majorly ochre-brown, with variably strong rufous suffusion in the basal area, much stronger defined ante- and postmedial transversal lines and only a few white scales are in the filling of the reniform stigma. The known distribution of the two sister-species L. rufus and L. jakobi is completely allopatric since L. rufus occurs only in Taiwan, therefore the collecting locality also helps in the identification.

Male genitalia. The configuration of the male genitalia of L. jakobi ( Figs 8, 9 ) are very similar to L. rufus ( Fig. 10 ), with the following differences: the new species has falcifer, somewhat longer and thinner, distally more pointed digitus, that of its tip distally curves toward the ventral margin of valva, whereas in L. rufus it is almost straight, distally less tapered and its tip is projected toward the ventral edge of cucullus; L. jakobi has dorsally more ample, much longer vesica, smaller subterminal large diverticulum, with a shorter spine field in it.

Female genitalia. The female genitalia of L. jakobi ( Figs 14, 15 ) is much more distinctive from that of the L. rufus ( Fig 16 ), than the male genitalia. The most conspicuous differences are in the shape, length and sclerotization of ductus bursae and in the shape of appendix bursae and corpus bursae. L. jakobi can be easily distinguished by its longer, asymmetrically calycular, anteriorly much slimmer, longitudinally more ribbed-sclerotized ductus bursae; less prominent appendix bursae, curving distally towards the corpus bursae and by the shorter, globular corpus bursae.

Bionomy and distribution. The new species is known from the Erlang Shan Mountains at the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau in China's Sichuan province. Twenty three specimens were collected at late August at altitude ranging 2200 m. All specimens were attracted by light and appear to have a very local distribution as L. jakobi was discovered in a single valley. The new species was collected in virgin mixed forest habitat dominated by various broad-leaved trees such as oaks ( Quercus dentata , Q. glauca ), poplars ( Populus cathayana , P. simonii ), elm ( Ulmus parvifolia ), rhododendrons (Rhododendron brachycarpum, R. dauricum), and bamboos ( Phyllostachys ssp., Borinda ssp., Fargesia spp.).

Etymology. The new species is named after Jakob Seibald (Vienna, Austria).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Loxopamea ssp. adults. 1. L. augustasi sp. n., female, holotype, China, N. Sichuan (PGM / HNHM); 2. L. augustasi sp. n., male, paratype, China, N. Sichuan, (ASV); 3. L. jakobi sp. n., female, holotype, China, W. Sichuan (PGM / HNHM); 4. L. jakobi sp. n. male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan (PGM); 5. L. rufus, female, Taiwan, Taichung Mts. (NSMT); 6. L. rufus, male, Taiwan, Taichung Mts. (NSMT).

FIGURES 7 – 10. Loxopamea ssp. male genitalia. 7. L. augustasi sp. n., male, paratype, China, N. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4163 m, (ASV); 8. L. jakobi sp. n., male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4040 m, (PGM); 9. L. jakobi sp. n., male, paratype, China, W. Sichuan, prep. PGY 4090 m (AFM); 10. L. rufus, male, Taiwan, Nantou County, Hehuanshan, 3002, 11 - IX- 2012, S. Wu & W. C. Chang leg., prep. TFRI-SW- 145046 (TFRI).

FIGURES 11 – 16. Loxopamea ssp. female genitalia. 11. L. augustasi sp. n., female, holotype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4131 f, (PGM / HNHM); 12. L. augustasi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4107 f, (AFM); 13. L. augustasi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, prep. PGY 4088 f, (ASV); 14. L. jakobi sp. n., female, holotype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4094 f (PGM / HNHM); 15. L. jakobi sp. n., female, paratype, China, Sichuan, PGY 4043 f (ASV); 16. L. rufus, female, Taiwan, Nantou, prep. PGY 4117 f (PGM).