Schistomitra joelmineti Huang & Wang

Huang, Si-Yao, Zhang, Yuan, Wang, Min & Fan, Xiao-Ling, 2019, First record of the genus Schistomitra Butler, 1881 (Lepidoptera, Epicopeiidae) from China, with the description of a new species, ZooKeys 878, pp. 145-155 : 147-151

Schistomitra joelmineti Huang & Wang sp. nov. Figs 1-5 , 9-14 , 18-19 , 21 , 22

Type material.

Holotype: male, altitude 800-1000 m, 22.IV.2017, Chengguan Town, Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, PR China, leg. Di Lu & Wen-hao Sun (SCAU). Paratype: 1 female, same data as holotype; 1 female, 26.V.2007, Houzhenzi Town, Zhouzhi County, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, PR China, leg. Hong-liang Shi (SCAU); 1 male, 1 female, altitude 1300-1500 m, 3.V.2009, Xunyangba Town, Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, PR China, leg. Yu-fei Li (SCAU); 1 female, same locality and collector, but altitude 1500-1900 m, 8.VI.2014 (SCAU); 2 female, altitude 1500 m, 30.V.2017, Jialingjiang Head Water, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, PR China, leg. Shu-qin Ji (SCAU); 1 male, altitude 1800 m, 29.IV.2017, Qinghe Forestry Farm, Kang County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, leg. Hao Huang (SCAU), 1 male, same locality and collector, but 1.V.2017 (SCAU); 1 female, same locality and collector, but altitude 1300 m, 3.VI.2017 (SCAU); 3 males, 1 female, altitude 1400 m, 4.VI.1991, Fengxiang County, Mts. Qin Ling, S. Shaanxi, PR China, leg. G.C. Bozano (ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. is characterized and distinguished from S. funeralis ( Figs 6-8 , 15-17 , 20 ) by the following characters:

1) the size is larger in both sexes, length of forewing 26-28 mm vs. 25-27 mm in males, 27-30 mm vs. 25 mm in females;

2) the forewing has the discoidal cell totally encircled by darkened veins, while the lower portion of discoidal cell remains pale yellow like its ground color in S. funeralis ;

3) the blackish postmedian band on forewing upper side is narrower compared to the much wider band in S. funeralis ;

4) the hind wing upper side has a much reduced blackish pattern in cell Rs and bases of cell 1A+2A and 3A, whereas the blackish pattern is better developed in all these cells in S. funeralis ;

5) in the male genitalia the uncus is shorter with its tip nearly flat or slightly concave in the middle, while uncus is longer with its tip rounded in S. funeralis ;

6) the sacculus is longer, and the apex of praesacculus forms a long, sharp, blade-like process pointing dorsally, while in S. funeralis the sacculus is shorter, with the apex only forming a short and rounded bulge;

7) the aedeagus is slightly thicker and longer, with the distal shaft more robust and the coecum larger, while the aedeagus is narrower and shorter, with distal shaft slenderer and coecum smaller in S. funeralis ;

8) in the female genitalia, ductus bursae is more sclerotized, corpus bursae is smaller with a rounded signum, while in those of S. funeralis the ductus bursae is more membranous, the corpus bursae is larger, with the signum being elliptical.

Description.

Male ( Figs 1-3 ). Length of forewing 26-28 mm. Head black, frons wide, covered with long blackish hairy scales; vertex covered with long blackish brown hair; compound eye black and large; antenna black, bipectinate. Thorax black; patagia covered with pale yellow hairy scale; tegula black, cephalic part covered with pale yellow hairy scales; abdomen covered with dense black scales dorsally and ventrally with bright yellowish orange rings presenting at intersegmental membranes between each segment of abdomen. Forewing upper side ground color pale yellow, veins all broadly suffused with blackish scales except the base of vein M2, cilia black. Costa black from base to apex; postmedian band black, running from costal zone to dorsum and extending basally in cell 1A+2A; the pale yellow ground pattern from median to marginal zone is divided by darkened veins and postmedian band into smaller patches of various shape and size. Hindwing upper side ground color pale yellow, cilia black. All veins suffused with blackish scales. A black postmedian band extending from costa to dorsum, varying from fully developed to obsolete.

Female ( Figs 4 , 5 ). Length of forewing 27-30 mm. Head, thorax and abdomen same as in male, antenna filiform. Forewing broader, termen more rounded, pattern nearly same as in male, only the blackish postmedian band on forewing not continuous. Hindwing slightly broader, other characters same as in male.

Genitalia.

Male ( Figs 9-14 ). Uncus moderately long and triangular, with its tip nearly flat or shallowly concave at the middle. Tegumen broad and short, trapezoid. Subscaphium slightly sclerotized. Gnathos consisted of the two sclerotized arms which connected by membrane medially and dorsally covered by many teeth of different size. Costula at the base of costa, consists of two sclerotized triangular processes connected together by a membrane. Juxta V-shaped, with each lobe extending upwards and ending with a large triangular-like sclerotized plate. Saccus broad and stout, semielliptical. Valva broad and short, concave at ventral margin with inner surface setose at apex. Costa moderately long, strongly sclerotized. Sacculus nearly the same length of costa, strongly sclerotized and slightly broadening at middle portion. Praesacculus short and strongly sclerotized, its apex ending with a long and sharp blade-like process directed dorsally, which slightly varying in width. Aedeagus long and thick, distal shaft strongly sclerotized and horn-shaped, bending at the middle and basally connecting to the dorsal wall of the aedeagus by a sclerotized plate, coecum presents, moderately developed.

Female ( Figs 18 , 19 ). Papillae anales slightly sclerotized, rectangular in lateral view, with tip flat. Apophyses posteriores and anteriores sclerotized and slender; and the former are nearly twice the length of the latter. Antrum membranous and broad. Ostium bursae nearly the same width as antrum. Lamella antevaginalis broad, mostly membranous and anteriorly edging with a strongly sclerotized bar. Lamella postvaginalis obsolete and very slightly sclerotized, elliptical in ventral view. Ductus bursae short and broad, strongly sclerotized. Ductus seminalis very long, arising from ductus bursae. Corpus bursae membranous, large and oval shape. A sclerotized rounded signum presenting at anterior zone of corpus bursae, with numerous spinules on the surface.

Distribution.

Currently this species is restricted to the southern part of Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province.

Etymology.

The specific name joelmineti is named in honor of Prof. Joël Minet (Paris, France) who contributed greatly to the study of the family Epicopeiidae and kindly provided the first author with valuable literature when he began studying Epicopeiidae .

Biology.

This species is univoltine, occurring from late April to early June. Adults are usually found sucking nutrients and water on damp ground ( Fig. 21 ) or resting on leaves ( Fig. 22 ) near the edge of the forest ( Fig. 23 ) at altitude between 800 to 1800 m.

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. Adults of Schistomitra spp. 1 - 3, 6 - 7 male 4, 5, 8 female 1 - 5 Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. 6 - 8 Schistomitra funeralis. Scale bar: 1 cm.

Figures 9 - 17. Male genitalia of Schistomitra spp 9 - 11 holotype of Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. 12 - 14 paratype of Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov., from individual in Fig. 2 15 - 17 Schistomitra funeralis 9, 12, 15 genitalia capsule lateral view 10, 13, 16 genitalia capsule ventral view 11, 14, 17 aedeagus lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figures 18 - 20. Female genitalia of Schistomitra spp. 18 Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. lateral view 19 ditto, ventral view 20 Schistomitra funeralis ventral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figures 21 - 23. Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. living adult and habitat 21 sucking on damp ground 22 resting on leaves 23 habitat of Schistomitra joelmineti sp. nov. in Chengguan Town, Ningshan County.