Barsura obscura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, 2017

Volynkin, Anton V., Dubatolov, Vladimir V. & Kishida, Yasunori, 2017, Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, gen. nov., with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4299 (1) : -

Barsura obscura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida , sp. nov.

( Figs. 11–12 , 36 , 50 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs. 11 , 36 ): ♂, [ China, Sichuan] "A-tun-tse, Nord-Yuennan, Obere Höhe (ca. 4500 m), 14.VIII. [19]36, H. Höne [leg.]", slide AV 2012m Volynkin (Coll. ZFMK).

Paratypes: 26 specimens of both sexes, same locality and collector as in holotype, but 9.VI., 7.VII., 9.VII., 13.VI., 23.VII., 3.VIII., 14.VIII., 15.VIII., 16.VIII., 17.VIII., 19.VIII., 22.VIII., 23.VIII., 24.VIII., 25.VIII., 26.VIII., slides AV 2111m Volynkin (males), AV2022f Volynkin (females) (Coll. ZFMK) ; 2 ♂, 5 ♀, [ China, Yunnan, Lijiang ] Li-kiang ( China), Provinz Nord-Yuennan, H. Hönei [leg.], 26.VIII., 27.VIII., 1.IX, 2.IX., 8.IX. [19]35, slides AV 2017m Volynkin (male), AV2018f Volynkin (female) (Coll. ZFMK) .

Diagnosis. The species has forewing markings like those of other taxa of the species-group, but differs from them by the dark ochreous forewing ground color, the diffuse pattern, and the darker ochreous hindwing ground color with well developed brownish subterminal and medial fascia; in females the wing pattern is strongly reduced. The male genital capsule ( Fig. 36 ) differs from those of externally similar B. nubifascia , B. clandestina sp. nov. and B. contrastata sp. nov. by the smaller apical lobe of valva and the very short distal saccular process, and is close to that of B. disnubifascia , from which it can be separated by the broader apical lobe of valva and the slightly broader distal process of costa. The vesica structure is similar to that of B. clandestina sp. nov., but differs by the presence of several short thorns on the carinal plate (whereas in B. clandestina sp. nov. there is only the large thorn), the larger number of spine-like cornuti in the subbasal ventral diverticulum, shorter largest cornuti in the apical field of cornuti, and presence of two-three subapical cornuti of medium length (whereas in B. clandestina sp. nov. there is only the very long needle-like cornutus). The female genitalia ( Fig. 50 ) is similar to B. contrastata sp. nov., but differ by the shorter and narrower ductus bursae having straight parallel margins and the much smaller lateral sclerotized folds, whereas in B. contrastata sp. nov. the ductus bursae has arcuate lateral margins with much larger sclerotized lateral folds.

Description. Adult ( Figs. 11–12 ). Forewing length 14.5– 16 mm in males and 16–17 mm in females. Male antennae bipectinate, female antennae ciliate. Head and thorax dark ochreous; abdomen paler, ochreous. Forewing ground color dark ochreous. Forewing pattern diffuse, strongly reduced in female; pattern elements dark brown; pattern consists of subbasal dot, curved antemedial line consisting of four dots, S-like medial and postmedial lines situated very close to each other and consisting of small spots of different size, and cuneal connected shadows with diffuse dark strokes on veins in the subterminal area. Cilia dark ochreous. Hindwing pale ochreous, with broad diffuse brown medial and subterminal bands; cilia pale ochreous. Male genitalia ( Fig. 36 ). Uncus long, narrow, smoothly curved, apically pointed. Tuba analis narrow, scaphium narrow, weakly sclerotized; tegumen moderately long and broad, slightly C-like curved; juxta trigonal, with deep lower concavity vinculum short, broad, U-like. Valva elongated, broad; costa heavily sclerotized, with robust, curved and apically pointed ventral process, and large, robust, trapezoidal distal process; sacculus broad, with short trigonal distal process. Aedeagus long and narrow, with short and narrow coecum, and carinal plate with several small thorns. Vesica membranous, globular, with short subbasal ventral diverticulum with bunch of several strong thorn-like cornuti of different size, conical medial ventral diverticulum, apical and lateral fields consist of broad robust trigonal cornuti of different sizes; additional three distal thorn-like subapical cornuti of different size presented; basal plate of ductus ejaculatorius small, weakly sclerotized. Female genitalia ( Fig. 50 ). Ovipositor short, broad, conical; papillae anales broad, rectangular with rounded edges; apophyses anteriores and posteriores long and thin, apophyses posteriores about two times longer than apophyses anteriores. Antevaginal plate wrinkly sclerotized, with deep round concave near its conjunction with ostium bursae. Ostium bursae broad; ductus bursae broad, short, with parallel margins, dorsoventrally flattened, with small sclerotized lateral folds, left fold much longer and broader than right fold. Corpus bursae very small, subdivided in two medium-sized asymmetric and heavily sclerotized lateral lobes with numerous short spinules on inner surface, and elliptical, weakly sclerotized anterior section with weak spine-like scobination; appendix bursae small, conical, membranous, situated dorso-posteriorly.

Distribution. The species is known from highlands in the border joint of the Chinese Yunnan, Sichuan and Xizang Provinces; however, the real location of the locality “A-tun-tse” is SW Sichuan ( Fujioka et al. 1997), not N Yunnan, as stated on labels.

Etymology. 'Obscurus' is 'dark' in Latin, the species name refers to its darkest forewing ground color in the species-group.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 12. Barsura spp.: adults. 5, B. nubifascia, ♂ syntype, Sikkim (© NHM); 6, B. nubifascia, ♀ holotype of punctifascia, no exact locality (© NHM); 7, B. nubifascia, ♂, Nepal (MWM / ZSM); 8, B. nubifascia, ♀, Nepal (MWM / ZSM); 9, B. clandestina, holotype ♂, China, Yunnan (ZFMK); 10, B. clandestina, paratype ♀, China, Yunnan (ZFMK); 11, B. obscura, holotype ♂, China, Yunnan (ZFMK); 12, B. obscura, paratype ♀, China, Yunnan (ZFMK).

FIGURES 34 – 37. Barsura spp.: male genitalia. 34, B. nubifascia, Sikkim, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 6501 m Volynkin (© NHM); 35, B. clandestina, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide AV 2011 m Volynkin; 36, B. obscura, holotype, China, Yunnan, slide AV 2012 m Volynkin; 37, B. contrastata, holotype, China, Shaanxi, slide AV 2009 m Volynkin.

FIGURES 48 – 53. Barsura spp.: female genitalia. 48, B. nubifascia, Sikkim, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 6502 f Volynkin (© NHM); 49, B. clandestina, paratype, China, Yunnan, slide AV 2021 f Volynkin; 50, B. obscura, China, Yunnan, slide AV 2022 f Volynkin; 51, B. obscura, China, Shaanxi, slide AV 2026 f Volynkin; 52, B. simplifascia, Sikkim, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 6504 f Volynkin (© NHM); 53, B. melanoleuca, Sikkim, slide BMNH (E) Arct- 6506 f Volynkin (© NHM).