Cidariplura nigrisigna Wileman 1915
Creators: name: Wu, Shipher
name: Owada, Mamoru
name: Shiao, Shiuh-Feng
name: Yen, Shen-Horn
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Cidariplura
Cidariplura nigrisigna

description: Cidariplura nigrisigna (Wileman, 1915)
(Figs 9–13, 39, 40, 59, 72, 81)
Mastigophorus nigrisigna Wileman, 1915, Entomologist, 48: 193. Elyra nigrisigna: Poole, 1989: 356.
Cidariplura nigrisigna: Owada, 1992: 172; Wang, 1994: 398.
Specimens examined: Type material: Lectotype. Male, Formosa [= TAIWAN], Kanshirei [Guanziling], 1000 ft., 19-VI-1906, leg. A. E. Wileman (Figs 9, 10)(coll. BMNH, see Owada, 1994). Paralectotype. 1 male, same collecting data as lectotype. (coll. BMNH, see Owada, 1994). Additional material examined: TAIWAN. 1 male, Ilan County, Fushan Botanical Garden, 750 m, 31-III-1995, leg. Y. C. Shan; 1 female, same collecting locality, 7- X-2012, leg. S. Wu; 2 males, Ilan County, Mingchih, Tianwan, 1050 m, 24-X-2011, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang; 1 male, same collecting data, slide TFRI00132165; 1 feamle, same collecting data, slide TFRI00145523; 1 male, same collecting locality, 18-VI-2012 leg. S. Wu, slide TFRI00143014; 1 male, Nantou County, Meifeng, 2100 m, 29-V-2012, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang, slide TFRI00163052; 1 male, Pintung County, Shouka, 450 m, 22-III- 2012, leg. Y. C. Lin (coll. TFRI); 1 male, Hualien County, Tsuen [Ci’en], 1990 m, 26-VI-1989, leg. M. Owada; 1 male, Nantou County, Nengkaoshan [Nenggaoshan], Summer-1967 (coll. NSMT).
Diagnosis. Based on the male genital structures, this species shows a close affinity with C. atayal Wu & Owada sp. nov. in Taiwan. C. nigrisigna can be distinguished from the latter by the body color dark grey rather than ochreous; the longer valva and trifurcate structures more prominent; the narrower aedeagus; and the corpus bursae elliptic rather than ovate.
Redescription. Measures. Wingspan 30–37 mm in males (n= 11); 30 mm in females (n= 2). Eye large; antenna ciliate, male with a pair of long bristles on each segment, length of bristle 4 X diameter of shaft in median region. Head, all segments of thorax as well as femur, tibia and 1st tarsal segment brown tinged with ochreous scales. Male labial palpus (Fig. 72) specialized as follows: 1st segment very long, upcurved along frons, surpassing vertex, smoothly covered with ordinarary scales; 2nd segment bent at a right angle from the 1st, slender, slightly curved, 1.25 X longer than 1st, reaching the middle of thorax, internally with specialized ochreous scales which are elongated and enlarged at their apices; 3rd slender, 0.67 X shorter than 2nd, internally with long ochreous scales which are slender and almost twice as long as those in the 2nd. Labial palpus in female normal, sickle-shaped. Legs normal, male foretibial with presence of a spine at the apex (Fig. 81). Forewing broad, slightly excurved, apex near right-angled; ground coloration bluish grey fringed with ochreous scales; antemedial line slender, yellowish brown, excurved at medial part, tinged with dark shade at outerslde; orbucular and reniform stigmas black, the former small, round, the latter V-shaped, both surrounding with ochreous margin; transversal part of medial region presented with dark grey; postmedial line yellow, smooth, region between vein M3 to tornus incurved; submarginal line slender, large wave-like; marginal part covered with small black stigma in each cell; marginal scales dark grey mixed with dark ochreous scales at apex of each vein. Hindwing broad, dark brownish grey; medial line light ochreous, more distinct from vein M3 to tornus; postmedial line light ochreous, indistinct, slightly serrate; marginal scales dark grey mixed with dark ochreous scales at apex of each vein. Abdomen dark grey, 8th segment unmodified. Male genitalia (Figs 39, 40) – Uncus broad, stout. Tegumen and vinculum long, same in length; saccus V-shaped. Valva trifurcate, costal process long, sclerotized, distal portion of valva broad, membranous, saccular process broader and shorter than that of costa, covered with short hair tufts. Juxta triangular, transtilla indistinct. Aedeagus stout, straight, same length as valva; vesica well scobinated, without cornutus. Female genitalia (Fig. 59) – Ovipositor lobe membranous with short hair-like setae; both pairs of apophyses slender, moderate length; ductus bursae long, with a pair of broad lateral sclerites flatterned at basal portion. Corpus bursae ovate, ⅔ X shorter than ductus bursae, basal half part wrinkled; ductus seminalis arising from lateral base of corpus bursae, broadened and coiled at basal portion.
Distribution and bionomics. This rare species is endemic to Taiwan. It occurs in low to mid- elevations of mainly primary forests across the whole island. The adults appear in June then reappear in September and October, possibly bivoltine. The first generation is larger in wingspan than the second, like other bivoltine congeneric species.
Notes. Only two male type specimens of this species were found in BMNH and one of them is illustrated here for the first time. We found several additional specimens including the females which are first described from our study.
Cidariplura maraho Wu & Owada sp. nov. (Figs 14–16, 41, 42, 62, 73, 82)
Type material: Holotype. Male, TAIWAN, Nantou County, Meifeng, 2100 m, 29-VI-2012, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang (Fig. 14)(coll. TFRI). Paratypes. TAIWAN. 2 males 1 female, same collecting data as holotype; 1 male, same collecting locality, 18-VII-1990, Y. C. Chang, slide TFRI00010165; 1 male, same collecting locality, 20-VII- 2011, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang; 1 male, same collecting data, slide TFRI00128724 (coll. TFRI); 1 male, Nantou County, Biluxi, 12-VII-2011, leg. C. M. Fu; 1 female, Nantou, Turnyuan, 23-VI- 2007, 1950 m, leg. C. M. Fu (coll. NMNS); 2 males, Hualien County, Ci’en, 1950 m, 28-VI-2011, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang; 1 male, same collecting locality, 18-VII-2011, leg. S. Wu & W. C. Chang (coll. TFRI); 1 male, Hualien County, Tzuen (= Ci’en), 1990 m, 26-VI-1989, leg. M. Owada; 1 female, Taichung County, Wulieng [= Wuling], 10-12-VIII- 1990, leg. M. Owada; 1 female, Nantou County, Hotso [Lushan Hot Spring], 26-29-VI-1973, leg. M. Owada (coll. NSMT); 1 female, Hualien County, Pilu- Shenmu, 2000 m, 16-VII-2012, leg. M. Owada & L. C. Shih (coll. ESRI).
Diagnosis. This species is superficially similar to C. gladiata and C. shanmeii Wu & Owada sp. nov. but it is larger than the other. It occurs in mid to high elevation of montane primary forests, differing from the latter two which occur in low elevations. C. maraho can also be distinguished from these two species in having the apex of labial palpus reaching to ⅓ part of abdomen from base rather then to basal abdomen; the paler body and wing colors, the less curved transversal lines; the region between the antemedial and postmedial lines shaded with dark brown scales; the saccular process more deeply separated from costal process and the distal portion of valva rather than close to them; by the medial part of the vesica expanded rather than narrower; and the medial part of the corpus bursae incised.
Description. Measures. Wingspan 33–38 mm in males (n= 11); 30–31 mm in females (n= 5). Eye large; antenna ciliate, male with a pair of long bristles on each segment, length of bristle 2 X diameter of shaft in median region. Head, all segments of thorax as well as femur, tibia and 1st tarsal segment chocolate brown. Male labial palpus (Fig. 73) specialized as follows: 1st segment very long, upcurved along frons, surpassing vertex, smoothly covered with ordinarary scales; 2nd segment bent at a right angle from the 1st, slender, slightly curved, 1.25 X longer than 1st, reaching the medial part of thorax, internally with specialized ochreous scales which are elongated and enlarged at their apices; 3rd long and stout, nearly as long as 2nd, internally with long ochreous scales which are slender and almost twice as long as those in the 2nd. Labial palpus in female normal, sickle-shaped. Legs normal, male foretibial with presence of a spine at the apex (Fig. 82). Forewing broad, slightly excurved, apex near right-angled; ground coloration ochreous brown; antemedial and postmedial line distinct, cream white, straight, obliqua and enclosing each other at tornus, the latter slightly incurved at Rstalk; region between two lines darker than remaining parts; orbicular and reniform stigmas white, the former small, the latter moderate size, lunate-shaped; marginal part covered with small black stigma in each cell; marginal scales ochreous brown. Hindwing ochreous brown; discal spot round, dark brown; medial line dark brown, slightly excurved; submarginal part covered with a series of brown triangular spots between vein M1 and tornus; marginal part covered with small black stigma in each cell; marginal scales ochreous brown. Abdomen brown, 8th segment unmodified. Male genitalia (Figs 41, 42) – Uncus stout, broad medially. Tegumen and vinculum long; saccus V-shaped. Valva trifurcate, costal process long, sclerotized, distal portion of valva prominent, apex round, membranous, saccular process broader and shorter than that of costa, covered with short hair tufts. Juxta large plate-like, transtilla indistinct. Aedeagus stout, straight, medially expanded, same length as valva; vesica well scobinated, without cornutus. Female genitalia (Fig. 62) – Ovipositor lobe membranous with short hair-like setae; both pairs of apophyses slender, moderate length; ductus bursae long, with a pair of broad lateral sclerites flatterned at basal portion. Corpus bursae elliptic, ⅓ X longer than ductus bursae, basal half part strongly wrinkled and incised; ductus seminalis arising from lateral base of corpus bursae, broadened and coiled at basal portion.
Etymology. The new species is named after the word for leader, “ maraho ” in the Atayal language. The tribe Atayal is one of the dominant indigenous tribes in northern and northern central Taiwan.
Distribution and bionomics. This is a rather rare species endemic in Taiwan. It is distributed in mid-elevation primary forests of the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. The adults occur in late May to July, possibly univoltine.
description: Published as part of Wu, Shipher, Owada, Mamoru, Shiao, Shiuh-Feng & Yen, Shen-Horn, 2013, Review of the genus Cidariplura Butler, 1879 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Herminiinae) in Taiwan with descriptions of four new species, pp. 143-160 in Zootaxa 3746 (1) on pages 149-152, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3746.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/247895