Gracilisinensis vaiva Gyulai & Saldaitis & Vaitonis 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gyulai, Péter
name: Saldaitis, Aidas
name: Vaitonis, Gintas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Gracilisinensis
Gracilisinensis vaiva

description: Gracilisinensis vaiva Gyulai & Saldaitis, sp. nov.
(Figs 1–3, 7, 8 12)
Holotype: Male (Fig. 1), 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. PGY 4048m (coll. PGM). Paratypes: 6 males (Fig. 3), 2 females, same data; 1 male, 14 females, same data, but 11–12.ix.2017, Saldaitis leg.;
1 male, China, W. Sichuan, near Ba Mei, 3500m, N30°28’ 693”, E101°38’ 866”, 22.viii.2014, Floriani & Saldaitis leg.; 1 male, China, W. Sichuan, road Jiuzhaigou / Songpan, H- 2900 m, N29°87’340”, E102°30’ 970”, 27.viii.2014, Floriani & Saldaitis leg.; 1 male, 1 female (Fig. 2), China, W. Sichuan, Meng Bi Shan Mts., near Meng Bi Shan pass, 3500m, N31°42’ 968”, E102°16’ 795”, 20.ix.2011, Floriani leg. 3 males, 1 female, China, N. Sichuan, near Barkam, Zhe Gu Shan pass, 3300m, N31°55’ 625”, E102°39’ 290”, 21.ix.2011, Floriani leg.; 1 male, China, N. Sichuan, near Chuan Zhu Si, H- 3100m, N35°57’ 714”, E103°41’ 912”, 25.ix.2011, Floriani leg.; slide Nos PGY 3033m, PGY4049f (colls AFM, ASV & PGM).
Diagnosis. (Fig. 1) Gracilisinensis vaiva sp. nov. is easily distinguishable from its northern sister species G. moha sp. nov. both by external characters and genitalia features. G. vaiva has more variegated forewing, lighter marginal field, with less prominent orbicular and reniform stigmata, and strictly arched postmedial line (not almost straight as in the sister species G. moha), much conspicuous blackish patch in the forewing termen, white colouration in the basal part of the subterminal line and conspicuously broader bipectinated antennae in the males. In the male genitalia it is very distinctive by the basally significantly weaker, however distally conspicuously broader valvae, the larger juxta and carinal plate of the aedeagus.
Description. A detailed description is given under the description of the new genus.
Distribution. The new species is known from the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau in China's Sichuan province west and north parts.
Ecology. The new species was collected in virgin mixed forest habitats 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 in honour of Vaiva Merkytė (Vilnius, Lithuania), for her deep understanding and support of the entomological activities of the second author. The additional etymological aspect is related to the old Lithuanian mythology where “ vaiva ” was the goddess who makes the rainbow, referring to shiny, with many colours wing pattern of this new species.
description: Published as part of Gyulai, Péter, Saldaitis, Aidas & Vaitonis, Gintas, 2017, A new genus of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) from China with the description of two new species, pp. 393-398 in Zootaxa 4353 (2) on pages 396-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4353.2.12, http://zenodo.org/record/1065156