Ctenoceratoda mallopyga subsp. dyschroa Varga & Gyulai & Ronkay & Ronkay 2018, ssp. n.
Creators: name: Varga, Zoltán
name: Gyulai, Péter
name: Ronkay, Gábor
name: Ronkay, László
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Ctenoceratoda
Ctenoceratoda mallopyga
Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa

description: Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa ssp. n.
(Figs 23, 24, 57, 58, 61)
Holotype: male, India Himachal Pradesh, Spiti, Spiti valley, 6 km SE Kaza, 4100 m, 1.VII.1994, No. 21, leg. P. Kautt & V. Weisz (coll. G. Ronkay).
Paratypes. India, Himachal Pradesh. Spiti, Spiti valley: 4 males, 3 females, with the same data as the holotype; 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 19. VI.1994 (No. 4); 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 29. VI.1994 (No. 19); 1 male, 2 females, 3 km SE Kaza, 3900 m, 30. VI.1994 (No 20); 1 male, 2 females, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 4.VII.1994 (No. 25); 5 males, 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 5.VII.1994 (No. 27); 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 6.VII.1994 (No. 29); 1 male, 5 km WNW Kaza, 4350 m, 10.VII.1994 (No. 33); 1 male, 1 km SW Komik, 4400 m, 11.VII.1994 (No. 34); 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 12.VII.1994 No. 35); 3 males, 2 females, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 13.VII.1994 (No. 36); 1 male, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 14.VII.1994 (No. 38); 2 females, 1 km NW Kaza, 3550 m, 15.VII.1994 (No. 39); 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 15.VII.1994 (No. 40); 6 males, 2 females, 6 km SE Kaza, 4100 m, 17.VII.1994 (No. 41); 2 males, 7 km SE Kaza, 4150 m, 18.VII.1994 (No. 42); 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 6.VIII.1994 (No. 50), 1 female, Kaza, 3600 m, 32°13’N, 78°05’E, 7.VIII.1994 (No. 52) (coll. P. Gyulai, G. Ronkay and HNHM); altogether 45 specimens from the above-mentioned localities, in coll. H. Hacker.
Slide Nos: VZ 7681m, VZ 8008m, VZ 9530m (males), VZ7485f (female).
Diagnosis – The subspecies has the same appearance and regular pattern as the nominotypical subspecies but is essentially smaller in size (wingspan 42–46 mm) and lacks the bluish-grey colouration of body and forewings which is typical of the ssp. mallopyga. The body and the wings are unicolorous clay-grey, thorax with scattered blackish-brownish hairs, abdomen slightly lighter, somewhat more ochreous. Pattern of forewing regular, maculation finely defined with black scales, basal part of reniform stigma and the entire claviform stigma stronger defined; basal dash black, root-shaped.
Ctenoceratoda mallopyga dyschroa can be distinguished from the other members of the lupa -group by the rather unicolorous forewings with complete and regular pattern.
The male genitalia (Figs 57, 58) are proportionally smaller than those of the ssp. mallopyga, displaying no mentionable differences between the two subspecies.
Distribution and bionomics. The new subspecies is confined to a relatively small, semi-arid area in the south-western Himalaya Mts in India (Himachal Pradesh). It seems to be locally frequent at the high altitude regions (between 3500–4200 m a.s.l.).
description: Published as part of Varga, Zoltán, Gyulai, Péter, Ronkay, Gábor & Ronkay, László, 2018, Review Of The Species Groups Of The Genus Ctenoceratoda Varga, 1992 With Description Of Four New Species And A New Subspecies (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), pp. 51-74 in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 64 (1) on pages 69-73, DOI: 10.17109/AZH.64.1.51.2018, http://zenodo.org/record/5734636