Narcotica Sugi 1982
Creators: name: Kiss, Ádám
name: Choi, Sei-Woong
name: Han, Hui-Lin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Narcotica

description: Genus Narcotica Sugi, 1982
Narcotica Sugi, 1982, in Inoue, Sugi, Kuroko, Moriuti, Kawabe, & Owada, Moths of Japan 1: 682; 2: 347, pl. 167, fig. 26; pl. 358, fig. 12. Type species: Acronycta niveosparsa Matsumura, 1926, Insecta Matsumurana 1 (1): 4, pl. 1, fig. 8; by monotypy.
Narcotica niveosparsa (Matsumura, 1926)
(Figs 1–4, 12, 13, 18, 21, 22, 27, 30A, 31A, 32A)
Acronycta niveosparsa Matsumura, 1926, Insecta Matsumurana 1 (1): 4, pl. 1, fig. 8. Type locality: Japan, Honshu, Kyoto. Holotype: female, in coll. Hokkaido University (Sapporo, Japan).
Material examined. CHINA: 1 female, Prov. Fujian, Wuyi Shan, 1400 m, 27°41’N, 117°33’E, 1-31.vii.2006, leg. V. Siniaev & Team (coll. PGy). JAPAN, HONSHU: 2 males, Gunma Prefecture, Minakami, Tanigawa-onsen, 600 m, 22-24.vii.1979, leg. H. Yoshimoto (coll. NSMT); 1 male, Hyōgo Prefecture, Haga-chō, Onzui, 04.vii.1980, leg. S. Kinoshita, slide No.: KA 1404m (coll. GB); 1 female, Nagano Prefecture, Azumi vill., Shimashimadani, 02.viii.2003, leg. S. Ohshima (coll. RG); 1 female, Niigata Prefecture, Itoigawa, Kotaki, Mt. Myojo-san, 16.vii.1988, leg. M. Owada (coll. NSMT); 1 female, Shiga Prefecture, Mt. Hira, Shaka-dake, 750 m, 13.viii.1979, leg. S. Kinoshita, slide No.: KA1403f (coll. GB); 1 female, Shiga Prefecture, Yuzuriho [Yuzuriocho], 5.vii.1975, leg. M. Owada (coll. NSMT). NORTH KOREA: 3 females, Prov. Kangwon, Mt. Kumgang-san, Hotel Kumgangsan, 22.vii.1982, No. 850, leg. L. Forró & L. Ronkay, slide No.: KA042f (coll. HNHM); 23.vii.1982, No. 859, leg. L. Forró & L. Ronkay, slide No.: KA065f (coll. HNHM); 25.vii.1982, No. 865, leg. L. Forró & L. Ronkay, slide No.: KA066f (coll. HNHM). SOUTH KOREA: 1 female, Prov. Jeonnam, Mt. Duryun, 15.vii.1999. leg. J. C. Sohn, slide No.: HHL-506-2 (coll. KNA); 1 male, Prov. Gyunggi, Gwangleung, 13.viii.1994, leg. B. K. Byun, slide No.: HHL-506-1 (coll. KNA); 1 female, Prov. Kangwon, Mts Seolak-san, 15 km W of Sorak-plaza, cca 700 m, 17.viii.1992, No. 1610, leg. L. Ronkay & A. Vojnits, slide No.: KA041f (coll. HNHM).
Diagnosis. Adult (Figs 1–4, 30A). Wingspan 25–29 mm in males, 26–30 mm in females. Narcotica niveosparsa externally is very similar to its congeners, but larger than N. hoenei (wingspan of 25–30 mm compared to 19–23 mm in N. hoenei,) but of the same size with N. cryptica. N. niveosparsa has more blackish ground colour of forewing; conspicuous, whitish orbicular spot and whitish patch in the apical region of the forewing; more reduced medial line and lacking of medial fascia; blackish crest dorsally on the abdomen. The species can be distinguished from N. cryptica by its on average darker, rather blackish ground colour of forewing; more or less uniform forewing pattern; the slightly more visible, more uniform, rusty brownish patch between the antemedial and medial lines (Fig. 30).
Male genitalia (Figs 12, 13, 31A, 32A). The clasping apparatus and the vesica are very similar to those of its congeners. Comparing with N. cryptica, N. niveosparsa has somewhat less widely opened clasping apparatus (Fig. 31), rather more parallel and straighter carinal field of aedeagus, the armature of the vesica is composed of somewhat shorter and smaller cornuti basally, slightly shorter cornuti medially and less numerous medium-sized cornuti distally on the surface of the smaller distal diverticulum (Fig. 32). Comparing with N. hoenei, N. niveosparsa is characterised by the larger size of the entire organ, the more protruding harpe, the wider, proximally less curved carina field of aedeagus, the more dense armature of vesica consisting of slightly larger cornuti basally, 12 cornuti of larger size medially (7–10 in N. hoenei), and more numerous medium-sized cornuti distally with stronger cornuti at the terminal section, and the more prominent basal and terminal diverticula.
Male 7 th and 8 th abdominal segments (Fig. 18). The structure of the abdominal segments is similar of all three species. N. niveosparsa has, in comparison with N. cryptica, slightly curved lateral side of 7 th sternite, more quadrangular 7 th tergite with rather trapezoidal sclerotization, slightly wider 8 th sternite with more or less trapezoidal “window”, and more reduced posterior abdominal brush, substituted by a weakly sclerotized, split streak. The bell-shaped 8 th tergite has slightly wider distal part, straighter lateral sides with rather quadrangular distal end, and oval “window” with narrower handle-like part in the middle-distal section than in N. cryptica. Comparing with N. hoenei, in N. niveosparsa the lateral side of 7 th sternite is slightly more curved, the distal edge of 7 th sternite is straighter, 8 th sternite is higher with more reduced posterior abdominal brush, substituted by a weakly sclerotized, split streak and evenly wide lateral sides. The bell-shaped 8 th tergite of N. niveosparsa has wider distal part than in N. hoenei, straighter lateral sides with rather quadrangular distal end, and oval “window” with handle-like part in the middle-distal section. The size of the abdominal segments in N. niveosparsa is equal with that of N. cryptica but larger than in N. hoenei.
Female genitalia (Figs 21, 22, 33A). The structure of the entire genital capsule is similar among all three congeners but N. niveosparsa has slightly longer distal part of ductus bursae and somewhat narrower junction of ductus bursae to corpus bursae than in the other two species. In N. niveosparsa, the corpus bursae is shorter, rather globular, the transition of ductus bursae to corpus bursae is more arched (Fig. 33) than in N. cryptica. In N. niveosparsa, the entire organ is much larger than in N. hoenei.
Female 7 th abdominal segments (Fig. 27). There is no significant difference among the three congeners, since the size of the “window” on the tergite is variable. The size of the abdominal segments in N. niveosparsa is equal with that of N. cryptica but larger than in N. hoenei.
Distribution (Fig. 34). According to our current knowledge, the species is distributed in southeast China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. N. niveosparsa has overlapping range of distribution with N. cryptica (South Korea and southeast China) and N. hoenei (China) but with no sympatric occurrence. However, the specimen originating from the Wuyi Mountains was collected only at some 50 km distance from the collecting site of one of the type specimens of N. cryptica.
Notes. Fresh specimens have bluish scales in the inner fields of the double antemedial and postmedial lines of forewing. The Japanese, Korean and Chinese populations show externally slightly differences from each other, however, to answer whether these tiny morphological differences are taxonomically important ones requires additional material and detailed analysis. Furthermore, the variance in the number of basal and medial cornuti is also not known entirely.
description: Published as part of Kiss, Ádám, Choi, Sei-Woong & Han, Hui-Lin, 2018, Two new species of the genus Narcotica Sugi, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Acronictinae), pp. 194-208 in Zootaxa 4504 (2) on pages 195-197, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/2606246