Asclerobia sinensis Caradja 1937
Creators: name: Yepishin, Viktor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Pyralidae
Asclerobia
Asclerobia sinensis

description: Asclerobia sinensis (Caradja in Caradja & Meyrick, 1937)
(Figs 3–4, 20a–c, 24–26a–b, 30–32, 34a–b)
Sclerobia sinensis Caradja in Caradja & Meyrick, 1937: 148. TL: Tai Shan [Shandong prov., E China]
Asclerobia gilvaria Yamanaka, 2006: 180–181, figs 1, 5, 9, 13. TL: Japan, Hokkaido, Isoya-gun, Rankoshi-cho, Minatomachi; synonymized by Streltzov (2010: 549).
Material examined. 2♀, N China, Ningxia Hui AR, Yanchi Counti, 1 km S Erdao Lake, 1407 m, 37.65°N 107.29°E, at light, 13.VI.2019, leg. O. Bidzilya; genitalia slide: V. Yepishin prep. no. 386.20 ♀, 457.20 ♀; wings slide: V. Yepishin prep. no. 386.20w 20♀ (ZMKU).
1♂, N China, Ningxia Hui AR, Yanchi Counti, 2 km NW Majia Houzhuang, 1452 m, 37.70°N 107.04°E, 15.VI.2019, leg. O. Bidzilya; genitalia slide: V. Yepishin prep. no. 387.20 ♂; antenna slide: V. Yepishin prep. no. 387.20a 20♂ (ZMKU).
Diagnosis. Asclerobia sinensis is characterized by the light yellow forewing and almostthe same non-prominent ante-medial line that is edged inwardly with yellowish-red raised scales, and a distinct grey streak along the costal margin of the forewing. The male middle segments of antenna are elongated in width, 2× as wide as long (Fig. 20c), in A. alexandrae sp. nov. middle segments of antenna almost square, 1.3× as wide as long. In male genitalia, presence of editum on the valva in combination with apically rounded saccus is characteristic. In A. tchahabarella the editum is absent. Asclerobia alexandrae has the apex of the saccus almost truncate. In female genitalia the length of VIII segment is 1.5× its width (2.2× its width in A. alexandrae sp. nov.), the papillae anales are short and have a lateral recess (longer and straight in A. alexandrae sp. nov.).
Note. Roesler (1969) writes that the ductus bursae of the female genitalia has no sclerotization. However, in his preparation of this female (Fig. 26) we can see sclerotization of antrum.
Remarks. Sclerobia sinensis Caradja, 1937 was described based on a single male from “Taishanmassivs, Provinz Shantung” [Tai Shan or Mount Tai, Shandong prov., E China] collected by Höne. This specimen was designated as the holotype by Roesler, who illustrated the male genitalia (GU–5855 ♂, U. Roesler; ZFMK). Female genitalia (GU–5872 ♀, U. Roesler; ZFMK) of the specimen from the type locality collected by Höne, was illustrated in Roesler (1969: 247, figs 1–2). Another male from the type locality also collected by Höne is deposited in SMNK, its genitalia (gen. slide: M. Horak prep. no. 11004) are illustrated here (Fig. 30).
Asclerobia gilvaria Yamanaka, 2006 was described based on specimens of both sexes from Japan (Hokkaido and Honshu). The species was considered closely related to A. sinensis, but some differences in male genitalia (broader gnathos, larger editum and narrower juxta) and stronger sclerotized antrum and larger numbers of thorns on the wall of corpus bursae in the female genitalia were treated as diagnostic characters for separating A. gilvaria from A. sinensis (Yamanaka 2006: 181). Streltzov (2010), based on study material from Russia Far East, argued that all diagnostic characters of A. gilvaria mentioned by Yamanaka are variable. Based on these findings Streltzov (ibid.) synonymized A. gilvaria with A. sinensis.
Biology. It is known that at least one specimen from the type locality (SMNK), was collected at an altitude of 1550 m in mid-May. In Afghanistan, the specimens were collected at an altitude of 1100 and 2700 m in April and late June (Amsel 1970). In China, the known host plants are Caragana korshinskii Kom. (Zou et al. 1989) and Caragana microphylla Lam. (He & Huang 2010).
Distribution. Afghanistan (Amsel 1970: as tchahabarella); China: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shandong prov., Sof Shaanxi prov. (Roesler 1969; He & Huang 2010; Ren 2012); S Korea (Qi et al. 2014); Japan (Yamanaka 2006: as gilvaria); Russia: Primorsky Krai, Amur region (Streltzov 2010). The record from N of Yunnan prov. of China (Roesler 1969) is not documented by material.
description: Published as part of Yepishin, Viktor, 2021, Notes on the taxonomy of Palaearctic Asclerobia Roesler, 1969 (Lepidoptera Pyralidae: Phycitinae) with description of a new species, pp. 149-162 in Zootaxa 4963 (1) on pages 152-153, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4963.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/4719987