Miltochrista discistriga
Creators: name: Volynkin, Anton V.
name: Singh, Santosh
name: Černý, Karel
name: Kirti, Jagbir Singh
name: Datta, Harvinder Singh
name: Singh, Navneet
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Erebidae
Miltochrista
Miltochrista discistriga

description: Miltochrista discistriga (Moore, 1878)
(Figs 40–43, 114, 142)
Lyclene discistriga Moore, 1878, Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London, 1878: 32 (Type locality: [NE India, north of West Bengal, Darjeeling] “ Darjiling ”).
Type material examined. Lectotype (designated herein) (Fig. 40): ♀, “N. India | ♀” (upper side) “ Lyclene | discistriga ♀ | type) Moore” / “Moore Coll. | 94–106.” / red ring “Type” label / QR-code label with unique ID “ NHMUK010604625 ” (NHMUK).
Additional material examined. INDIA: Uttarakhand: 1 ♀, Bamiyala, 1451m, 3.viii.2016, S. Singh leg. (NZCZSI, 14465/H10); Sikkim: 1 ♂, Mt. Kanchenjunga SE, 27°30’N 88°20’E, 2000m, 222– 31.VII.1996, Afonin & Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. No.: ZSM Arct. 2019-1047 ♂ (prepared by Volynkin) (MWM / ZSM); West Bengal: 1 ♂, Tukdah, 5000 ft., Darjeeling Distr., 23.IX.1945, D.G. Sevastopulo / D.G. Sevastopulo, B.M. 1975-385, unique ID: NHMUK010606046, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010313529 (prepared by Volynkin) (NHMUK); 1 ♀, Gopaldhara, Darjeeling, 3440–5800’, H. Stevens / Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-1, unique ID: NHMUK010604626, gen. prep. No.: NHMUK010313466 (prepared by Volynkin) (NHMUK); Arunachal Pradesh: 2 ♂, Bomdila, 27.vi.[20]18, S. Singh leg. (NZCZSI, 14466/H10); 1 ♀, Dirang, 1560m, 25.vi.[20]18, S. Singh leg. (NZCZSI, 14467/H10); Tamil Nadu: Palani Hills, Perumalmalay, 1500m, 14.VII.1990, W. Thomas leg., gen. prep. No.: AV5396 ♂ (CKC).
Note. Moore (1878) described the species from the unspecified number of specimens of both sexes. In order to stabilise the nomenclature, the single female syntype labelled as “Type” located in NHMUK is hereby designated as the lectotype.
Diagnosis. The forewing length is 13.0 mm in males and 14.5 mm in females. Miltochrista discistriga is similar to M. neoseriata in its forewing markings but distinguished by its larger size. The male genital capsule of the species is clearly different from other similar congeners in the shorter uncus, the relatively short and claw-shaped, and dorsally directed distal costal process, the broad valvula, and the narrow but heavily sclerotised and upcurved distal saccular process. The vesica structure of M. discistriga is similar to those of such species as M. neoseriata, M. aureata, M. mawphlang sp. nov. and M. kravchenkoi but differs in the markedly longer cornuti. The female genitalia of M. discistriga are most reminiscent of M. neoseriata but are distinct due to the shorter and narrower ductus bursae with a sinuous ventral margin of the ostium, and the broader corpus bursae with a narrower but more heavily sclerotised postero-lateral sclerotised area edged with smaller spines and lacking a cluster of denticles at the junction with the ductus bursae. Additionally, the lateral sclerotised plates of the 7 th sternite of M. discistriga are shorter and more weakly sclerotised than in M. neoseriata, and their lateral pockets are vestigial.
Distribution. The species is currently known from South, North and Northeast India (Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh).
description: Published as part of Volynkin, Anton V., Singh, Santosh, Černý, Karel, Kirti, Jagbir Singh, Datta, Harvinder Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2025, On the taxonomy of the genus Miltochrista Hübner with descriptions of six new species from the Oriental Realm (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), pp. 401-445 in Zootaxa 5566 (3) on page 415, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5566.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14703099