Diarsia rubrifusa Gyulai & Saldaitis, 2019, sp. n.
Creators: name: Gyulai, Peter
name: Saldaitis, Aidas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Diarsia
Diarsia rubrifusa

description: Diarsia rubrifusa sp. n.   
(Figs 1, 2, 45, 46, 72)  
 Type material. Holotype: male (Fig. 1), China, Hunan, Nanling Mts., Shikengkong Mt., 1300 m, 24 o 54' N, 112 o 57' E; 1–30.XI.2006; leg. V. Siniaev & Team, slide GYP 5007, (coll. PGM, later to be deposited in the HNHM).   
 Paratypes: 2 males, with the same data as holotype; 5 males, 2 females, China, Hunan, Nanling Mts., Shikengkong Mt., 1500 m, 24 o 54' N, 112 o 57' E; 25.X.–30.XI.2003, leg. V. Siniaev (coll. PGM); 1 male, 3 females, China, Fujian, Dai Mao Shan; 60 km NW of Longyan, 25° 32’ N; 116° 51’ E, 1300 m, 21–30. XI. 2004, leg. V. Siniaev & Team, (coll PGM), slides GYP 3401, RL 8905 (males), GYP 2959, GYP 3404 (females).   
 Diagnosis. The new species (Figs 1–2) is the continental sibling species of the Taiwanese Diarsia unica Plante, 1995 (Figs 7–9). The two species are similar in the wing pattern, which is apparently almost the same, however D. rubrifusa significantly larger (37–43 mm, versus 32–36 mm), red suffused in the forewings (particularly in the males) and the reniform stigmata conspicuously yellow coloured (or in a few females ochre). These external characters provide an easy separation also from the Diarsia nebula (Leech, 1900) (Fig. 4) and Diarsia axiologa Boursin, 1954 (Fig. 3) (which are resembling in most features of the male genitalia), particularly from the bluish–grey ground coloured forewings of the D. nebula. In the male genitalia, the key features in comparison D. rubrifusa (Figs 45, 46) and D. unica (Fig. 51), are as follows: the new species has much shorter ampulla, broader cucullus ”neck” and corona and differently shaped juxta; since the two dorsal extensions of the juxta form a broad U–shape, while this is V–shaped in the D. unica. D. rubrifusa compared to D. nebula (Figs 48, 49), the new species has much finer, weaker ampulla, larger cucullus and corona, U–shaped juxta and lacks the two strong, but short thorns of aedeagus. Finally from the D. axiologa (Fig. 47) it well differs by the less recurved harpe, much less sinuous ampulla and U–shaped juxta, which conspicuously less extended ventrally. The strongly sclerotized, dentate appendage of the carina, extending toward the basal part of the vesica, is the longest in the new species among the four taxa, but less strong than in the D. axiologa. In the female genitalia, the new species (Fig. 72) has much shorter, hardly sclerotized ductus bursae, significantly larger appendix bursae and longer saccate corpus bursae than in the D. unica (Fig. 73). The female genitalia of the externally and in the male genitalia more different and remote D. nebula and D. axiologa were not available.   
 Description. A large species (Figs 1–2), wingspan 37–43 mm; the females are slightly larger than the males. Antennae are thin, filiform in both sexes. Ground colour of head and thorax vesture and of the forewings is reddish–brown; more reddish suffused in the males, however rather brown suffused in certain females. The wing pattern is the darker shade of the ground colour, or dark brown, with the exception of the conspicuous yellow (or in certain females ochre) reniform stigmata (with black definition in the inner and lower edge) and the darker, brown subterminal and terminal fields. The ante– and postmedial lines are double, brown, the former one wavy, the latter one arched, the subterminal line reddish brown or brown. Claviform stigmata are formed only by a conspicuous black spot. Hindwings are brown, somewhat darker suffused in the diffuse marginal area, discal spots are dark brown, thin, broadly wedge–like. Male genitalia. D. rubrifusa (Figs 45, 46) can be characterised by the rather long, distally evenly thin, terminally tapering uncus; somewhat falciform harpe; laterally erected, long, terminally slightly dorsally curved ampulla; U–shaped juxta, with two symmetrical dorsal–lateral extensions; medially broaden valva with somewhat detached large cucullus and long corona covered with numerous long setae; slightly curved aedeagus and ample, globular vesica with a strongly sclerotized, dentate appendage of the carina extending onto the basal part of vesica and a large ventral surface structure of vesica, formed by numerous very fine, tiny setae. Female genitalia. The main characters (Fig. 72) are the broad, setose papillae anales and short apophyses anteriores; strongly sclerotized, U–shaped, postero–medially incised antrum with lobate, symmetrical postero–lateral sclerotization; broad, slightly sclerotized ductus bursae; large, ample, recurved appendix bursae with slight, sclerotized, folded ribs, and long, saccate corpus bursae, with a long Y–shaped and a long, modified signa in the wall.   
 Biology and distribution. The new species is known from the Chinese provinces of Hunan and Fujian only; a late autumnal species.   
 Etymology. The new species is named after the red suffused forewings.
description: Published as part of Gyulai, Peter & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2019, Notes on the genus Diarsia with the description of seven new species from China (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), pp. 128-151 in Ecologica Montenegrina 22 on pages 129-134, DOI: 10.37828/em.2019.22.10, http://zenodo.org/record/13356059