Acronicta gigasa Chang 1991
Creators: name: Sohn, Jae-Cheon
name: Tzuoo, Han-Rong
name: Cho, Soowon
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Acronicta
Acronicta gigasa

description: Acronicta gigasa Chang, 1991
(Figs 5–8, 17–23, 26–27, 30–31)
Acronycta [sic] major ab. anaedinella Strand, 1916: 158. Type locality: China, Sichuan, Mt. Omei-Shan [= Emei Shan]. stat. nov., unavailable name.
Acronicta gigasa Chang, 1991: 32. Type locality: Taiwan, Nantou County, Huisun Forest Area.
Redescription. Habitus (Figs 5–8). Head: Vertex and frons brownish gray, densely intermixed with white scales. Antenna 2/3 as long as forewing; scape white, densely intermixed with brownish gray scales dorsally, tinged with dark brown distally; flagellomeres white, intermixed with pale brownish gray scales dorsally. Labial palpus with 1 st segment dark grayish brown dorsally, white ventrally; 2 nd segment 2x longer than 1 st, dark grayish brown, densely intermixed with white scales ventrobasally and dorsodistally; 3 rd segment 1/2 as long as 1 st, white, speckled with dark grayish brown. Thorax: Patagium, tegula and mesonotum pale purplish gray, densely speckled with pale gray. Forewing 23–29 mm (average 25.57 mm, n = 10) pale purplish gray, densely speckled with pale gray; two antemedian lines zigzagged; median line oblique, incomplete in posterior 3/4, connected with orbicular spot; two postmedian lines sinuous, diverged near costa; reniform spot with grayish brown shade outward; subterminal line serrate along veins, accompanying with grayish brown shades outward; terminal bars present between veins; cilia white, intermixed with brownish gray scales. Hindwing pale yellowish gray, tinged with brownish gray along veins; postmedian line sinuous in posterior 1/3, dark brownish gray; terminal shade broad, dark brownish gray; cilia pale yellowish gray, intermixed with brownish gray scales. Fore- and midleg with coxa white, intermixed with pale grayish brown scales; femur white, intermixed with grayish brown, tinged with black distally; tibia white, densely intermixed with dark brownish gray scales; tarsomere dark brownish gray, sparsely intermixed with white scales, with white ring distally. Hindleg with coxa white, sparsely intermixed with pale brownish gray scales; femur and tibia white, densely intermixed with pale brownish gray scales, tinged with dark brownish gray distally; tarsomere dark brownish gray, sparsely intermixed with white scales, with white ring distally. Abdomen with terga gray, intermixed with pale yellowish gray and dark grayish brown scales; sterna pale grayish yellow, sparsely intermixed with grayish brown scales, tinged with dark grayish brown on basal area of each segment.
Male genitalia (Figs 26–27). Uncus elongate, rather broad, curved at distal 1/3, with spiniform apex, setose dorsally. Tegumen subpentagonal, hairy lateromedially. Valva narrow-obovate, setose on distal half; costa slightly concave at basal 1/3 and distal 1/3, with broad rim on basal half; harpe large, spiniform, slightly curved inward, accompanying with oblique fold; basal bulge broadly round, as long as sacculus; saccular margin slightly bulged at distal 1/4, with sacculus on basal 2/5. Juxta tongueshaped, with rhomboidal sclerite basally. Vinculum small, V-shaped. Phallus (Figs 26a, 27a) short, stout; proximal part of vesical broad, with globular ventral diverticulum; dorsal diverticulum tubular, gradually narrowed distally, with elongate cornutal zone comprising numerous spines.
Female genitalia (Figs 30–31). Papilla analis subrectangular, setose. Apophysis posterioris as long as apophysis anterioris. Ostium bursae moderate in size, with broadly-emarginated surrounding areas. Ductus bursae narrowed to corpus bursae, longitudinally rugose. Corpus bursae long-obovate, slightly constricted at posterior 2/5, longitudinally rugose, with conical diverticulum near junction with ductus bursae; cervical area slightly protruding, broadly round.
Material examined. KOREA [Gangwon] 1♂, Chuncheon-si, 21 viii 1992, GJUE; 1♂, Chuncheon-si, Bongmyeong-ri, 29 vii 2002 (HL Han), GJUE; 1♀, Chuncheon-si, Jiam-ri, 6 vi 2002 (HW Lee & AR Kim), GJUE; 1♂, Gangreung-si, Sogeumgang, 8 viii 1988, GJUE; 1♂, Gangreung-si, Yeongok-myeon, Odaesan Resting Place (N37°49′58.4″ E128°39′02.7″, alt. 283 m), 4 viii 2004 (SW Cho, JC Sohn & HJ Park), CBNU. [Gyonggi] 1♂, Gapyeong-gun, 8 vii 2002 (HL Han), GJUE; 1♂, Gapyeong-gun, Mt. Myeongjisan, 28 vii 1992, GJUE. [Chungbug] 1♂, Boeun-gun, Mt. Sogrisan, Mansu Valley, 26 vii 2002 (MA Kim), [GSN] SJC-216, [COI] JCS-COI-D312, GJUE; 1♂, Jecheon-si, Hansu-myeon, Songgye-li, Mt. Weolagsan (N35°51′56.0″ E128°05′20.0″, alt. 222 m), 18 vi 2004 (S Cho, S Nam & Y Han), [COI] JCS-COI-D311, CBNU. [Chungnam] 1♂, Dangjin-si, Myeoncheonmyeon, Mt. Amisan (N36°50′23.59″ E126°40′04.21″, alt. 215 m), 4 viii 2022 (JC Sohn), GJUE; 1♂, Gongju-si, Gyeryong-myeon, Guwang-ri, Mt. Gyeryongsan, Gapsa branch of National Park Service (N36°22′03.95″ E127°10′58.58″, alt. 137 m), 21 vi 2023 (JC Sohn), GJUE. [Jeonbug] 1♂, Muju, 12 viii 1975 (JY Shim), [GSN] SJC-757, GJUE. 1♂, Mt. Jirisan, 12-13 vii 2002 (HL Han & CH Kim), [COI] JCS-0002, GJUE. [Gyongnam] 2♀, Geoje-si, Is. Geojedo, Dongbu-myeon, Mt. Nojasan (N34°47′47.3″ E128°36′50.8″), 30 vii 2017 (JC Sohn), [COI] JCS-0026, GJUE; 1♂, Geoje-si, Jangmog-myeon, Jangmog-ri, Jangmunpo Waeseong (N34°59′30.8″ E128°40′25.2″), 23 viii 2004 (SW Cho, JC Sohn & SC Nam), CBNU; 1♀, Geoje-si, Is. Geojedo, Jangmog-myeon, Sangpo-ri, Mt. Daegeumsan (N34°56′38.3″ E128°42′46.6″), 29 vii 2017, NIBR. TAIWAN [Nantou] 1♂, Huisun Forest Area, 15 km N Puli (alt. 500 m), 12–13 iv 1997 (Csorba & Ronkay), [GSN] SJC-704, HMNH; 1♀, Lushan, ca. 30 km E Wushe (alt. 1,000 m), 27–31 v 1980, [GSN] SJC-731, GJUE; 2♂, Yuniong Bridge (alt. 1,120 m), 4 vi 2019 (LC Shih), JCS-COI 17-138 & 139, NMNS. [Taichung] 1♂, Taichung City, Low Altitude Experimental Station (alt. 1,000 m), 21 ix 2018 (CQ Chen), NMNS.
Distribution. Korea, China (Sichuan), Taiwan.
Host plants. Moraceae – Morus indica L. (https://twmoth.tbri.gov.tw)
Remarks. Strand (1916) described an aberration of Acronicta major, ab. anaedinella from Mt. Emei-shan (= Omei-shan auct) of southern China. The first author (JCS) examined the aberrant specimen in the NHMUK collection (Fig. 8) and found that its external appearance better fits to Acronicta gigasa. He could not dissect the specimen but the sympatric one from the USNM collection, instead. The latter specimen turned out to be A. gigasa, indicating its occurrence in southern China. The name anaedinella is infrasubspecific and thus unavailable because its priority over gigasa by Chang (1991) is declined according to the ICZN article 45.5.1 (Ride et al. 2000).
description: Published as part of Sohn, Jae-Cheon, Tzuoo, Han-Rong & Cho, Soowon, 2024, Two in one: DNA taxonomy of Acronicta major complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reveals previous misidentifications and faunal connection in East Asia, pp. 76-86 in Ecologica Montenegrina 79 on pages 78-81, DOI: 10.37828/em.2024.79.7, http://zenodo.org/record/14653636