Nephelomilta Hampson 1900
Creators: name: Volynkin, Anton V.
name: Černý, Karel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Arctiidae
Nephelomilta

description: Genus Nephelomilta Hampson, 1900
Nephelomilta HAmpSON, 1900, Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum 2: 468. Type SpeCIeS: Lyclene suffusa HAmpSON, 1891, by The ORIgINAL DeSIgNATION.
= Kailasha N. SINgh & KIRTI, 2015, in KIRTI & SINgh, Arctiid Moths of India 1: 79 (Type SpeCIeS: Nephelomilta sumatrana effractoida ssp. nov. (= Barsine effracta SeNSU KIRTI & SINgh (2015), NeC WALKeR (1854)), syn. nov.
Remarks. 1. Members of the recently described genus Kailasha differ from Nephelomilta suffusa, the type species of Nephelomilta by their white forewing coloration with the red or reddish-yellow pattern (whereas in N. suffusa the forewing ground color is reddish and the pattern is fuscous) but the ground plans of the male and female genitalia structures of these two taxa have no difference of generic level. Therefore we synonymize here Kailasha with Nephelomilta. 2. As many species of the genus have a very similar external appearance and in many cases can be determined only by the genitalia structures, numerous records of ‘ Cyana effracta ’ (e.g., Hampson 1894; 1900; Fang 2000, Kishida 1993; 1994; 2010; Dubatolov et al. 2012, etc.) are doubtful and most probably belong to several different species.
Diagnosis. Species of the genus Nephelomilta (Figs. 1–147) long time were treated as members of Cyana (Figs. 148–151) due to the presence of the costal androconial lobe on the forewing underside of males, the similar whitish forewing ground color with the reddish pattern, the presence of the medial costal angle and the heavily sclerotized ventral costal plate in the medial part of the valve, which has the ampulla apically (such ampulla is absent or more or less developed in different species-groups of Cyana). Nevertheless, the genitalia of Nephelomilta have the following apomorphic features distinguishing them from those of Cyana: (1) the costa is heavily sclerotized, long, reaches the valva apex, often with one or two lobes or processes apically (whereas in Cyana the costa is weakly sclerotized, short, without processes apically, and the valva apex is membranous); (2) the distal section of the sacculus is fused with the main part of the valve, only a short subapical process is present in many cases (whereas in Cyana the sacculus with a long, robust distal process well separated from the main part of the valve); (3) in the female genitalia there are two separated, sack-like pheromone glands situated ventrally-laterally (whereas in Cyana the pheromone glands are unpaired, have two anterior lobes, situated ventrally, like in taxa of the ‘ Asura / Miltochrista generic complex’). In addition, in Nephelomilta, the female genitalia have the large clusters of numerous robust spines (while in the most Cyana there are only signa or sclerotized plates or bands of different size and shape; only some African species have narrow bands or small clusters of spines). According to the male and female genitalia structure, the genus is subdivided here into eleven species-groups.
Redescription. Adults. Male forewing with modified venation and androconial pocket on underside at costa. Forewing coloration mostly whitish with red pattern, in some groups brownish red, ochreous brown, yellow or rusty- or reddish-brown with fuscous pattern. Forewing pattern consists of subbasal, antemedial, medial, postmedial and terminal lines, three large spots in subterminal area, and medial and discal spot (Fig. 7). In some groups, pattern modified to broad shadows, which may be connected. Male genitalia. Uncus long and slender, almost straight or slightly S-like curved, with claw-shaped tip; tegumen medium-long and broad; juxta broad, Xshaped, with narrow and short apical lobes; vinculum short, U-shaped. Valve basally narrowed; costa moderately sclerotized, its medial angle more or less developed; distal section of costa with more or less developed apical lobe and trigonal ventral-apical process directed ventrally; ventral plate of costa weakly sclerotized and broad, trigonal; ampulla present, from short and trigonal to very long, lobe-like; sacculus often with subapical process, its apical section reaches the costa (except the N. kanchenjunga species-group); distal membranous lobe of valve present, sometimes not developed. Aedeagus short, moderately broad; carinal plate heavily sclerotized and armed with one or several dens or weakly sclerotized, band-like (the N. sumatrana species-group); subbasal diverticulum usually well-developed, globular; medial diverticulum elongated, often with cluster of small cornuti apically; distal diverticulum broad, globular, with a cluster of very small, trigonal cornuti. Female genitalia. Pheromone glands large, sack-like, situated latero-ventrally (small in the N. suffusa and N. sumatrana species-groups); apophyses thin; antevaginal plate often present (absent in the N. suffusa and N. sumatrana species-groups); ostium bursae broad; ductus bursae elongated, dorso-ventrally flattened, membranous (in the N. suffusa and N. sumatrana species-groups) or evenly sclerotized; antrum funnel-like (in the N. sumatrana species-group) or absent. Corpus bursae pear-like, its medial section with clusters of short but robust spinules; anterior section membranous, with elliptical signum covered with small dens, bisected by line-like concavity and surrounded by weak granulation; appendix bursae globular, membranous, situated postero-laterally.
Distribution. The genus is widely distributed in Hindostan, Sri Lanka, Himalaya, southern China, Indochina and Sundaland. No members of the genus are known from the Philippines including Palawan.
Below we present a check-list of the genus, accompanied by data on species distribution.
description: Published as part of Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2018, Revision of the genus Nephelomilta Hampson, 1900, with descriptions of twelve new species and two new subspecies (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), pp. 401-451 in Zootaxa 4472 (3) on pages 403-404, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4472.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1452626