Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 83. (Budapest 1991)

Fibiger, M. ; Ronkay, L.: New Autophila taxa from Sicily and Turkey (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tbmus 83. Budapest, 1991 p. 135-137. New Autophila taxa from Sicily and Turkey (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) by M. FIBIGER, SOR0 & L. RONKAY, Budapest FIBIGER, M. & RONKAY, L.: New Autophila taxa from Sicily and Turkey (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). - Annls hist-nat Mus. nam. hung. 1991,83: 000-000. Abstract - Descriptions of Autophila limbata fydia ssp. n. (Sicily) and A iranica xanthozona ssp. n. (Turkey) are given. With 7 figures. Autophila limbata lydia ssp. n. Holotype: male, "Italia, Sicily, Mts. Etna, Paterno 1400 m, 3-4.Y1987, leg. FIBIGER", deposited in coll. FIBIGER. - Paraty pes: 16 males and females from the same locality and data, in coll. FIBIGER and HNHM Budapest. Slide No. 2395 (male). Description: wingspan 36-38 mm, length of fore wing 17-18 mm. Head, thorax and fore wing ochreous grey, strongly suffused with fumous grey-brown hairs and scales. Elements of pattern diffuse or obsolescent. Lighter parts of wing reduced to a stripe between postmedial and subterminal lines and ghost of subterminal line; wings very shiny. Terminal line yellowish, cilia nearly unicolorous, grey-brown. Hind wing dark grey-brown, cellular lunule only slightly visible, marginal suffusion wide and dark. Terminal line yellowish, cilia shiny ochreous with brownish scales. Underside of wings pale, shiny ochreous with intensive brownish suffusion. Marginal field dark and wide, cellular lunules dark but less conspicuous. Some specimens have a diffuse, dark transversal line on wings (or only on fore wing); cilia as on upper side. Male genitalia (Fig. 2): uncus slender, tegumen narrow and high, peniculi arcuate, short. Vinculum wide, U-shaped, fultura inferior anvil-shaped. Valvae distally strongly dilated, apex rounded, editum short and pointed, scarcely hairy. Sacculus narrow, medially folded; saccular extension large and rounded, "bear/ear"-shaped. Aedeagus cylindrical with small proximal bulb, distal end beak-shaped, without teeth on carina. Vesica consists of three diverticles bearing small cornuti. The new subspecies differs from the nominate race with its very dark ground colour, diffuse pattern and intensive fumous suffusion of both wings. The presence of the transversal lines on the underside is also characteristic for fydia, as the specimens of the nominate race has clear yellowish underside with only the dark cellular lunules and the wide, dark marginal suffusion. The configuration of the male genitalia of fydia is very similar to that of the nominate limbata (Fig. 1), only the editum and the peniculi are a bit shorter. The new subspecies is distributed in Sicily, on the Mt. Etna, inhabiting the dark coloured rocky habitats; the general appearance of the specimens is very probably correlated with the colouration of the rocky surface. Autophila iranica xanthozona ssp. n. Holotype: male, "Turkey, Isparta, Celtikci pas, 1400 m, 15.VII.1987, leg. M. FîBIGER", slide No. 3014 RONKAY. Deposited in coll. FIBIGER. - Paratypes: two males from the same locality and data, slides Nos 3002, 3015 RONKAY. Deposited in coll. FIBIGER and HNHM, Budapest.