Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 80. (Budapest 1988)

Ronkay, G. ; Ronkay, L.: Taxonomic studies on the Palaearctic Cuculliae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Part IV

extremity of cell. Medial line absent, postmedial line obsolete, median area with a blackish brown streak between antemedial and postmedial lines at place of claviform. Subterminal line consisting of some dark brown arrowhead spots defined by light ochreous patches on inner side. Terminal line a fine, whitish line and a row of short blackish lines; terminal area with dark covering on veins. Inner half of cilia light whitish grey spotted with black lines at ends of veins, outer half dark grey. Hind wing whitish with fine greasy shine, veins covered with brown, marginal suffusion wide, dark brown. Cilia white with few darker scales on its inner margin. — Underside of wings whitish, patternless, inner area of fore wing suffused with some grey-brown, outer part of cilia brown. Hind wing nearly pure cream-white with only very few brownish scales at margins. Male genitalia (Fig. 5) : Uncus long and curved, tegumen wide, fultura inferior more or less quadrangular, vinculum short. Valvae elongate, narrow, finely arcuate. Cucullus short, apically more or less rounded, its outer edge slightly concave. Clavus short, digitiform with dilated and rounded apical part. Harpe inflated, thick and slightly curved, distally densely setose. Aedeagus short and thick, vesica consists of two tubular diverticles bearing two inequal cornuti, and a large, upturned, sac-like diverticulum. Central sclerotized lamina triangular, dentated with small teeth. The new species is closely related to syrtana and biskrana but differs from them in some external and genital features as follows: jakesi has a characteristic dark streak at the place of claviform between the two transversal lines (not a prolonged arch of the postmedial line which sometimes can be observed in syrtana) which is absent both in the races of syrtana and biskrana. The marginal suffusion of the hind wing is more intensive and darker than in the related taxa. Comparing the configuration of the male genitalia of jakesi with that of syrtana (Figs 1-4), the former has smaller and more gracile valvae, more pointed cucullus with concave outer edge, apically dilated clavus and significantly more slender harpe, In the case of biskrana the uncus is shorter, the cucullus is more rounded with convex outer edge, the slavus is shorter and the harpae are thicker and more arcuate (Fig. 6). The new species is known only from Iraq, occurring sympatrically with syrtana iranica in a stone desert area. Remarks — In the material from Iraq collected by O. Jakes, there is a single female specimen (Plate 1

: 8) which differs from the females of syrtana iranica in its external appearance and some characteristics of the female genitalia (Figs 7-9). As this specimen is not unambiguously conspecific with the holotype of jakesi — for example the dark streak of jakesi at the place of claviform is absent from this specimen — we desist to mention this specimen as the female of the new species. Cucullia (PseudocopicucuUia) biskrana OBERTHÜR, 1918 comb. n. (Et. Lep. Comp., 16, p. 167) We had the opportunity to study the colour slides of a male syntype (a slide illustrating the upper side of the specimen, and in another the male genitalia and in the third the set of labels). This specimen is designated here as lectotype: male, "Algérie Biskra Décembre 1913 Chierotti", "Cucullia Biskrana £ Obthr.", "Ex Oberthür Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3." and a round label with blue margin. "SYN-TYPE". Alar expanse of the specimen is 42 mm. 2. THE SPECIES OF THE NARUENENSIS GROUP This group of species contains four Central Asian species, three of which are very closely allied and they were considered for a long time as colour forms of one and the same species. We had the opportunity to study all the four species and further material of them, especially in the case of dimorpha, of which we have a long series from different places in Mongolia, originating from sandy and stone desert habitats (the type locality of dimorpha is Uliassutai, Mongolia). It was pointed out that these taxa represent there distinct