Collitoptyx (Collitoptyx) sordida ( Butler, 1881 )

Collitoptyx (Collitoptyx) sordida ( Butler, 1881) View in CoL

( Figs 13–16 View Figures 9–16 , 40, 41 View Figures 38–41 , 56, 57 View Figures 52–58 )

Teulisna sordida Butler, 1881 View in CoL , Illustrations of typical specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera View in CoL in the collection of the British Museum, 5: 39, pl. 86: fig. 15 (Type locality: [NE India, north of West Bengal] “ Darjiling ”).

= Thysanoptyx manganensis N. Singh & Joshi View in CoL in Singh et al., 2017, Zootaxa, 4319 (2): 375, figs 1, 5 (Type locality: “ India, Sikkim, Mangan ”), syn. n.

Type material examined. Lectotype of Teulisna sordida Butler (designated herein) ( Fig. 13 View Figures 9–16 ): female, “Darjeeling | Dr Lidderdale. | 79–57.” / “ Teulisna | sordida | Butler Type” / round label with red margin “Type.” / QR- code label with unique ID “ NHMUK010401743 About NHMUK ” ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. INDIA: 1 male, Sikkim, 4000 ft., iv.1896, Pilcher / Pilcher coll. Pres. 1917 Mrs Pilcher / Ilema tetragona Wlk. , gen. prep. No.: AV7129 ♂ ( OUMNH) ; 1 female, Sikkim, 2000 ft., iv.1896, Pilcher / Pilcher coll. Pres. 1917 Mrs Pilcher / Ilema tetragona 269. C.B. Wlk, gen. prep. No.: AV7130 ♀ ( OUMNH) ; 1 male, W Meghalaya, Umran , 33 km N Shillong, 26°06'N 92°23'E, 800m, 14–23.vii.1997, Sinyaev & Afonin leg., gen. prep. No.: MWM 37.069 (MWM/ ZSM) GoogleMaps . MYANMAR: 9 males, 4 females, 50 km E Putao, env. Nan Thi Village , 950m, 11–16.v.1998, Murzin & Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. Nos.: MWM 35.803 (female), MWM 35.804, MWM 35.806, MWM 36.017 (males) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 5 males, 21 km E Putao, Nan Sa Bon Village , 550m, 1–5.v.1998, Murzin & Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. No.: MWM 35.805 (male) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 4 males, 4 females, 25 km E Putao, env. Nan Sa Bon Village , 800m, 6–9.v.1998, Murzin & Sinyaev leg., gen. prep. Nos.: MWM 35.807 (male), MWM 35.808 (female) (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 male, 1 female, 65 km NE Putao, Zi Yar Dam village , 1250 m, 18–21. V.1998, Murzin & Sinyaev leg. (MWM/ ZSM) ; 1 male, 50 km NE Putao, Wa Sa Dam village , 950 m, 22. V.1998, Murzin & Sinyaev leg. (MWM/ ZSM) .

Notes. (1) As the type specimen of C. sordida remains undissected due to the dissection policy pertaining to type materials currently being implemented at NHMUK, and as three externally similar species of Collitoptyx occur in Northeast India, Volynkin & Dubatolov (2017) erroneously illustrated male and female genitalia of two different species as C. sordida . Further examination of materials from Northeast India including the female from Sikkim, which is externally identical to the type specimen, has revealed that the true C. sordida is conspecific to the recently described C. manganensis while the male specimen and its genitalia illustrated by Volynkin & Dubatolov (2017: figs 13, 23) belong to C. duplex sp. n. whereas the female ( Volynkin & Dubatolov 2017: figs 14, 29) is C. meghalaya sp. n. (2) The species was described without the number and sex of the type specimens being mentioned. In order to stabilise the nomenclature, the female syntype labelled as “Type” and housed in the NHMUK collection is herein designated as the lectotype.

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 16.0–17.0 mm in males and 17.0– 17.5 mm in females. Collitoptyx sordida is externally reminiscent of C. incurvata and C. fraterna sp. n. but distinguished by its somewhat smaller size and more intense grey suffusion on the hindwing. In the male genital capsule, C. sordida differs from C. incurvata and C. fraterna sp. n. in the shorter ventro-lateral protrusions of the vinculum, the longer valvula, the markedly shorter and narrower dorsal saccular process, and the longer distal saccular process. Additionally, the dorsal conical section of the juxta of C. sordida is considerably larger than in the similar congeners. Compared to C. incurvata and C. fraterna sp. n., the phallus of C. sordida is somewhat shorter and more distally dilated. The vesica of C. sordida is more strongly upcurved than in C. incurvata and C. fraterna sp. n., has a narrower and dorso-laterally situated diverticulum, which is situated ventrally in both the congeners, and bears a spike-like cornutus, which is larger than in C. incurvata . Additionally, the male genitalia of C. sordida are larger than in other species in the nominate subgenus (in proportion to the body size). The female genitalia of C. sordida are very similar to C. fraterna sp. n. but have a somewhat shorter posterior section of the corpus bursae with a broader postero-lateral plate.

Distribution. The species is known from Northeast India (Sikkim, north of West Bengal, and Meghalaya) ( Butler 1881; Singh et al. 2017, as Thysanoptyx manganensis ) and Northern Myanmar (Kachin State).