Aholcocerus arorai Yakovlev & Singh, sp. n. - new species of Cossidae from Nicobar Islands (India) with world catalogue of the genus (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)

Aholcocerus arorai Yakovlev & Singh, sp. n., is described from India (Great Nicobar Island). A catalogue of the genus Aholcocerus Yakovlev, 2006 is provided. External appearance and distributional map of all the species of genus is illustrated.


Introduction
The genus Aholcocerus Yakovlev, 2006 was established for its type species Aholcocerus ronkayorum Yakovlev, 2006, described from Pakistan.The genus was erected on the specific structure of the antennae (simple, not pectinate) and of the valves in the male genitalia (with a wrinkled pleated costal edge).Later on, this genus was studies by YAKOVLEV (2011), YAKOVLEV & WITT (2009, 2016a) with descriptions of new species as well as establishment of new combinations from India, Thailand and Indonesia.At present the genus is known by six species from the World.
In the present paper we describe the seventh species as Aholcocerus arorai Yakovlev & Singh, sp. n., from India (Great Nicobar Island).The new species was erroneously reported as Holcocerus arenicola Staudinger, 1887, as the first record for the "Great Nicobar Island, Bankol Camp, Bellabay" in ARORA (1976: 41).Reporting of this species from Great Nicobar, extremely distant from the main habitat (Central Asia) of the genus Holcocerus Staudinger 1887 (type species -Holcocerus arenicola Staudinger, 1887), seems to be completely alien and doubtful.So, we examined the collection materials in the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata and reinvestigated the specimen studied by Arora (Fig. 2) and the genital preparation (Fig. 3).The inferences from the adult morphology and genitals of the same confirm that it is an undescribed Cossid species and typical member of the oriental genus Aholcocerus SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología, 47 (187) septiembre 2019: 501-505 eISSN: 2340-4078 ISSN: 0300-5267 https://doi.org/10.57065/shilap.521Yakovlev 2006(type species -Aholcocerus ronkayorum Yakovlev, 2006).The details are discussed below.Additionally, a World catalogue of the genus Aholcocerus Yakovlev, 2006 is provided.

Material and methods
The holotype photo has been made by the camera iPhone 7. The photo of the genitals has been taken using the binocular microscope Leica S8APO and digital camera Leica MC120.
The material has been examined in the following Museums: MWM Museum of Thomas J. Witt (Munich, Germany), NHMUK Natural History Museum (London, Great Britain), RMNH National Nature Historisch Museum (Leiden, The Netherlands), ZSI Zoological Survey of India (Kolkata, India).Description: Wingspan 40 mm.Antenna simple, not pectinate, 1/2 the length of forewing costal edge.Tegula and patagium pale grey.Forewing apically sharp, pale grey, with thin transverse lines throughout wing area, pale brown field discally and basally.Hindwing dark grey, without pattern, pale grey at anal angle.

Aholcocerus arorai
Male genitalia: Uncus long, uncinately bent apically.Gnathos compact, covered with small spikes, arms short, of medium thickness.Valve relatively narrow, lanceolate, membranous in distal third; knoll with folded inner edge on costal edge of valve (in medium third).Transtilla process slightly curved, apically sharp.Juxta tiny, saddle-shaped.Saccus of medium size.Phallus slightly curved, tubular, medium thickness, equal in length to valve, vesica aperture in dorso-apical position, short; vesica without cornuti.
Female: Unknown.Diagnosis: Externally, the new species is close to A. sevastopuloi, from which it differs by the wider valve, more robust saccus and thin phallus.
Etymology: The species is named after the prominent Indian entomologist, G. S. Arora.