Introduction

Genus Haritalopha was erected by Hampson, 1895 as a monotypic genus for placement of new species, H. bipaticolorHampson, 1895 (type species) from Bhutan. The genus was treated under subfamily Deltoidinae, family Noctuidae by Hampson (1895). Though, Nye (1975) treated it under Ophiderinae and Poole (1989) catalogued another species H. indentalis (Wileman, 1915) from Taiwan under Haritalopha. Yoshimoto, 1995 extended the range of genus upto Nepal. Kononenko & Pinratana, 2005 treated the genus under Hypeninae and is known only from Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand.

In this manuscript, reporting of H. bipaticolorHampson, 1895 from Himachal Pradesh is its first record from India. This also represents the first record of genus Haritalopha from India. The male genitalia is studied for the first time and thus, the genus is recharacterised. Images of H. bipaticolor and H. indentalis, along with male genitalia of H. bipaticolor are given.

HaritalophaHampson, 1895

Trans. ent. Soc. Lond., 1895(2), 309

Type species: Haritalopha biparticolorHampson, 1895

Diagnosis: Adult: Labial palpi oblique, covered with hairs, 2^nd joint reaching upto the frontal tuft and the 3^rd joint is long; antennae ciliated; thorax with triangular tuft. Forewings have outer margin excised from apex to vein M1, apex acute and produced; vein R3 from the areole. Hindwing with vein M2 from middle of disco-cellulars. Abdomen with conical tufts. Male genitalia, with uncus long and narrow, that tapers towards apex; valva undivided, membraneous, slightly narrowing towards apex; basal saccular process broad, thumb like, sclerotized, slightly curved; harpe mushroom shaped, not much sclerotized; juxta bipartite; transtilla sclerotized; tegumen longer as compared to vinculum; vinculum narrowing into small saccus. Aedeagus long, curved medially, vesica without cornutus. Female unknow.

Distribution: India (present study), Nepal, Bhutan, Taiwan, Thailand.

Figure 1-4.
Haritalopha biparticolor (1-3). 1. Adult. 2. male genitalia. 3. Aedeagus. 4.H. identalis adult (© Taiwan Moth Information Center).

Haritalopha biparticolor Hampson, 1895 (Figures 1, 2, 3)

Trans. ent. Soc. Lond., 1895(2), 309

Type Locality: Bhuta.

Material examined: INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Barog, 1680 m, 1 ♂, 29-VI-2009, Coll. R. Joshi. (NZCZSI.

Diagnosis: Wingspan 34 mm. Adult with head red-brown, labial palpi oblique and hairy, 2nd joint reaches frons, 3^rd joint long upturned; antennae ciliated. Forewing purplish red brown; indistinct curved antemedial line; a rufous post-medial line, angled outwards below costa and then sharply incurved reaching the dorsum; area beyond line is greyish fuscous, a brown blotch is present in the middle, some traces of waved post-medial line; cilia brown. Hindwing fuscous, basal area paler, fuscous blotch near anal angle narrowing towards middle, not reaching beyond discal cell. Underside greyish, both wings with a faint post-medial line, that is incurved below costa on forewing and is uniformly curved on hindwing. Abdomen fuscous with a dark tinge at tip, crossing the margin of hindwings. Male genitalia as described under genus.

H. biparticolor resembles another known member of the genus H. indentalis (Wileman, 1915) (Figure 4). However, in H. indentalis, the anterior of the forewing is less brown, a discal spot is present in the cell, post medial line with whitish area towards outer margin, black buff more dominating at termen than apex, hindwing is without dark patch at anal angle.

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh (present study), Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand.

Remark: This seems to be the small form as the type is having a wingspan of 46 mm.

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) for necessary permissions and facilities. The image of H. indentalis (Wileman, 1915) has been taken for comparison from, ‘Taiwan Moth Information Center’ https://twmoth.tesri.gov.tw and is duly acknowledged.

References

Hampson, G. F. (1895) Descriptions of New Heterocera from India. Transactions of the Entomological Society. London, 2, 277-315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1895.tb01672.x

Kononenko, V. S., & Pinratana, A. (2005) Moths of Thailand. An illustrated Catalogue of the Noctuidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera) in Thailand (Vol. 3, Part 1). Brothers of St. Gabriel.

Poole, R. W. (1989) Noctuidae. Lepidopterorum Catalogues (New Series), 118. E. J. Brill.

Wileman, A. E. (1915). New species of Noctuidae from Formosa. The Entomologist, 48, 235-239.

Yoshimoto, H. (1995) Noctuidae. In T. Haruta, T. (Ed.). Moths of Nepal. Part 4. Supplement 2. The Japan Heterocerist’s Society.

Author notes

* Autor para la correspondencia / Corresponding author: joshiarctiidae@gmail.com