Two new species of Pseudohadena Alphéraky, 1889 from Kazakhstan (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Xyleninae)

Abstract Two new species of Pseudohadena, Pseudohadena anatine sp. n. and Pseudohadena gorbunovi sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) are described from Ustyurt, Kazakhstan. Illustrations of adults and the genitalia of both sexes are provided. Microstructures of vesicae are described and illustrated. A diagnostic comparison is made with Pseudohadena evanida psammoxantha Ronkay, Varga & Fábián, 1995, Pseudohadena magnitudinis Hacker & Ebert, 2002 and Pseudohadena pseudamoena (Boursin, 1943).


Introduction
Pseudohadena Alphéraky, 1889 is a Central Asian genus of the subfamily Xyleninae. It was re-described by Ronkay et al. in 1995and divided into 3 subgenera, Pseudohadena Alphéraky, 1889, Jaxartia Püngeler, 1914and Pseudopseustis Hampson, 1910 Jaxartia was established at the beginning of last century by Püngeler in 1914 for the species Jaxartia elinguis, described by him in the same article. The second taxon in the genus, Jaxartia striolata, was discovered and described by Filipjev in 1949. At the end of the 20 th century, the genus Pseudohadena was revised by Ronkay et al. (1995) and Jaxartia was downgraded to a subgenus of Pseudohadena, comprising a further four species (P. jordana Staudinger, 1900, P. evanida Püngeler, 1914, P. pseudamoena Boursin, 1943and P. cymatodes Boursin, 1954.
In 2007, Fibiger and Hacker listed 9 species belonging to the subgenus Jaxartia in Noctuidae Europaeae volume 9 and arranged them into 3 species-groups. The last known species was described in 2008 by Shirvani et al., thereby the subgenus comprises 10 species.
The new species resembles P. (J.) evanida evanida, P. (J.) evanida psammoxantha, P. (J.) pseudamoena and P. (J.) deserticola by the beige-grey coloration of the fore wing with indistinct wing pattern; P. (J.) magnitudinis and P. (J.) cymatodes differ from P. (J.) anatine by their well-developed characteristic wing pattern; P. (J.) leucochlora can be distinguished from all mentioned congeners by its characteristic greenish fore wing ground colour. The broadly bipectinate male antenna of the new species is similar to those of P. magnitudinis, P. cymatodes and P. evanida. Pseudohadena (J.) anatine can be distinguished externally from the closely related P. (J.) evanida and P. (J.) magnitudinis by the shorter and broader fore wing with an almost straight costal margin and less acutely pointed apex. The wing pattern of the new species is regularly more obsolescent than in the two closest relatives; however, rather unicolorous, less distinctly-marked specimens can be found in both P. (J.) evanida and P. (J.) magnitudinis. The male genitalia of the new species differ from those of the above-mentioned two species in the shape of the clasper, the size and shape of the digitus, and the structure of the vesica. Also, all related species have clearly recognisable differences in the microstructure of the walls of vesica. The new species is distinguishable from its closest relatives, P. evanida and P. magnitudinis, by its fairly curved, medially thicker clasper, small, spiculiform distal process of the digitus, and small, conical distal diverticulum of the vesica, whereas P. evanida and P. magnitudinis have a shorter, evenly wide, ribbon-like, less curved clasper, a much larger tooth-like distal process of the digitus, and a larger, much longer distal diverticulum of the vesica. The distal diverticulum of P. anatine is covered by push-pin-like spinules with broad bases (Fig. 24), whereas the surface of the distal diverticulum is armed with elongated spinules with narrow bases in related species (Figs 35,39).
The female genitalia of the new species differ from those of its relatives by the size of the entire organ, the shape and length of the ductus bursae, the shape of the corpus bursae and the shape of subgenital plate (8 th abdominal segment). Pseudohadena anatine is easily separable from its closest relatives by the smaller size of the genitalia (total length 8 mm), the shorter and wider ductus bursae, and the acute edges of the subgenital plate. P. evanida has larger genitalia (total length 8.5-9 mm), longer and narrower ductus bursae, a narrower subgenital plate with quadrangular edges. P. magnitudinis is characterized by the even larger size of the female genitalia (total length 10 mm), longer ductus bursae and rather quadrangular edges of subgenital plate. In addition, the apophyses of the new species are as long as the ductus bursae, whereas the apophyses of related species are shorter than the ductus bursae.
Description. Male (Figs 1-3). Wingspan 39-40 mm, length of fore wing 17 mm. Head, thorax, abdomen and fore wing beige grey; latter irrorated by black scales. Thorax and head covered with bifurcated hair-like scales (Fig. 52) some of which have black tip. Usual hair-like scales on metathorax long, thin, directed across abdomen. Black hair-like scales around eyes long and dense. Palpi short, covered with black hair-like scales on outer side and light-beige scales on inner side. Forewing broad and short with obtuse apex; costa straight; outer margin has almost straight termen. Wing pattern very indistinct, basal and subbasal lines marked as costal spots only; antemedial line represented by a few diffuse darker spots; medial line consists of a dark costal patch and shadow-like fascia; postmedial crossline traceable by black scales on veins; subterminal line variably strong, sinuous, marked by smaller or larger brown-grey arrowheads. Orbicular and reniform stigmata also less discernible, relatively large, roundish with light margins; claviform stigma diffuse or obsolete. Terminal line fine, continuous, grey brown; cilia long, narrow, variably strongly striated with dark brown. Hindwing pale, shining beige grey, transverse line present, discal spot pale but usually recognisable. Female (Fig. 4). As male but remarkably larger in size (wingspan 47 mm), with more obtuse apex of forewing.
Note. The study of a large number of Pseudohadena moths belonging to different subgenera and species groups showed a lot of variability of some parts in their genital structure. For instance, the terminal cornutus is sometimes doubled (Figs 13, 14), occurring rarely in larger series of moths with ordinary structure.
Etymology. The species name refers to the duck-like shape of the clasper. Distribution. The species is known only from its type-locality, South-west Kazakhstan, Ustyurt plateau. Diagnosis. Pseudohadena (Jaxartia) gorbunovi possesses all diagnostic external characters of the subgenus Jaxartia (wide bipectinate antenna of males, five curved spine-like setae on basitarsus of fore leg, bifurcated hair-like scales on thorax and head). It resembles P. evanida, P. leucochlora and P. pseudamoena. The genitalia structure of both sexes, especially the coiled type of vesica, the long ductus bursae, and the size of corpus bursae and appendix bursae indicates the close relationship with P. cymatodes and P. pseudamoena. Despite of the conspicuous differences in the habitus of P. gorbunovi and P. cymatodes, the latter species is the closest relative of P. gorbunovi.
The external features of P. gorbunoviare compared below with those of P. pseudamoena due to the striking external differences between it and P. cymatodes. The main distinguishing external features of P. gorbunoviare smaller size, the almost straight antemedial line, the more elongated fore wing with acute apex and oblique outer margin, and the narrower hind wing; P. pseudamoena has a zigzagged antemedial line, much wider fore wings with less oblique outer margin and obtuse apex and the hind wing is also wider, more rounded. The two species also differ in the structure of bifurcated hair-like scales (Figs 101, 104).
The diagnostic features of the male genitalia are in the shape of the cucullus, the costal process (digitus), the clasper, and the structure of vesica; those of the female genitalia are the shapes of the corpus bursae and appendix bursae. The new species differs from related species by its elongated, uniform clasper, fine, attenuated distal process of the digitus, relatively short cucullus, and the dorso-ventral direction of the twist of the vesica. In comparison with P. gorbunovi, P. pseudamoena has a larger, medially dilated, "butter knife"-shaped clasper with acute tip, somewhat shorter, wider distal process of the digitus, a much longer cucullus, and the vesica is twisted in a ventro-dorsal direction.
The female genitalia of P. gorbunovi are distinguishable from those of P. pseudamoena by the almost equally sized and similarly shaped corpus bursae and appendix bursae, whhereas in P. pseudamoena the corpus bursae is smaller than the appendix bursae.
The detailed characterisation of the genitalia of P. cymatodes will be presented in a separate paper (Pekarsky, in prep.).
Description. Male (Figs 64, 66). Wingspan 31-40 mm, length of fore wing 15-17mm. Head, thorax, abdomen and fore wing beige; fore wing irrorated with a few blackish-brown scales, thorax and head mixed sparsely with black-tipped hair-like scales. Scales on thorax and head bifurcated except on metathorax, which is covered by unforked hair-like scales directed across abdomen. Eye surrounded by black hair-like scales. Palpus short, wide, densely covered by long black hair-like scales on outer side and light-beige scales on inner side. Forewing narrow, with acute apex; costa straight; outer margin oblique. Wing pattern indistinct: basal, subbasal and medial lines recognisable only on most strongly patterned specimens; antemedial line represented by some darker spots; medial line most often represented only by dark costal patch; postmedial line curved and dentate; subterminal line curved, composed by blackish-brown scales; orbicular stigma with darker patch in centre; reniform stigma narrow, lunulate; claviform stigma diffuse, with small darker basal patch; terminal line present, cilia striated with dark brown. Hind wing pale, shining beige grey; transverse line present; discal spot hardly discernible.
Female (Figs 65, 67). Wingspan 36 mm, length of fore wing 15-17 mm. External characters as for male but with more rounded fore wing; wings and abdomen somewhat darker in colouration.

Female genitalia
Etymology. The new species is dedicated to the famous Russian entomologist, Mr. Pavel Gorbunov, who collected both of the new species of Pseudohadena described herein.
Distribution. The species is known only from its type-locality, South-west Kazakhstan, Ustyurt plateau. Figures 1-8