Malesia spitsyni Koshkin, 2025

Koshkin, E. S., 2025, FIRST RECORD OF THE GENUS MALESIA VAN EECKE, 1920 (LEPIDOPTERA: EREBIDAE, ARCTIINAE) FOR WALLACEA WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES FROM LOMBOK ISLAND, Far Eastern Entomologist 516, pp. 1-6 : 3-5

Malesia spitsyni Koshkin , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 3B3DF5AD-F8D1-4CAB-8EC5-99F295A4506C

Fig. 1

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype ( Fig. 1A ): ♂, Indonesia: West Nusa Tenggara province: Lombok Island, near Sembalun Bumbung vill., 8°24'10" S, 116°32'11" E, 1425 m, 30.VIII 2024, Evgeny S. Koshkin leg. (ex EKC, will be deposited in ZISP).

DIAGNOSIS. The new species clearly differs from the other congeners in the peculiarities of the structure of the male genitalia – the presence of a hook-like distal process of the costa and a massive spine-like distal saccular process. Apart from Malesia spitsyni sp. n., the distal saccular process is present only in M. cana Černy, 2014 , where it is strongly curved and the costa lacks any processes. The distal costal process is also present in M. eugoana van Eecke, 1920 , M. tanahratana Bucsek, 2012 , and M. luzonao Černy, 2014 , but in these species it is bifurcated (in M. spitsyni sp. n. it is not bifurcated and looks like a slightly curved hook). The aedeagus of the new species is short and broad, tapering distally, as in M. eugoana , M. tanahratana and M. luzonao . The size of the cornuti in M. spitsyni sp. n. is larger than in the above species. Externally, M. spitsyni sp. n. has no clear differences from other Malesia species, and is the same size as M. eugoana , which is the largest species in the genus.

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Fig. 1A ). Wingspan 20 mm. Forewing length 9.5 mm. Antennae bipectinate, yellowish. Labial palpus short, slender, yellow. Proboscis very thin, yellowish. Eyes rounded, brown. Head pale ochreous. Thorax, patagium, and tegula gray with ochreous margins. Abdomen gray on upperside, pale ochreous laterally and on last segments. Femurs gray, rest of legs light ochreous. Forewing narrow, ground color pale ochreous, with heavy diffuse dusting of dark brown scales. Two large rounded black spots in middle and end of discal cell. Dark postmedial band oblique, weakly expressed in middle, and most distinct at costal and inner margins. In submarginal area dark wavy discontinuous band. Terminal series of spots is dark. Hindwing translucent, pale gray with ochreous tint, slightly darker at costal and outer margins. Dark rounded discal spot weakly expressed. Cilia on fore and hind wing pale ochreous. Underside of forewing dark gray with pale ochreous outline, and dark spots in discal cell. Underside of hindwing pale gray, darker on costal and outer margins; discal spot dark.

Male genitalia ( Figs 1B, C ). Uncus long, slender, slightly expanded at tip. Tegumen broad, v-shaped. Saccus U-shaped. Valva elongate, narrow, costa straight with hook-like, slightly outwardly curved distal process. Distal saccular process massive, spine-like on right valva, rounded on left, slightly curved inwards, longer than apex of valva. Apical lobe of valva weakly sclerotized, rounded. Juxta small, strongly sclerotized, upper margin almost straight, lower concave. Aedeagus straight, short, broad, tapering distally and basally. Vesica longer than aedeagus, twisted, with lateral ridge on which 28 spine-like cornuti are arranged in a row. Apical diverticulum short, pointed, strongly sclerotized distally, otherwise finely scobinated.

Female. Unknown.

ECOLOGY. A specimen of the new species was collected in a mountainous disturbed deciduous forest at an altitude of 1425 m ( Fig. 2 ).

DISTRIBUTION. The new species is known only from the type locality in the northeastern part of Lombok Island (Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia) .

ETYMOLOGY. The new species is named after Russian entomologist Vitaly M. Spitsyn, who made a remarkable contribution to the study of the fauna and taxonomy of Arctiinae of Flores, another island in the Lesser Sunda Islands group.

Figures

Fig. 1. Malesia spitsyni Koshkin sp. n., male, holotype: A – adult; B – male genitalia; C – aedeagus with everted vesica.

Fig. 2. Habitat of Malesia spitsyni Koshkin sp. n.