Miltochrista aurantia Bayarsaikhan & Bae, 2025

Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Kwon, Hyung Wook, Kim, Jae Won & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2025, Genus Miltochrista (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) from Laos, with description of one new species, Zootaxa 5632 (2), pp. 271-292 : 279

Miltochrista aurantia Bayarsaikhan & Bae , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D3B5D3A8-2972-46D5-85F6-783194E47B0E

(Figs. 6, 28)

Type material. Holotype. [ LAOS] ♂, Xiengkhouang Prov. , Ban Tha (N19˚43'28.92", E103˚36'26.02" Alt: 1245m), 1.IX.2018 (YS Bae, SM Na, DJ Lee, JH Ko, TG Lee, CM Jang), adult and genitalia slide no. INU˗10205L.

Diagnosis. Miltochrista aurantia sp. nov. is most similar to M. flavorosea Bucsek in the wings pattern. Both species have reddish forewing with various lengths of thick, dark transverse lines in the basal area; a dark, thick medial line connected to a discal dark spot; various lengths of dark transverse lines in subterminal area; the hindwing have a medial dark band and several short, dark transverse lines in the apical area. However, this new species can be distinguished from M. flavorosea Bucsek by more bright yellowish ground color of the basal area and cilia in both forewing and hindwing, which have a more distinct dark marking. The male genitalia is also similar to that of M. flavorosea Bucsek , but differ in having a short, stout uncus (almost half the size of M. flavorosea ); tegumen with a distinct, broadly rounded dorsal tegumenal lobe; a short, thick apical costal process (about three times wider than M. flavorosea ) that is pointed and slightly angled, and a membranous, broadly truncated apical process in the valvae.

Description Adult (Figs. 1). Length of the forewing 10 mm in male. Antennae filiform, orange yellowish. Head, patagium, tegula and thorax orange yellowish, with a rounded dark dot in tegula and thorax. Forewing ground color orange yellow-pinkish, with orange yellowish basal area and cilia. Orange yellowish costal margin of forewing with a slender dark line in basally. Basal area with five short, stout, dark bands and a dark patch. A dark medial band broad and connected to a discal dark spot and last band of terminal bands. Orange yellow-pinkish terminal area with nine dark, slender (much slender than basal bands) bands and covered with dark scales between slender bands. Series of distinct small terminal spots dark. Hindwing ground color pale orange yellowish and pale pinkish in terminal area, with broad dark medial band and two apical, indistinct, short, dark bands. Cilia golden yellowish in both wings. Abdomen pale orange yellowish. Male genitalia (Figs. 3a, b). A stout, triangular uncus with apical small spine. Tegumen triangular, weakly sclerotized, with a broad rounded dorsal tegumenal lobe weakly sclerotized; elongate medial tegumenal lobe weakly sclerotized; and a roundly lobe-shaped basal tegumenal lobe strongly sclerotized marginally. Juxta with a pair of sclerotized lobes. Valvae symmetric and stout, with a large, sclerotized distal costal process, its thick (almost as thick as the valvula), bent, pointed, and apically covered with small spines. Valvula stout, membranous, shorter than apical process, and weakly covered with spines. Distal saccular process sclerotized, bent and pointed. Sacculus with heavily setose dorsal margin. Vinculum weakly sclerotized, V-shaped. Aedeagus stout, weakly sclerotized, with two rounded, weakly sclerotized carina in apical zone and vesica with two stout spine shaped cornuti, ovoid sclerotized plate, and scobination. Female genitalia. Not collected.

Distribution. Laos (Xiengkhouang Province).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the New Latin “auranti” meaning “amber orange colored” referring to the amber orange color of forewing.