Brunia (Brunikatha) usuguronis ( Matsumura, 1927 ), 2025

Volynkin, Anton V. & Černý, Karel, 2025, On the taxonomy of the Brunia Moore generic complex with the description of a new genus, a new subgenus and four new species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini: Lithosiina), Ecologica Montenegrina 87, pp. 46-76 : 50-51

Brunia (Brunikatha) usuguronis ( Matsumura, 1927) , comb. n.

( Figs 9–15 , 58–61 , 93, 94 )

Lithosia usuguronis Matsumura, 1927 , Journal of the College of Agriculture, Hokkaido Imperial University, Sapporo, Japan, 19 (1): 65, pl. 5: fig. 17 (TL: [ Taiwan, Nantou County, Puli] “Formosa, Horisha”).

Katha montana Bucsek, 2012 : Bucsek (2020): 56, figs 35, 36, 111.

Type material examined. Photograph of the holotype (by monotypy) ( Fig. 9 ): male, “Horisha | Formosa | -1917” / “L. | usuguronis” / red label “ Type | Matsumura ” ( HUFA) .

Additional material examined: series of specimens of both sexes from Taiwan, Northern Vietnam (Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh Provinces), Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai Province) and Northeast India (Meghalaya) ( MWM / ZSM) .

Note. Wu et al. (2020: fig. 9k) illustrated the male genitalia belonging to the genus Cernyia Bucsek, 2012 as those of the holotype of Lithosia usuguronis . However, the only species of the genus Cernyia occurring in Taiwan, Cernyia ranrunensis ( Matsumura, 1927) , a male specimen of which was also illustrated by Wu et al. (2020: fig. 5c) as “ Cer. [nyia] usuguronis ”, is externally fundamentally different from the holotype of usuguronis and is very similar to other species in the genus Cernyia . On the other hand, all examined Taiwanese moths externally identical to the holotype of Lithosia usuguronis belong to a single species of the genus Brunia , which is widespread from Northeast India to Taiwan. Thus, it is clear that the Cernyia male genitalia illustrated by Wu et al. (2020: fig. 9k) do not belong to the holotype specimen of Lithosia usuguronis . This unfortunate mistake is probably due to a Cernyia abdomen being misglued to the holotype of Lithosia usuguronis in the past, or was caused by the accidental confusion of the genitalia of different specimens happened during a series of dissections (for the similar case see Volynkin (2020)).

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 13.0–14.5 mm in males and 15.0–16.0 mm in females. Brunia usuguronis is externally similar to B. montana but is somewhat larger. The male genital capsule of B. usuguronis is distinguished from B. montana by the shorter vinculum, the narrower and more apically rounded tip of the valva, and the shorter sacculus with a distal saccular process not reaching the valva apex. Compared to B. montana , the vesica of B. usuguronis has a markedly broader and somewhat longer main chamber, its proximal dorsal and medial lateral diverticula are considerably longer and broader, the proximal ventral diverticulum is longer, distally tapered and bears a serrulate plate-shaped cornutus (in B. montana it is distally dilated and bears a robust thorn-shaped cornutus), and the distal diverticulum is longer, broader, hook-like curved and bears a cornutus with a long plate-like base laterally whereas in B. montana the distal diverticulum is shortly conical and bears a massive horn-shaped cornutus apically. In the female genitalia, B. usuguronis differs from B. montana in the somewhat longer ductus bursae, the larger and sclerotised, semiglobular lateral protrusion bursae on the right side, the lack of the heavily sclerotised ventro-lateral pocket on the left side of the corpus bursae anteriorly of the appendix bursae, which is typical of B. montana , and the proximally broader and more weakly sclerotised appendix bursae.

Distribution. The species is found in Northeast India (Meghalaya), Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Nan Provinces), Northern Laos (Huaphanh Province) ( Bucsek 2020, as montana ), Northern Vietnam (Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh Provinces), and the island of Taiwan.

Figures

Figures 1–18. Adults of Brunia spp. Depositories of the specimens: 1, 2 and 10–16 in MWM/ZSM; 3 and 4 in ANHRT; 5–8 and 17, 18 in CKC; 9 in HUFA (photo by V. Zolotuhin, courtesy of V. Dubatolov).

Figures 57–59. Male genitalia of Brunia spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 57 in CKC; 58 and 59 in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 60–62. Male genitalia of Brunia spp. The specimens dissected are deposited in MWM/ZSM.

Figures 89–94. Female genitalia of Brunia spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 89, 93 and 94 in MWM/ZSM; 90 in ANHRT; 91 and 92 in CKC.