Brunia (Brunikatha), Volynkin & Černý, 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 : 49

Subgenus Brunikatha subgen. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D8014194-8574-4C3E-B7F4-0F805A4E01B7

Type species: Katha montana Bucsek, 2012 , by present designation.

Diagnosis. Species of Brunia (Brunikatha) subgen. n. ( Figs 5–21 ) are externally similar to Bucsekatha gen. n. ( Figs 22–35 ) and Sany ( Figs 36–38 ), and differ from the nominate subgenus of Brunia ( Figs 1– 4 ) in the blackish-brown head and thorax in males. In the male genitalia, the new subgenus ( Figs 56– 65 ) is distinguished from Brunia s. str. ( Figs 54, 55 ) by two features. (1) The processus momenti is reduced, which makes the conjuga very short and consisting of the tendon and the thin sclerotised plate connecting the tendon and the processus momenti in the nominate subgenus. (2) The phallus condition: in Brunia s. str., its distal section has longitudinal wrinkles making it expandable whereas it is evenly sclerotised and lacks the apical wrinkles in Brunia (Brunikatha) subgen. n. The female genitalia of the two subgenera ( Figs 89–97 ) display no fundamental differences.

Etymology. The subgenus name is an aggregate of the genus-group names Brunia and Katha .

Note. Species of the subgenus are herein subdivided into two species-groups clearly different in their morphology of the genitalia of both sexes.

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 19–35. Adults of Brunia (19–21) and Bucsekatha gen. n. (22–35) spp. Depositories of the specimens: 19– 21, 25, 27, 31 and 32 in CKC; 22–24, 26, 28–30 and 33 in MWM/ZSM (24 and 30: ex CKC); 34 and 35 in CAV.

Figures 36–53. Adults of Sany (36–38), Dubatoloviana (39–52) and Brunia (53) spp. Depositories of the specimens: 36, 37, 39, 41–45, 47, 52 and 53 in MWM/ZSM (45: ex CKC); 38 and 50 in NHMUK; 40, 46, 48, 49 and 51 in CKC.

Figures 54–56. Male genitalia of Brunia spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 54 in MWM/ZSM; 55 in ANHRT; 56 in CKC.

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 63–65. Male genitalia of Brunia montana. The specimens dissected are deposited in CKC.

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.

Figures 95–100. Female genitalia of Brunia (95–97) and Bucsekatha gen. n. (98–100) spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 95, 97, 99 and 100 in CKC; 96 and 98 in MWM/ZSM.