Miltochrista gopaldhara Volynkin, Černý, N. Singh, Kirti, Datta & S. Singh, 2025

Volynkin, Anton V., Singh, Santosh, Černý, Karel, Kirti, Jagbir Singh, Datta, Harvinder Singh & Singh, Navneet, 2025, On the taxonomy of the genus Miltochrista Hübner with descriptions of six new species from the Oriental Realm (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Zootaxa 5566 (3), pp. 401-445 : 406

Miltochrista gopaldhara Volynkin, Černý, N. Singh, Kirti, Datta & S. Singh , sp. nov.

( Figs 5, 6 , 98 )

Type material. Holotype ( Figs 5 , 98 ): ♂, “Gopaldhara, | Mirik , Sikkim [West Bengal] | (H. Stevens).” / “Rothschild | Bequest |B.M.1939-1.” / QR-code label with unique ID “NHMUK010604627”, gen. prep.No.: NHMUK010313465 (prepared by Volynkin) ( NHMUK).

Paratypes. INDIA. West Bengal: 1 ♂, Echhey Forests, Burmaik , 13.ix.2018, S. Singh leg. ( NZCZSI, 12617/ H10) ; Arunachal Pradesh: 1 ♂, Bomdila , 26.vi.2018, S. Santosh leg. ( NZCZSI, 12613/H10) .

Diagnosis. The forewing length is 9.0 mm in males. Miltochrista gopaldhara sp. nov. is most morphologically similar to M. neoseriata , from which it is distinguished by the smaller size and the narrower forewing apex. In the male genital capsule, the new species is distinguished from M. neoseriata in the longer uncus and the considerably shorter distal costal process. The male genital capsule of M. gopaldhara sp. nov. is also reminiscent of M. aureata but differs in the proximally broader uncus, and the narrower valva with a more medially convex dorsal margin. The vesica of M. gopaldhara sp. nov. is markedly broader and more globular than in M. neoseriata (it is rather sack-like in the latter), and the lateral cornutus sits on the shorter and narrower diverticulum situated on the right side of the vesica (vs. the left side in the congener). Compared to M. aureata , the vesica of the new species is slightly narrower and bears almost equal cornuti, whereas in M. aureata the distal cornutus is broader while the lateral one is considerably shorter than in M. gopaldhara sp. nov.

The female is unknown.

Distribution. Northeast India (north of West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh).

Etymology. The specific epithet is homonymic of the type locality of the new species. The name is a noun in nominative singular in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Adults of Miltochrista spp. Depositories of the specimens: 1, 2, 6, 9 and 10 in NZCZSI; 3 and 4 in OUMNH; 5, 7 and 8 in NHMUK.

FIGURES 95–98. Male genitalia of Miltochrista spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 95 and 96 in NZCZSI; 97 in OUMNH; 98 in NHMUK.