Inurois punctigera (Prout, 1915)

Beljaev, Evgeniy A., Vasilenko, Sergey V., Dubatolov, Vladimir V. & Zinchenko, Vadim K., 2024, First report on late autumn geometer moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from Kunashir Island, Russia (Southern Kurils), Amurian Zoological Journal XVI (4), pp. 979-995 : 988

** Inurois punctigera (Prout, 1915) ( Fig. 3 G )

Material. Plateau, birch and broad-leaved forest, at night, 21.11.2023 (Zinchenko) – 8♂; ibid., plateau, birch and broad-leaved forest, evening catch, 22.11.2023 (Zinchenko) – 10♂ ; plateau, broad-leaved forest, at late evening, 23.11.2023 – 3♂.

Distribution. Russia (S RFE: S Kurils – Kunashir); Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Tsushima), South Korea.

Remarks. It is a new species for both the Kuril Islands and Russia as a whole. On Kunashir, the moths were observed in the last third of November, alongside I. fumosa . In Japan, I. punctigera is vertically distributed from plains to the lower subalpine zones. Around the Kanto region, moths of this species appear from late December to March in the plains. In mountainous areas, it has two flight periods: first, from mid-November to early December, and second, from late April to early May, separated by the snow season ( Nakajima 1998, 2011 [as Inurois membranaria ]; Yamamoto, Sota 2009). The larvae feed on various leaved woody plants. It should be noted that most Japanese authors, starting with Inoue ( Inoue 1986), have erroneously identified Inurois punctigera as Inurois membranaria (nec Christoph, 1881). For further details, see Beljaev ( Beljaev 2022).

Figures

Fig. 3. Geometrid moths (Geomtridae) from Kunashir Island: A — Erannis golda, male; B — Erannis jacobsoni, male; C — Alsophila inouei, male; D — Alsophila japonensis, male; E — Inurois asahinai, male; F — Inurois fumosa, male; G — Inurois punctigera, male; H — Operophtera brunnea, male; I — Operophtera relegata, male; J — Eupithecia scribai, female; K — Eupithecia daemionata, female. Scale bar: 10 mm