Cranionycta (Nefrendinycta) gorkhalii, Kiss, 2025

Kiss, Ádám, 2025, Taxonomic study of the genus Cranionycta de Lattin, 1949 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Acronictinae) with description of a new subgenus and 21 new species, Zootaxa 5640 (1), pp. 1-71 : 33-34

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5640.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0A887E65-2B6E-4F61-A0C8-33F019F397E0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15563233
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DDA77A-FFF4-FFE4-FF0E-3F40F44A128D
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cranionycta (Nefrendinycta) gorkhalii
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Cranionycta (Nefrendinycta) gorkhalii sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9146B6CC-5DC5-40B2-AE47-2CC8EAF21824

( Figs 37, 38 View FIGURES 31–40 , 71 View FIGURES 67–72 , 104 View FIGURES 96–106 , 123 View FIGURES 122–129 )

Holotype. Male, Nepal, Buri Gandaki, Machha Khola , 880 m, 30.vi.1998, leg. M. Fibiger, slide No.: KA 864m ( ZMUC).

Paratype. Nepal. 1 female, Central Khanchowk , E Gorkha, 1000 m, 27.vi.1998, leg. M. Fibiger, slide No.: KA865f ( ZMUC) .

Note. The single known female paratype of C. (N.) gorkhalii was badly molded, including the abdomen.The genitalia were almost completely destroyed during the dissection despite gentle maceration. Fortunately, the structure of the junction of the appendix with the corpus bursae, and a large part of the appendix bursae and the corpus bursae with signa, where most of the diagnostic characters can be found, were preserved. On the other hand, one of the most diagnostic characters, the fine structure of the terminal twist of the appendix bursae, is missing.

Diagnosis. Cranionycta (Nefrendinycta) gorkhalii ( Figs 37, 38 View FIGURES 31–40 ) externally can be characterized by the mottled, greyish-brown forewing (in males narrower than in females) with an indistinct wing pattern; the indistinct, somewhat wide antemedial field with an indistinct, darker patch between the costa and basal streak; the reduced, more or less absent basal streak; the quite obscure, brownish suprabasal patch; the reduced basal line; the indistinct, more or less absent antemedial line with a tiny, blackish spot outwardly at the inner margin; the gently wavy medial line with a rounded central protrusion; the narrow, widened at the costa, whitish with ochreous shading inner part, and the conspicuously greyish-brown outer part of the medial field; the gently crenulate postmedial line; the off-white, indistinct, narrow and zigzag (in male) or relatively wide and stripe-like (in female) subterminal line; the greyish-black, narrow, indistinct, more or less hastate spots of the terminal field; the completely reduced orbicular stigma; and the brownish, strongly indistinct, more or less absent reniform stigma.

The male genitalia ( Fig. 71 View FIGURES 67–72 ) are characterized by the somewhat straight, dorsally slightly curved, apically strongly narrowing uncus; the relatively short, more or less uniformly wide valvae with a fine break on the costa, and with a ventrally gently curved, and dorsally somewhat incurved and pointed apex; the slightly sclerotized medial sclerite.

The female genitalia ( Fig. 104 View FIGURES 96–106 ) have a basally more regular junction of the appendix bursae with the corpus bursae; and a relatively larger, gently curved basal turn of the sclerotized, ribbed section of the appendix bursae than the other species in the group.

Description. Imago ( Figs 37, 38 View FIGURES 31–40 ). Wingspan 29–31 mm. Head. Relatively large; 2 nd segment of palpus longer than 3 rd in both sexes; antennae of both sexes filiform. Thorax. Moderately wide, greyish-white; patagia concolorous with thorax with thin blackish outline; tegulae concolorous with thorax with thin blackish outline. Abdomen. Whitish-grey with some darker middorsal scale tufts. Wing. Forewing narrow in male, wide in female, apically obtuse, dark greyish-brown; basal spot blackish, tiny in males, larger in females, more or less semi-circular; basal streak blackish, short, reduced, line-like; tornal streak blackish, long, reduced between medial and postmedial lines, wider between postmedial and terminal lines; apical dash blackish, indistinct, line-like; basal line blackish, double, outer line conspicuously wider, inner line reduced, filled with greyish-brown; antemedial line reduced, with three indistinct, blackish, larger spots at costal area, and two barely distinct tiny spots, one whitish and one blackish, at outward edge of inner margin; medial line blackish, moderately wide, gently wavy with rounded central protrusion; medial fascia moderately wide, blackish, fading outwardly; postmedial line double, crenulate, inner line greyish-black, thin, reduced, outer line blackish, more prominent, with narrow black stripe between veins R3 and M2, filled with whitish; subterminal line off-white, indistinct, narrow and zigzag (in male) and relatively wide and stripe-like (in female); terminal line whitish, interrupted by black on veins; basal field greyish-brown, narrow, fused with suprabasal patch, antemedial field and interior of basal line, and joined to subbasal patch; subbasal patch lighter brownish-white with ochreous shading, moderately narrow and long; suprabasal patch brownish, obscure, stripe-like; antemedial field greyish-brown, wide with indistinct, darker patch between costa and basal streak; medial field inwardly whitish with ochreous shading, outwardly greyish-brown, inner part narrow but widened at costa, outer part narrow; subterminal field brownish-grey with large, blackish-grey squarish patches in costal area, obscure between veins M1 and M2 and around tornal streak; terminal field greyish-black, narrow, indistinct, more or less hastate spots with more pronounced, blackish, irregularly shaped spot apically; orbicular stigma reduced, lighter whitish with blackish scales inwardly; reniform stigma large, indistinct, inwardly darker brown, outlined with series of tiny blackish spots; four more or less rectangular whitish spots at costa between medial fascia and terminal line, decreasing in size towards apex; tornal patch blackish, small; fringe whitish with greyish patches. Hindwing rounded, apically slightly pointed, greyish-brown; marginal band slightly darker greyish-brown; postdiscal line faint; discal spot absent; tornal patch faint, slightly darker greyish-brown; fringe whitish with greyish patches.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 71 View FIGURES 67–72 ). Uncus moderately short, hairy, sclerotized, more or less straight, slightly curved dorsally, narrowing apically; apex hooked. Scaphium moderately sclerotized, pliers-like; subscaphium weakly sclerotized. Tegumen long with lobe-like peniculus covered with dense long hairs. Saccus sclerotized, V-shaped. Juxta simple, moderately sclerotized, widest at base, shield-shaped. Manica double, moderately sclerotized lobe-like extension with spinulose structure supporting numerous small spinules. Transtilla short, rod-like, uniformly wide, sclerotized. Valvae elongate, short, more or less uniformly wide with fine breaks on costa, moderately sclerotized; sacculus narrow, sclerotized; clavus slightly curved; valval androconial apparatus absent; medial sclerite long, straight, sclerotized; apex gently curved ventrally, somewhat incurved dorsally and with wide, dense corona. Phallus simple, tubular, moderately sclerotized; carina slightly more sclerotized, wide, short, wedge-shaped. Vesica as long as phallus, moderately wide, essentially tubular with three basal diverticula one of them bearing spinulose patch, distal diverticulum larger, elongate; tooth-like cornuti absent from mid-lateral surface.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 104 View FIGURES 96–106 ). Ovipositor rounded, tapering posteriorly. Papillae anales weakly sclerotized, oval, densely hairy. Anterior and posterior apophysis weakly sclerotized, rod-like, equal in length. Ostium longitudinally ribbed, moderately sclerotized. Antrum short, moderately sclerotized, more or less funnel-shaped. Ductus bursae short, moderately sclerotized, ribbed. Corpus bursae large, bulbous, weakly sclerotized with two opposing distal signa. Appendix bursae about as long as corpus bursae, coiled, moderately sclerotized, ribbed except in distal third; junction with corpus bursae long and narrow.

Male 7 th and 8 th abdominal segments ( Fig. 123 View FIGURES 122–129 ). 7 th sternite roughly trapezoidal, wider than long, evenly sclerotized with slightly more sclerotized, narrow semi-circular distal band; proximal edge slightly wavy, laterally extended; lateral sides slightly convex with less contrasting margins; distal edge slightly concave. 7 th tergite roughly trapezoidal, wider than long, lightly sclerotized proximally, and with more sclerotized semi-circular distal band; proximal edge more or less straight with two long, curved, sclerotized rods; lateral sides convex with less contrasting margins; distal edge slightly concave. 8 th sternite trapezoidal with rounded corner, as long as wide; window relatively large, more or less quadrangular with rounded proximal margin and angled distal margin, with narrow, laterally pointed sclerotized stripe; proximal edge arched with sclerotized patch in middle; lateral sides distally widening, in distal half strongly widened and fused, with more or less semi-circular sclerotized patch; distal edge concave. 8 th tergite more sclerotized proximally than distally, bell-shaped, about 2× as long as wide; window irregularly spade-shaped, long, with more or less contrasting margin; proximal edge short, pointed; lateral sides proximally uniformly wide, narrowest in middle with wide, rounded spur-like distal end; distal edge slightly concave. Anterolateral sclerites of 8 th segment relatively long, sclerotized, slightly curved rods with membranous spur-like extensions close to junction with 8 th sternite.

Distribution. Himalayan. Cranionycta (Nefrendinycta) gorkhalii is known only from its type locality.

Etymology. The name “ gorkhalii ” refers to the endonym Gorkhali which originates from the Gorkha Kingdom (now Gorkha District), historically synonymous with Nepali.