Bitecta Heylaerts, 1891

Volynkin, Anton V., Černý, Karel & Huang, Si-Yao, 2025, On the generic assignment of the taxa placed in the Oriental footman-moth genus Teulisna with the description of three new genera, one subgenus and eighteen new species, Ecologica Montenegrina 88, pp. 104-163 : 107

Genus Bitecta Heylaerts, 1891 , stat. rev.

Bitecta Heylaerts, 1891 , Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique, 35: ccccxi [411] (Type species: Lithosia murina Heylaerts, 1891 , by monotypy).

= Lophoneura Hampson, 1894 , The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Moths , 2: 78 (Type species: Lophoneura uniformis Hampson, 1894 , by original designation), syn. n.

Notes. (1) Bitecta and Lophoneura were synonymised with Teulisna by Holloway (2001) along with a few other genus-group names. The examination of the type specimen of the type species of Lophoneura ( Fig. 95 ) has revealed that it is clearly congeneric to the type species of Bitecta ( Figs 5, 6 , 94 ) and therefore Lophoneura is synonymised with the latter. (2) The Philippine “ Eilema ” vestigiata Černý, 1995 is transferred into Bitecta in the present paper and its relationships will be revised in the forthcoming revision of the genus (Volynkin & Černý, in prep.).

Diagnosis. The male forewing of the genus has a strongly narrowed cell and bears two clusters of androconial scales: an elongate one stretching between the veins R1 and R2, and a compact one on the vein Cu proximally ( Fig. 5 ). The male genital capsule of Bitecta ( Figs 94, 95 ) is reminiscent of Teulisna but distinguished by the combination of the following features. (1) The valva is proximally narrow and has nearly parallel margins. (2) The basis valvae is broader. (3) The lamella centralis is strongly elongate and narrow, stretching from the distal end of the editum to the inner side of the distal saccular process, with which it is strongly articulated. (4) The dorsal branch of the distal saccular process is posteriorly dilated and setose while its anterior section is narrow fold-like and stalked with the lamella centralis in the middle of the valva. (5) The vesica lacks the sclerotised elements. The features (3) and (4) are considered herein as characteristic of the genus. The vinculum structure of Bitecta is similar to Teulisna . The type species of the genus lacks the plostri with caselli and the processus intrinsicus but these structures are present in reduced condition in other, otherwise morphologically very similar species in the genus (see Holloway 2001), which suggests that the presence or lack of the intravincular sclerotised structures or coremata in itself cannot be considered as a generic or subgeneric character. The intravincular saccate corema is present, which is similar to most of the subgenera of Teulisna except for Poikilothosia subgen. n. The female genitalia of Bitecta ( Fig. 147 ) differ from Teulisna in the narrow and membranous corpus and appendix bursae whereas in the latter genus the posterior section of the corpus bursae and the proximal section of the appendix bursae are gelatinous and the former also often bears areas of sclerotisation. Compared to Plumareola and Tufteulisna gen. n., the female genitalia of Bitecta have a longer ductus bursae with a sclerotised plate, and a markedly larger appendix bursae.

Figures

Figures 92–95. Male genitalia of Lithosiina spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 92 and 93 in MWM/ZSM; 94 in CKC; 95 in NHMUK.

Figures 1–16. Adults of Lithosiina spp. Depositories of the specimens: 1–4, 11 and 12 in MWM/ZSM; 5–10, 13– 16 in CKC.

Figures 145–148. Female genitalia of Lithosiina spp. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 145 and 146 in MWM/ZSM; 147 and 148 in CKC.