Avitta puncta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), New to Korea

Abstract

A noctuid species, Avitta puncta Wileman is reported for the first time from Korea. One male of A. puncta was collected from Island Gageo-do, which located at the most southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula. Diagnosis of the species is provided with brief description of adult including male genitalia.

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INTRODUCTION
The genus Avitta Walker, 1858 was erected with the type
species Avitta subsignans Walker, 1858 and now includes
about 40 species over the world(Poole, 1989; Beccaloni et
al., 2003). Warren(1913) described the general morphology
of the genus Avitta: male antennae long, shortly ciliated,
frons smooth, labial palpi obliquely upturned with long 2nd
and 3rd segments, and forewing elongate with blunt apex.
Holloway(1984) defined the monophyly of the genus based
on the phylogenetic analysis and he (2005) provided the
general morphology of the Malesian species of the genus
including the male and female genitalia: male antennae spa-
rsely ciliate to weakly fasciculate, the male femora tufted
with scales, the forewing reniform relatively large and open-
centered, often forming a letter ‘B’ and the rest with a series
of fine, irregular, darker fasciae, the forewing stigmata pro-
minent, and the hindwings with a discal spot on the underside;
the abdominal eighth sternite distally bidentate and the eighth
tergite with short, robust, well separated apodemes. In the
male genitalia the uncus moderate, apically hooked without
scaphium, the tegumen slightly longer than the vinculum,
the valves tongue-like distally and a massive, free process at
the base of the costa with additional processes from the inte-
rior of the sacculus, the juxta broad and spined distally, the
aedeagus vesica simple to bilobed, unornamented. In the fe-
male genitalia, the ostium with finely scobinate areas, the
ductus bursae relatively short and flimsy, and the corpus
bursae elongate, narrow, with some fine scobination where
it joins the ductus bursae, and the ductus seminalis arising
from the base of the ductus bursae close to the ostium bursae.
Holloway et al.(2001) and Holloway (2005) noted that this
genus is similar to its allied genera(e.g. Ophyx Guenée,
Anomis Hübner, Chrysopera Hampson) in the external appe-
arances, but can be distinguished by the genitalia.
The biology of the genus is not well known, but the type
species, A. subsignans was reared with the host plants in the
Menispermaceae: Cyclea and Stephania (Holloway, 2005).
The larva of A. subsignans is elongate, reduced prolegs on
A3, black head, brownish white body with brownish white
lines from head to body, a dark yellowish green dorsal band,
and a series of similar bands down each side. It pupates on
the ground in a silken cell that incorporates detritus(Hollo-
way, 2005).
The primary purpose of the present study is to report one
species of Avitta for the first time from Korea. One male of
A. puncta was collected on the island of South sea, Is. Gageo-
do, Sinan-gun. Jeonnam province. Moth was examined exter-
nally and was dissected for genitalia examination. Nomencla-
ture for adult morphology and genitalia follows Holloway
(2005). The material examined is now preserved in Mokpo
National University, Jeonnam, Korea(M.N.U.). Abbreviations
used in the text are as follows: TL. Type locality; and [JN]
Jeollanam-do(
==
Jeonnam).
SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNTS
Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758
Family Noctuidae, Latreille, 1809
Subfamily Catocalinae Boisduval, 1829
Genus Avitta Walker, 1858
Avitta Walker, 1858: 147. Type species: Avitta subsignans
Walker, 1858.
==
Asta Walker, 1863, Journ. Linn. Syst. Zool. 7: 170. Type
species: Asta quadrilinea Walker, 1863.
Korean J. Syst. Zool. Vol. 26, No. 1: 55-57, March 2010
Avitta puncta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae),
New to Korea
Sei-Woong Choi*
Department of Environmental Education, Mokpo National University,
Muan, Jeonnam 534-729, Korea
ABSTRACT
A noctuid species, Avitta puncta Wileman is reported for the first time from Korea. One male of A. puncta
was collected from Island Gageo-do, which located at the most southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula.
Diagnosis of the species is provided with brief description of adult including male genitalia.
Keywords: Avitta, Catocalinae, Noctuidae, Korea, new record
*To whom correspondence should be addressed
Tel: 82-61-450-2783, Fax: 82-61-453-4843
E-mail: choisw@mokpo.ac.kr
Short communication

==
Oroba Walker, 1863, Journ. Linn. Syst. Zool. 7: 81. Type
species: Oroba surrigens Walker, 1863.
==
Pantura Moore, 1885, Lep. Ceyl. 3: 247. Type species:
Bocana ophiusalis Walker, 1858.
==
Imleanga Lucas, 1901, Pr. Roy. Soc. Queen. 12: 83. Type
species: Imleanga fluviatalis Lucas, 1901.
1*Avitta puncta Wileman(Figs. 1, 2)
Avitta puncta Wileman, 1911: 251, pl. 30, fig. 2. TL: Satsuma,
Ibusuki [JAPAN].
Material examined. [JN] 1Is. Gageo-do, JN: Sinan, N
3404′20′′ E 12506′50′′, 446m a.s.l., 16 Aug. 2009(S.W.
Choi)(M.N.U.).
Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the prominent
frons with densely covered by long black hairs, the long
labial palpi with hairy 2nd segment and slender upturned 3rd
segment, the dark brown forewing with large black discoidal
dot and five dentate parallel lines and blackish hindwing.
The male genitalia can be distinguished by the hooked uncus
with scaphium, the distally largely expanded and hairy valva
with a patch of long spinular hairs at distal part of sacculus
and slender aedeagus with a tubular vesica.
Description(Fig. 1). Wingspan 36 mm. Male antennae fili-
form; frons distinct densely covered with long dark brownish
hairs; vertex with long dark brown hairs; labial palpi long in
length, 2nd segment thick, densely covered with long hairs,
3rd segment slender without long hairs, as long as 2nd seg-
ment, upturned. Legs dark brownish, with hairy femur and
ochreous tibial joints. Forewing ground color dark brown;
basal line blackish, dentate, medially inward; central fascia
two distinct black dentate lines, discal spot large blackish;
postmedial line double parallel blackish, dentate lines. Hindw-
ing ground color black; basal line light blackish; underside
with a large discal spot and postmedial line.
Male abdomen and genitalia(Fig. 2A-2C). Abdominal
segment A8 broad with a bidentate process on sternum(Fig.
2A). Uncus long, hooked, apically hairy; scaphium well
developed; tegument long, triangular; juxta sclerotized, round-
56 Korean J. Syst. Zool. 26(1), 55-57
Sei-Woong Choi
1*󰀢 (󰉥)
Fig. 1. Adult of Avitta puncta Wileman.
Fig. 2. Male abdomen and genitalia of Avitta puncta Wileman. A, Male abdomen, VIII st. eighth sternite; B, genital capsule; C, aedea-
gus with everted vesica.
012
A
CB

ed. Valva triangular; costa simple, distally expanded, hairy,
basally with a hump-shaped process; sacculus sclerotized,
slender, distally with a patch of long spinular hairs. Saccus
strongly pointed(Fig. 2B). Aedeagus slender(Fig. 2C); vesica
basally sclerotized with a parallel lines, the rest of vesica
membranous, tubular; cornutus absent.
Distribution. Japan, Taiwan, Korea.
Note. The occurrence of Avitta puncta in Korea could be in
doubt since this report was based on a single male. However,
the wide distribution pattern from Taiwan to southwestern
islands of Japan including Tsushima indicated the possible
settlement of the species in Korea.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Mr. Sang-Duck Na and Mr. Chul-Gee
Lee for sampling the specimen. This study was carried out
by the bioinventory project of Is. Gageo-do from National
Institute of Environmental Research. This is also supported
by the project on survey and excavation of Korean indigenous
species of the National Institute of Biological Resources
(NIBR) under the Ministry of Environment, Korea.
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Received February 5, 2010
Accepted March 11, 2010
Avitta puncta from Korea
57
Korean J. Syst. Zool. 26(1), 55-57