Dichagyris (Stenosomides) mansoura (Chrétien, 1911)

Agrotis mansoura Chrétien, 1911, Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 79:498, L.t.: Tunisia, Gafsa.

Material examined. 6♂♂, Iran, Esfahan, Damane, Korde Olia, 2363 m, 32°55'45"N 50°40'30"E, 10.IX.2011, leg. P. Poorshabanan, slide Nos. AS 686m, AS 688m, AS 888m.

Diagnosis. The subgenus Stenosomides differs from its two other congeneric subgenera by the cucullus which lacks corona, the prominent clasper, the absence of ampulla, the hooked tip of the long, pubescent uncus, the triangular juxta and the spiraled vesica (Fibiger, 1993). D. mansoura differs from its close relative, D. spissilinea (Staudinger, 1869) externally by its brown greyish coloration and long black basal dash. In the male genitalia the very long vesica of D. mansoura is diagnostic.

Identification (Fig. 1B). Male Wingspan 30–35 mm., pubescence of head, thorax and collar unicolorous, dark brown and blackish with white greyish tips of hairs. Antenna fasciculate with long cilia, head small, palpi well-developed, third segment long, hairy. Forewing ground color turbid gray, mixed with light brown, crosslines rather defuse, black basal dash elongated, noctuid maculation present, paler than ground color, somehow milky white to light brown, orbicular stigma ovoid, outlined with dark posteriorly, reniform and claviform stigmata encircled by dark brown, marginal area with veins covered by dark brown, terminal line fine, cilia irrorated by smoky grayish and white. Underside of wings dusty light brown. Hindwings creamy whitish, veins marginally covered with brown, terminal line dark brown, cilia sharp white. Underside of hindwings cloudy white.

Male genitalia (Figs 2C, 2D). Hairy uncus long, strong, and hooked. Valva broad, apically slightly pointed, costal area convex, ventrally almost straight, sacculus weakly sclerotized, clavus small, clasper very strong, slightly curved apically, cucullus small and corona absent, juxta heart-shaped and relatively sclerotized, saccus long and triangular. Aedeagus straight, hook-shaped processes of carina sclerotized, slightly curved, vesica very long, tubular, and helicoid in basal third, apically with small tubercle-like diverticulum, and two weak and small sub-basal cornuti present.

Bionomic. Univoltine late summer and early autumnal species, D. mansoura inhabits open biotopes and semi mountainous regions covered with shrubs and bushes. Adults come to artificial light, stunted plants are the reported larval food plants and the early stages were described by Chrétien (1911).

Distribution. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya (Fibiger, 1990), Iran (new record).