Penthimia attenuata Distant

Figs 1–4, 41, 71–78, 224–225.

Penthimia attenuata Distant, 1918: 22 –23.

Shiny black, posterior margin of pronotum finely edged with orange-brown; scutellum touched with light brown on lateral margin and apex; forewing dark brown rarely reddish with variable yellow to orange-brown fine spots or patches.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with rounded caudal margin. Subgenital plate obtusely produced laterally near base, caudal angle rounded, with short hairlike setae. Style with body almost of equal width, preapical lobe well developed, apical apophysis short, thumblike. Connective with arms shorter than stem. Aedeagus short, stout, dorsal apodeme short, preatrium not developed, shaft short and very broad in lateral view, laterally compressed, curved caudo-dorsally with subapical lateral flange; gonopore apical on ventral margin, large.

Length. Male: 3.7–4.0mm. Female: 3.9–4.5mm.

Type material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: Lectotype ♀ P. attenuata (here designated): ‘Nandidrug, S. India, T.V. Campbell’ ‘92 2’ ‘N.D. 10.13 24[-?]’ [hand written on reverse of specimen mount] ‘Type H.T.’ ‘ Penthimia attenuata Dist. type’ ‘S. India, E. A. Butler 1915–60 ’(BMNH).

Other material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: 3♂, Nandidrug, T. V. Campbell (BMNH) ‘N.D. 10.13’ and ‘N.D. 10.16’; 2♂, 1♀, Biligirirangana Hills, 16.i.1985; 1♂, Kemmangundi, 11.iv.1975; 1♀, 9.iv.1975; 5 Km Panja Sullia, 8.ii.2005, Shobharani, M.; 1♀, Mandagadde, 22.ii.2005, Gaurav and K. B. Raj; Tamil Nadu: 4♀, Kodaikanal, T. V. Campbell (BMNH); 3♂, Coonoor, Nilgiri Hills, T. V. Campbell (BMNH); Kerala: 4♀, Munnar, 1524m, 22.iii.1977; 1♀, Thekkady, 884m, 27.iii.1977; Meghalaya: 1♂, Nangpoh, 762m, 4.xi.1981, S. Viraktamath; Tamil Nadu: 1♂, Shambaganur, 17.viii.1979, Dworakowska, I; 1♂, Naduvattam, 1829m, 6.vi.1977, S. Viraktamath; West Bengal: 1♀, 8 Km E of Kalimpong, 1768m, 29.x.1981; Sikkim: 1♀, Singtam, 30.x.1981, S. Viraktamath. All collected by C. A. Viraktamath except where indicated (UASB). All T.V. Campbell material listed above has code letters and numbers handwritten under the specimen mounts.

Remarks. This species was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: ‘South India; Nandidrug (T. V. Campbell)’. Although the specimens from Nandidrug (BMNH) listed under ‘Other material examined’ are topotypical, we cannot be sure of their status (see Material and Methods). This species can be distinguished by the fine orange-brown posterior edge of the pronotum and in the male by the short and broad aedeagal shaft in lateral view. In both respects it is similar to P. neoattenuata but the aedeagal shaft is broader with a subapical lateral flange. Due to this similarity females of P. attenuata are identified by association with males from the same locality. However, as both species occur in Nilgiri Hills the identification of these females remains tentative.