Catocala naumanni Sviridov 1996

Catocala naumanni Sviridov, 1996

(Figs. 2: D–I, 6: E, 7: B, F, 8: B, 9: E, 10: E, 11: F, 12: C, H, 13: C, H)

Catocala naumanni Sviridov, 1996, Journal of the Ukraine Entomological Society, 2(3–4), 23–26, (TL: China, Yünnan, Li –kiang [HT: coll. ZFMK).

All known specimens were collected in close proximity to the type locality in northern Yunnan Province, China, at altitudes above 2000 m, and allopatric with the other members of the C. naganoi species group. Sviridov's (1996) published male genitalic drawings of the holotype show some marked differences from the preparations we examined (e.g., in the drawing, the left valva clasper parallels the dorsal edge of the costa and the phallus lacks a distinctive quadrate tooth). However, actual photos of the C. naumanni holotype genitalia differ from these drawings, and the features match our other preparations.

It is not clear that C. solntsevi and C. naumanni are separable by wing pattern alone, and we found no consistent differences in the limited series we studied. All recently collected C. naumanni examined (3 males, one female) have a dorsal forewing marginal shade posterior of vein 2A, which continues between the antemedial and postmedial lines, although it may be not as dark in this area (Figs. 2: D–H). In some specimens of C. solntsevi the marginal shade is relatively lighter between the antemedial and postmedial lines (Figs. 1: Q–R), or the darkest area is limited to the vicinity of vein 2A but not extending to the anal margin (Figs. 1: M & O–P). All specimens of C. naumanni examined (n=5) have the dorsal hindwing marginal band clearly unbroken in cell CuA2; three specimens examined of C. solntsevi (n=31) match these (Fig. 1: R), but the remainder either have the band broken or more narrowly joined in cell CuA2. However, the range of variation in this feature observed in C. solntsevi is typical of infraspecific variation in many Catocala species, and longer series of both species may be needed to circumscribe the patterns more crisply.