Rediscovery of an endemic Indian moth Gurna indica ( Moore , 1879 ) ( Lepidoptera : Erebidae : Arctiinae ) after 125 years

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CS Version 8. To describe the morphological and genitalia features, terminology as per Hampson (1894) and Volynkin (2016b) was used.To study the external female genitalia, the methodology mentioned by Robinson (1976) was followed.The distribution records were verified from literature (Swinhoe 1892;Hampson 1894Hampson , 1900;;Strand 1922;Singh et al. 2014;Volynkin 2016b).The identified specimen was duly registered and deposited in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune, Maharashtra, India (ZSI-WRC).The detailed collection locality is given under material examined and also shown in Fig. 1.The map of the collection locality was prepared using the open, free access QGIS software.
Hampson (1894) treated Gurna as a separate genus and described it in detail.Later, Hampson (1900) synonymized Gurna with the genus Miltochrista Hübner, [1819] where it remained until the 20 th Century.
Again, Holloway (2001) and Volynkin (2016a) considered Gurna a separate genus.Recently, Volynkin (2016b) restored it as a genus and revised its status based on the type species.Gurna indica is the only known species from the genus.The literature published on moths covering Maharashtra (Shubhalaxmi et al. 2011;Gurule & Nikam 2013) and India (Shubhalaxmi 2018) did not record G. indica.Till this study, no fresh specimen of this species was collected.Hence, this finding is a rediscovery of this moth after a long gap of nearly 125 years.Hampson (1894) mentioned the distribution of this species as 'Bombay' and Watson collected three males from 'Belgaum' in 1896 (Hampson 1900).This is a genus endemic to India and belongs to the Miltochrista-Asura generic complex (Volynkin 2016b).
One female specimen was collected by the second author from, Pune District, Maharashtra, India, using a light trap.The collected specimen was killed with ethyl acetate vapours.Further, it was relaxed, pinned, and dry preserved in the laboratory.The identification of the specimen was done with the help of Hampson (1894) and Volynkin (2016b).The specimen was studied under a Leica EZ 4 E stereozoom microscope with photographic facility.The images were stacked using Combine ZP software and then processed with Adobe Photoshop Miltochrista indica Hampson, 1900, Catalog. Lepid. Phalaenae Brit. Mus., 2: 474.Gurina indica Volynkin, 2016b, Biolog. Bull. Bogdan Chmeln. Melitopol Pedagog. Uni., 6 (3): 290-294.
Description: Female (Image 1A,B): body dark olivebrown; antennae filiform; frons and patagia bright yellow, except at base; posterior half of tegulae bright yellow; extremity of abdomen yellow.Palpi very short, porrect.Forewing dark olive-brown, elongated, narrow, apex rounded; vein 4 and 5 from angle of cell; 6 from below upper angle; 7, 8, 9 stalked; a round bright yellow spot in end of cell extended till costa, similar spot but not rounded at base of inner margin.Hindwing bright yellow basally, with broader olive-brown band terminally; vein 4 and 5 from angle of cell; 6 and 7 stalked; 8 from after middle of cell.Terminal minute pairs of spurs in the middle and hind femora.The underside of both wings is exactly the same except that the spots of the forewings are less defined.