SPHINX CENTROSINARIA Kitching & Jin, 1998

TAXONOMY

Sphinx centrosinaria Kitching & Jin, 1998, Tinea 15: 275. Type locality: China, Sichuan, Ya'an.

ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Wingspan: 76mm. In general colour and maculation, S. centrosinaria is almost identical to S. crassistriga (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) from Japan. However, S. centrosinaria can be readily distinguished by its more elongate and apically pointed forewing. Furthermore, S. centrosinaria is a larger moth (RFWL = 33mm) than either nominotypical S. crassistriga from Honshu (RFWL = 29mm) or the northern subspecies, S. crassistriga aino Kishida (1990), from Hokkaido (RFWL = 26-28mm). The harpe of S. centrosinaria is also quite similar to that of S. crassistriga aino. However, in this latter taxon, the ventral lobe is much less well-developed than it is in S. centrosinaria, being reduced to a short, blunt, triangular point. The harpe of S. c. crassistriga is even less like that of S. centrosinaria, having an acutely pointed dorsal lobe and a ventral lobe that is reduced to a small, sharp point. Kitching & Jin (1998) considered that these structural differences, together with the immense distance between the ranges of these two taxa (over 3000km), justified treating S. centrosinaria as a species, rather than as a subspecies of S. crassistriga.

In its elongate forewing, S. centrosinaria resembles S. formosana Riotte (1970) from Taiwan. However, S. centrosinaria lacks the general dusting of pale grey scales over the forewing upperside of S. formosana (which reduces the pattern contrast in this species), while the shape of the harpe of S. formosana is quite different from that of S. centrosinaria.

ADULT BIOLOGY

Nothing known except that males are drawn to light.

FLIGHT-TIME

China: 27.vi-2.vii (Ya'an); vii (Dechang).

EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unknown.

LARVA: Unknown.

PUPA: Unknown.

Larval hostplants. Unknown, but most probably Pinaceae.

PARASITOIDS

Unknown.

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Sichuan (Ya'an; Abulandan Shan, near Dechang); Yunnan (Mianmian Shan, 20Km W Lake Lugu; Wumeng Shan, 20km N Baoshan village); Xizang/Tibet (Motuo National Park, near Medog; ?Mutu, Namjagbarwa region, 850m)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to Sichuan, Yunnan and Xizang/Tibet (Thierry Vaglia, pers. comm. 2007), southern China.

Part of the relict eastern Palaearctic fauna of montane southwest China. Closely related species are found in Japan (S. crassistriga Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) and Taiwan (S. formosana Riotte, 1970).

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

Holarctic; eastern Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Monocentric -- Yunnan refugium.