Western Chinese Moon moth

Description:

"A. sinensis seems to be restricted to China only (with s. subaurea on Taiwan), the species in Burma, Bhutan and Vietnam being A. parasinensis. In general habitus, A. parasinensis n. sp. has longer and narrower hindwing [hw] tails than A. sinensis. On the forewing [fw], the position of the basal line is more distal and the basal area larger than in A. sinensis. The direction of the (slightly less) curved fw-postmedial band is more straight and always parallel to the submarginal band in A. parasinensis, whereas in A. sinensis the postmedial line forms a short arc around the fw ocellus and is thus further from the submarginal line near the inner margin and the costa. The fw submarginal band is broader and more colourful, consisting of violet half-moons between the veins in sinensis that are not really visible in parasinensis. In addition the colour of this band is dark grey in parasinensis rather than the pink-violet of sinensis. Additionally, the shape of the dark central feature of the hw ocellus is V-shaped in parasinensis whereas in sinensis it is shaped more like a half moon. Male genitalia: There are some small but constant differences between A. parasinensis n. sp. and A. sinensis. The bifid uncus is slightly narrower and more open in parasinensis. The dorsal lobes of the valves are also narrower and longer in the new taxon. The two lateral branches of the V-shaped juxta are narrower and more widely spread in parasinensis. The saccus of the new species is smaller and narrower and has a waist basally. There are no visible differences in the phallus (= aedeagus) between the two taxa.

Notes:

ID confirm by Dr Ian Kitching, Dr Ron Brechlin and Dr Peter Smetacek.