Diduga bantha Bayarsaikhan & Bae, sp. nov. (Figs 1a, 1b, 11, 21) Type materials. Holotype: 1♂, Laos, Xiengkhouang Prov., Ban Tha (N19˚43′28.92″, E103˚36′26.02″ Alt: 1245m), 1.IX.2018 (YS Bae, SM Na, DJ Lee, JH Ko, TG Lee, CM Jang), adult and genitalia slide no. INU˗10131L. Paratypes. 1♂, Laos, Xiengkhouang Prov., Ban Tha (N19˚43′28.92″, E103˚36′26.02″ Alt: 1245m), 1.IX.2018 (YS Bae, SM Na, DJ Lee, JH Ko, TG Lee, CM Jang), adult and genitalia slide no. INU˗10140L; 1♀, Laos, Champasak Prov., Tad Yeuang Waterfall (N15˚10′50.9″, E106˚08′21.9″ Alt: 965m), 26.II.2019 (YS Bae, DJ Lee, JH Ko, TG Lee, CM Jang), adult and genitalia slide no. INU-12867L. Diagnosis. By the wing pattern of this species, it is hardly distinguishable from many others of the genus Diduga. The genitalia structure of the new species is similar to Diduga kohkongensis Bayarsaikhan & Bae, 2018 (Figure 27), but can be distinguished from the latter by the large and long (longer than half size of valva) basal harpe of the valva, covered by short, stout spines; narrow and tapering valva with a sclerotized, pointed apex; and apical saccular process membranous in the male genitalia. In the female genitalia, the arched antevaginalis lamella is large and tapering, and the distal half of the corpus bursae is whole covered with dense spines. In D. kohkongensis, a short (shorter than half size of valva) basal harpe of valva, consisting of stout spines; stout valva with a roundly membranous apical process; and a long apical saccular process sclerotized and pointed in male genitalia; in the female genitalia, a broadly V-shaped antevaginalis lamella stout, and the distal half of the corpus bursae partly covered with dense spines. Description. Adult (Figures 1a, 1b). Wingspan 12.5– 13 mm in both sexes. Head and patagium yellow-brownish. Proximal end of tegula yellow-brownish, and distal end dark brown. Thorax dark brown, with yellow-brownish mesothorax. Forewing ground color dark brown, with broad, yellow-brownish costal and terminal margin, which hind border broadly waved, it ringed by more pale yellow line; with small, dark brown dots in costal border; cilia yellow-brownish. Hindwing ground color pale brown; cilia pale brown. Abdomen brown, with deep yellow anal tuft in male and female. Male genitalia (Figure 11). Conic uncus with roundly scalloped subapex, heavily covered with long setae, and a long, slender, pointed, hook-shaped process dorsally. Anal tube membranous and scaphium weakly sclerotized. Tegumen triangular, weakly pyriform, with a broad spur in proximal end. Valvae symmetric, narrow, weakly elongate and sclerotized, with strongly sclerotized, pointed apical process; a basal harpe large, almost half length of valva, covered by stout spines; costal margin of valva strongly sclerotized; apical saccular process rounded and membranous; juxta weakly sclerotized, tubular; vinculum short, almost half length of tegumen, weakly sclerotized; saccus broadly “U”˗shaped.Aedeagus stout, weakly sclerotized in zone, and vesica covered with spinules and some diverticulum stronger spinules, and five large and 2–3 small short nipple shaped cornuti. Female genitalia (Figure 21). Papillae anales weakly covered with setae; both apophysis slender and anterior apophysis shorter than posterior apophysis; lamella postvaginalis sclerotized, broad, arched; ostium bursae membranous, tubular; ductus bursae sclerotized, broadly tubular; corpus bursae rectangular, weakly wrinkled apical half and distal half of bursae covered with dense spinulose scobination whole; appendix bursae broad, membranous, weakly covered with spinulose scobination. Distribution. Laos (Xiengkhouang and Champasak Provinces). Etymology. Named after the type-locality, Ban-Tha, Xiengkhouang Province, Laos.

Published as part of Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Kwon, Hyung Wook, Kim, Kil Won & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2023, Review of the genus Diduga (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) of Laos, with description of one new species, pp. 331-342 in Zootaxa 5389 (3) on page 333, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5389.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/10409969