Meleonoma bidigitata Wang & Zhu 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Shuxia
name: Zhu, Xiaoju
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Cosmopterigidae
Meleonoma
Meleonoma bidigitata

description: Meleonoma bidigitata sp. nov.
(Figs 6, 28)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F735D61D-AC78-464B-82E5-F4BFBAFA3CD8
Type material. CHINA, Jiangxi: Holotype ♂, Mt. Jiulian, 20.VII.2006, leg. JS Xu & WC Li, slide No. YAH15506 (NKU). Paratypes: Guizhou: 2♂, Pobao, Shuizu Town, Limingguan, Libo County, 740 m, 20.VII.2015, leg. MQ Yang & GE Lee, slide No. YAH15459 (NKU).
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to M. longihamata sp. nov. in the male genitalia, but can be distinguished from the latter by the apex-truncate valva with a large spine at ventral corner, the dorsal process of the sacculus reaching before middle of the ventral margin of the valva, and the aedeagus lacking the two apical spines. In M. longihamata, the apex-rounded valva lacks a spine at ventral corner, the stronger and longer dorsal process of the sacculus reaches before apex of the valva ventrally, and the aedeagus has two apical spines.
Description. Adult (Fig. 6). Forewing length 5.0 mm.
Head blackish brown; yellow along dorsal margin of eyes and occiput. Labial palpus yellow; first and second segments mixed with blackish-brown scales; second segment with a blackish-brown annulation before apex; third segment with scattered blackish-brown scales. Antenna with scape yellow, flagellum greyish black alternated with black.
Thorax blackish brown, yellow laterally; tegula greyish black basally, mixed with yellow distally. Forewing lanceolate, narrowly rounded at apex; ground colour blackish brown, with dense yellow scales, with a yellow spot at base below costal margin; costal margin with inner yellow spot sub-rectangular, obliquely outward, outer yellow spot sub-triangular, with black scales forming a dot anteromedially; fold with yellow spot at basal 3/5 and at end respectively, bordered by black scales; cell with yellow spot at middle and at outer margin respectively, bordered by black scales; apex and termen yellow; fringe greyish black, yellow basally. Hindwing and fringe greyish brown. Legs yellow; on ventral surface, fore coxa with blackish-brown scales, tarsi of fore- and midlegs blackish brown except yellow at apices of basal two tarsomeres, hind tarsus with basal four tarsomeres blackish brown except yellow at apices, all femora with blackish brown scales, all tibiae blackish brown except yellow apically.
Male genitalia (Fig. 28). Uncus slender, spine-shaped, arched, hooked apically. Gnathos sclerotized laterally, becoming weaker distally, not exceeding anterior margin of tegumen. Tegumen almost uniformly wide, concave on anterior margin; lateral arm short, slightly narrowed anteriorly. Valva with basal 2/5 uniformly narrow, wid-ened from about 2/5 to apex, setose distally; apex truncate, with a large spine at ventral corner directing obliquely outward, sometimes with a small spine above it; ventral margin heavily sclerotized, concave near base; costa narrow, with sparse long setae; transtilla widely banded basally, produced to a thumb-shaped process distally, curving dorsad at a right angle, joined medially by weakly sclerotized narrow band. Sacculus sub-quadrate, folded apically, dorsoapically produced to a large spine-shaped process reaching before middle of ventral margin of valva. Saccus wide at base, narrowed to basal 2/3, distal 1/3 evenly narrow, rounded at apex; slightly longer than uncus. Juxta broadly U-shaped. Aedeagus nearly 2.5 times as long as valva; basal 2/3 tubular, uniformly wide from basal 1/3 to 2/3, partly membranous from distal 1/3 to distal 1/6; distal 1/6 with a sclerotized band curved sub-ovately; cornutus small, spine-shaped.
Female unknown.
Distribution. China (Guizhou, Jiangxi).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin bi- and digitatus, referring to the two thumb-shaped processes of the transtilla in the male genitalia.
description: Published as part of Wang, Shuxia & Zhu, Xiaoju, 2020, Study of the genus Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae) from China, with descriptions of twenty-one new species (II), pp. 257-289 in Zootaxa 4881 (2) on pages 263-264, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4881.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4283658