Ichneumenoptera gryphus Liang & Hsu, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Liang, Jia-Yuan
name: Hsu, Yu-Feng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Sesiidae
Ichneumenoptera
Ichneumenoptera gryphus

description: Ichneumenoptera gryphus Liang & Hsu sp. nov.
(Figs 6, 7, 19, 25)
Holotype. ♂, HUALIEN: Zhuoxi, Shanfeng, 550 m, 29.I.2014, reared from Machilus japonica, emg. 13.III.2014, HSUM 14A40M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NHM). Paratypes. 1 ♂, same date as holotype, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NTNU); 1 ♂, same locality, 500 m, 13.V.2013, reared from M. zuihoensis, emg. 17.VI.2013, HSUM 13E21M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NTNY); 1 ♀, TAICHUNG: Hoping, Baxianshan, 900 m, 19.I.2013, reared from M. zuihoensis, emg. 12.III.2013, HSUM 13A04M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (Gen. Prep. JYL-003, NTNU); 1 ♂, NANTOU: Renai, Huisun Forest Area, 700 m, 20.II.2012, reared from M. zuihoensis, emg. 29.III.2012, HSUM 12B37M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (Gen. Prep. JYL- 0 0 1, NTNU); 2 ♂, 2 ♀, HUALIEN: Yuli, Chikeshan, 800−850 m, 12.II.2013, reared from M. thunbergii, emg. 20.III −15.IV.2013, HSUM 13B15M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NTNU); 1 ♂, TAIPEI: Beitou, Menghuan pond, 850 m, 12,V,2014, W.J. Lin Coll. (NTNU); 1 ♀, PINGTUNG: Wutai, Ali, 1200 m, 2.VI.2014, on flower of B. pilosa, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NTNU); 1 ♂, PINGTUNG: Hengchun, Kentung, 1.IX.2012, J.F. Tsai Coll. (TFRI).
Description. Male (Fig. 6). Antennae length 8.2−10.2mm (n=5); forewing length 11.2−12.4 mm (n=5); body length 15.6−17.3 mm (n=5). Head: antenna black, light brown scales ventrally; frons white; labial palpus orange; vertex black; pericephalic scales yellow-orange with a few black scales dorsally and yellow laterally. Thorax: patagium black with violet sheen; tegula yellow-orange with a black with purplish sheen spot at base of forewing; mesothorax with a yellow medial line; metathorax with two groups of lemon-yellow scales. Legs: fore coxa lemonyellow, tibia and tarsus dorsally orange with ventrally black; hind tibia black, internally yellow; spurs lemonyellow, distal dark brown to black. Abdomen: black with blue sheen; tergite 1 with an orange stripe connected with a yellow stripe distally; tergites 2−7 each with a broad orange stripe connect with a narrow yellow stripe distally; sterna yellow; anal tuft dorsally black with a narrow admixture of orange scales laterally, yellow-orange ventrally. Forewing: black basally; costal margin dark brown to black,with a narrow orange stripe between vein Sc and Rstem; discal spot and veins within exterior transparent area dark brown to black; apical area dark brown, with admixture of orange scales between veins R3−Cu1; discal spot narrow; exterior transparent area large divided into five cells, level to M2 about 4.5X as broad as discal spot and 0.7X as broad as apical area; posterior transparent area reaching distal exterior transparent area; fringe dark brown. Hindwing: transparent; veins, discal spot and outer margin dark brown to black, 1A veins brown to orange; discal spot small, cuneiform, reaching to vein M2; outer margin narrow, about as narrow as fringe; fringe dark brown, dark brown anally. Female (Fig. 7). Antennae length 8.5−9.4mm (n=3); forewing length 11.9−13.3 mm (n=3); body length 14.2−15.6 mm (n=3). Almost identical to male.
Variation. The exterior transparent area of forewing is divided into five or six cells.
Genitalia. Male (Gen. Prep. JYL-001, NTNU, Fig. 19). Tegumen-uncus complex relatively narrow; scopula androconialis well-developed, long, about as long as tegumen-uncus complex; crista gnathi medialis long semioval, membranous proximally; crista gnathi lateralis semi-oval, narrow and short, membranous; valva elongated trapeziform; crista sacculi nearly undeveloped, covered with same setae of valva; ventral crista low and short, covered with relatively short flat-topped setae; saccus broadened and rounded basally, nearly as long as vinculum; phallus extremely narrow about 3/4 length of valva; vesica with numerous, irregular, minute cornuti.
Female (Gen. Prep. JYL-003, NTNU, Fig. 25). Eighth segment broad with a few relatively short setae; papilla analis relatively small and narrow, covered with long setae; posterior apophysis nearly as long as anterior apophysis; oustium bursae broad, membranous; antrum funnel shaped, well-sclerotized; ductus seminalis long and narrow; ductus bursae about 1.5X antrum, membranous; corpus bursae ovoid, membranous, without signum.
Diagnosis. Ichneumenoptera gryphus sp. nov. is similar to I. punicea Gorbunov & Arita 2000, which was described from northern Vietnam. I. gryphus. may be distinguished from I. punicea by having an additional yellow medial line in mesothorax. An orange band edged with yellow is present posteriad on each tergite of A2 to A 7 in I. gryphus, whereas only a yellow bar is found in I. punicea. Distal end of saccus is rounded in I. gryphus, but truncated in I. punicea.
Etymology. Specific name refers to an creature from Greek mythology, gryphus = gryphon.
Biology. Adults was observed active during the day in June. The larva bores into the trunks of 2−8 cm in diameter of trees in the genus Machilus (Lauraceae) and feeds on callus, creating shallow galleries up to 2.5 cm long between the bark and the cambium layer covered with silk, debris, and frass. The larvae pupate in the following spring, but they clear the frass out of the tunnel and work their way to near the exit. Before the adult moth emerges, the pupa wriggles so that it projects from the entrance hole so that adult moth may stretch wings open emergence from pupal cases.
Distribution. Known only from Taiwan.
description: Published as part of Liang, Jia-Yuan & Hsu, Yu-Feng, 2015, A review of clearwing moths in the tribe Synanthedonini, with descriptions of six new species from Taiwan (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), pp. 535-555 in Zootaxa 4044 (4) on pages 543-544, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4044.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/243567