Thiotricha tridentata Lee & Li 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lee, Ga-Eun
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Thiotricha
Thiotricha tridentata

description: Thiotricha tridentata sp. nov.   
(Figs 9F, 24I, 33E, 51A)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Wenshan City, Malipo County, Xiajinguang (23.17°N, 104.8°E), 1470 m, 26.vii.2016, leg. Kaijian Teng, Ga-Eun Lee and Tao Wang, genitalia slide no. LGE18464. Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slide no. LGE18465f.   
 Diagnosis. The forewing pattern of T.tridentata is somewhat similar to those of T.spinesigna, T.angusteproducta, T. crassiflagella, T. cornuata and T. minorirugata, but the fuscous costal band is much reduced in T. tridentata as a slender line. The male genitalia are very distinctive and well defined by the short gnathos hook, the valva strongly expanded in basal 1/2 and the aedeagus with a row of ventral teeth. The trifid male sternum VIII and the small corpus bursae without signum are also diagnostic characters for the species.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 9F). Wingspan 8.0− 9.5 mm. Head cream to light yellow. Labial palpus light yellow, segment II sometimes suffused with dark fuscous on ventral surface apically; segment III as long as II, dark fuscous on ventral surface. Antenna with scape cream to light yellow, slightly tinged with fuscous; flagellum dark fuscous except basal 1/3 or 1/4 of dorsal surface light yellow, male cilia as long as diameter. Thorax cream to light yellow, with a broad fuscous median line. Tegula cream to light yellow, fuscous along anterior margin. Forewing ground color cream to light yellow, dark fuscous apically; apical spot tinged inwardly with white scales; markings dark fuscous: a line from base to apex along costa, broadened beyond middle, interrupted by a short creamy costal streak at distal 1/5 or 1/4; a broad band on dorsum from base to middle, its distal half obliquely extended to distal 1/4 across wing, gradually attenuated, not reaching costal line;; an inwardly directed, V-shaped marking in distal 1/3 above fold, reaching apical spot anteriorly and near tornus posteriorly; fringe on costa, termen and dorsum dark fuscous. Hindwing dark fuscous; fringe dark fuscous except apical area white with a terminal black band. Legs as in T. spinesigna except ground color dirty-white to cream.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 24I). 1/5 length of abdomen, posterior 3/4 melanized, posterior 1/2 trifid; median tine elongate-triangular, slightly longer than lateral tines, with apex acute; lateral tines rounded at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 33E). Uncus oval, densely setose in distal 1/2. Gnathos hook very short, with basal 1/3 convex ventrally. Tegumen approximately 4.5 times as long as uncus. Valva robust, strongly broadened after base, then gradually narrowed to distal 1/3, with inner margin convex medially; distal 1/3 narrow and digitate, uniformly elongate to blunt apex. Anellus lobe bulbous, approximately 1/6 length of valva, with long setae. Juxta with basal 1/2 of inner margin convex. Vinculum with posterior margin broadly convex. Saccus subtriangular, blunt at apex, slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus.Aedeagus large, with basal 1/2 globular, slightly constricted beyond middle, broadened before apex; distal 1/4 with a row of minute teeth along ventral margin; apex shortly emarginate.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 51A). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 1/2 length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII concave posteriorly and nearly straight anteriorly. Sternum VIII longer than tergum VIII, weakly sclerotized around ostium bursae, posterior 1/2 with an elongate-oval sclerotization above ostium bursae, anterior margin produced in V-shape. Ostium bursae opening at posterior 1/3 of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae slender, with ductus seminalis arising from near base. Corpus bursae small, ovate, 1/5 length of ductus bursae, without signum.   
 Distribution. China (Yunnan).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin, tridentatus (trident), referring to the trifid sternum VIII in males.
description: Published as part of Lee, Ga-Eun & Li, Houhun, 2024, A taxonomic review of Thiotricha Meyrick, 1886 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Thiotrichinae) from China, with descriptions of 84 new species, pp. 1-222 in Zootaxa 5449 (1) on pages 50-51, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121