Thiotricha lativalva 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 lativalva

description: Thiotricha lativalva sp. nov.   
(Figs 6E, 23D, 29D, 47D)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Xizang Autonomous Region, Milin County, Pai Town (29.51°N, 94.86°E), 2900 m, 2.viii.2010, leg. Houhun Li et al., genitalia slide no. LGE18087. Paratypes. CHINA: Xizang Autonomous Region: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, Mt. Birishen (29.66°N, 94.38°E), 3245 m, Bayi Town, Linzhi County, 28.vii.2010, leg. Houhun Li et al., genitalia slide nos. LGE 18089m, LGE18081f.   
 Diagnosis. Superficially, this new species resembles T. atralata, but the forewing color is much lighter and the markings are less distinctive. The male genitalia are also very similar to those of the latter species and the differences are described under T. atralata. The female genitalia of T. lativalva have corpus bursae smaller than other related species.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 6E). Wingspan 13.5−14.0 mm. Head whitish grey, frons suffused with fuscous. Labial palpus fuscous mixed with grey; segment III slightly shorter than II, pointed at apex. Antenna with scape fuscous except base grey; flagellum fuscous, male cilia slightly shorter than diameter. Thorax and tegula fuscous, mixed with grey posteriorly. Forewing whitish grey, sparsely sprinkled with fuscous, costa suffused with fuscous near apex; base fuscous, this shade continued along dorsum toward apex, narrowed beyond middle; two fuscous spots at distal 1/3 and 1/4, respectively: former on dorsum, latter at half way across wing, sometimes smaller than former; apical spot indistinct; fringe grey. Hindwing and fringe grey. Fore and mid legs fuscous slightly mixed with grey, hind leg cream to grey, tarsus mixed with fuscous on outer margin.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 23D). 1/5 length of abdomen, gradually narrowed from base to anterior 2/3, posterior 1/4 bifurcate with slender tines, each tine sharply pointed at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 29D). Uncus tongue-shaped, slightly broadened after base, sparsely setose apically. Gnathos hook slender, pointed at apex. Tegumen approximately 4 times as long as uncus, anterior margin indented in Ushape. Valvae asymmetrical, basally narrow and slightly curved inward; right valva with costa nearly straight after base, ventral margin sharply widening from near base to basal 3/7, concave to 5/7, then slightly narrowing toward apex, rounded apically; left valva with costa broadly concave medially, ventral margin sharply widening from near base to basal 4/7, uniformly elongate to subapex, narrowed and rounded apically. Anellus lobe 1/2 length of valva, basal 2/3 slender, dilated distally; apical bristle 1/4 length of anellus lobe, hooked. Juxta setose, with a hummock-like process. Vinculum simple, posterior margin rounded. Saccus subtriangular, apex blunt, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 1/2 dilated, narrow and sinuous distally, apex shortly curved upward.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 47D). Papillae anales broadly covered with minute spines except anterior margin, strongly sclerotized along anterior margin. Apophyses anteriores about 1/2 length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII shorter than sternum VIII, divided into two sclerites, posterior margin concave. Sternum VIII slightly concave posteriorly, with anterior margin strongly elongate medially; medial sclerotization round in posterior 1/3, narrowly elongated anteriorly as a slender sclerite, anterior end curved and reaching base of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae as long as corpus bursae, with ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/5. Corpus bursae elliptical, signum in posterior half, semielliptical with a central ridge.   
 Distribution. China (Xizang).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, latus (broad) and valva (valva), referring to the broad valva.
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 22-23, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121