Meleonoma ventrospinosa 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 ventrospinosa

description: Meleonoma ventrospinosa sp. nov.
(Figs. 11, 27, 37)
Type material. CHINA, Hubei: Holotype ♂, Qingtaiguan Forest Farm (31.19°N, 115.69°E), Luotian County, 570 m, 2.VII.2014, leg. W Guan & MQ Yang, slide No. YAH15214. Paratypes (2♂ 5♀): 1♀, same data as holotype; 1♂, Mt. Wujia, Yingshan County, 880 m, 28. VI.2014, leg. W Guan & MQ Yang; Chongqing: 1♀, Dahonghai, Mt. Simian, 1120 m, 17.VII.2010, leg. XC Du & LF Song; 1♂, Mt. Simian, 1000 m, 20.VII.2010, leg. XC Du & LF Song, slide No. YAH15197; Sichuan: 3♀, Mt. E’mei, 830 m, 13−14.VII.2014, leg. KJ Teng et al., slide No. YAH15191.
Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the valva with rowed spines along the ventral margin and the sacculus having a setose triangular process above the ventral corner in the male genitalia. It is simillar to M. triacantha sp. nov. in the male genitalia, and the differences between the two species are stated in the diagnosis of the preceding species.
Description. Adult (Fig. 11). Forewing length 5.0– 5.3 mm.
Head whitish yellow, tipped with blackish brown. Labial palpus yellow; first and second segments with dense blackish brown scales on outer surface, with sparse blackish brown scales on inner surface; third segment with a blackish brown dot before apex on dorsal surface, about 2/3 length of second segment. Antenna yellow; scape with scattered blackish brown scales dorsally; flagellum annulated with blackish brown on dorsal surface except basal several flagellomeres yellow.
Thorax pale yellow; tegula pale yellow, with dense blackish brown scales basally. Forewing with costal margin arched, apex pointed; ground color yellow, with scattered yellowish brown and black scales; costal margin with dense yellowish brown scales forming an ill-defined stripe along basal 1/3, darker at base, with three black dots evenly spaced from distal 1/3 to pre-apex, becoming smaller; costal spot black, diffused posteriorly; apical patch black; several equally sized black dots evenly spaced from below apical patch along termen to tornus, indistinct in some individuals; discal and plical spots black, plical spot smaller; discocellular spots black, spot at anterior angle of cell indistinct, spot at posterior angle distinct, rounded; fringe greyish black, yellow along basal line. Hindwing and fringe pale greyish brown. Legs yellow; on ventral surface, all femora mixed with blackish brown scales, fore coxa mixed with blackish brown scales, tibiae of fore- and midlegs blackish brown except yellow apically, tibia of hindleg mixed with blackish brown scales, tarsi of fore- and midlegs blackish brown except yellow at apices of basal three tarsomeres, hind tarsus blackish brown except yellow at apex of each tarsomere.
Male genitalia (Fig. 27). Uncus clubbed, wide at base, slightly narrowed to basal 1/6, then arched outward and sclerotized laterally to basal 1/3; distal 2/3 straight and uniform to rounded apex. Tegumen crescent, shallowly concave medially on anterior margin, sclerotized on outer margin. Valva sub-rectangular, triangularly produced dorsoapically; apex shallowly concave above ventral corner, with dense long setae; ventral margin heavily sclerotized, with a row of short spines unequal in size; costa narrow, reaching apex of valva, costal region with sparse short setae; transtilla weakly sclerotized, slender, narrowed medially. Sacculus sub-rectangular, sclerotized on margins, shorter than width, not separated from valva; apex with a setose, triangular process above ventral corner. Saccus twice as long as uncus, wide at base, narrowed to basal 2/5, then subparallel to before rounded apex. Juxta irregularly U-shaped; lateral lobe slightly narrowed to rounded apex, with a narrow process extending from beyond middle of its outer margin to ventroapical corner of sacculus. Aedeagus twice as long as valva, widened from base to basal 2/5, abruptly narrowed from basal 2/5 to apex dorsally, forming a dorsal bar, remaining part membranous; irregular apical belt from apex of dorsal bar curved to before apex ventrally, dilated distally, with an apical spine; ribbon-like sclerite from below dorsal bar across apical belt, exceeding its apex.
Female genitalia (Fig. 37). Papillae anales subquadrate, setose. Apophyses posteriores approximately 2.5 times as long as apophyses anteriores. Eighth sternal plate spiculate; posterior margin notched at middle, lined with long setae. Lamella postvaginalis sub-rectangular; posterior margin dentate, deeply concave at middle, forming two large semicircular lateral lobes; lateral margin serrate. Lamella antevaginalis concave at middle on posterior margin, forming two long bands, each band serrate and oblique on posterior margin; with two small sub-triangular lobes ventrobasally, each lobe extending outward first, then backwards, joining with lateral margin of lamella postvaginalis. Ductus bursae sclerotized, membranous in part; ductus seminalis arising from middle of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae shorter than ductus bursae, round; signum ovate, with a ridge mediovertically.
Distribution. China (Chongqing, Hubei, Sichuan).
Etymology. The epithet of the new species is derived from the Latin ventr- and spinosus, referring to the spines along the ventral margin of the valva.
description: Published as part of Wang, Shuxia & Zhu, Xiaoju, 2020, Study of the genus Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae) from China, with descriptions of fifteen new species, pp. 331-357 in Zootaxa 4838 (3) on page 342, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4838.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4404074