Thiotricha hamatisigna 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 hamatisigna

description: Thiotricha hamatisigna sp. nov.   
(Figs 20H, 27N, 44D, 61C)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Zhejiang Province, Jingning County, Yujikeng (27.69°N, 119.58°E), 964 m, 11.vii.2017, leg. Zhenguo Zhang, Yanyan Jia and Juan Li, genitalia slide no. LGE19079. Paratypes. CHINA: Zhejiang Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slide nos. LGE17230f, LGE 17266m; 1 ♀, Mt. Fengyang, 1470 m, Longquan, Lishui City, 25.vii.2007, leg. Qing Jin, genitalia slide no. LGE18263; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Baiyun Forest (27.73°N, 119.64°E), 1102 m, 9, 10.vii.2017, leg. Zhenguo Zhang, Yanyan Jia and Juan Li, genitalia slide nos. LGE 17143m, LGE19082f; Taiwan Province: 1 ♂, Kuangwu, 2000 m, Hsinchu / Miaoli, 24−25.vi.1985, leg. J. Heppner and H. Wang, genitalia slide no. MGCL-NK26 (MGCL).   
 Diagnosis. The new species is superficially very similar to T. exalbida (Omelko & Omelko, 2011) described from Far East Russia, but can be distinguished by the presence of four costal strigulae near the apex of the forewing. In the latter species, there is a long costal streak running to the apex instead of having strigulae. The males are unknown for T. exalbida, but the female genitalia differ from those of T. hamatisigna by the broader ductus bursae and lack of signum. The signum of T. hamatisigna is round and it bears a hook projecting inward.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 20H). Wingspan 10.0−11.0 mm. Head silvery white. Labial palpus silvery white, segment I very short, segment III as long as II, tipped with black. Antenna with scape silvery white; flagellum with dorsal surface silvery white in basal 1/3, gradually darkening toward apex, ventral surface light brown; male cilia slightly longer than diameter. Thorax and tegula silvery white, posterior margin of thorax and anterior edge of tegula sometimes suffused with brown to fuscous. Forewing ground color silvery white, anterior edge of costa black in basal half, costa sometimes shaded with dark grey and light brown, costal spot indistinct, dorsum sometimes shaded with light brown in basal 1/2, markings black: a costal streak from distal 1/3 of wing, outwardly oblique, attenuated toward termen; beyond this four costal strigulae lying to apex, inwardly oblique, first two often expanded as rectangular patches, one at apex usually narrower; a narrow streak from near basal 1/2 or 2/3 of dorsum, outwardly oblique, running toward costal streak but not reaching it; beyond this another streak from dorsum near tornus, running in parallel with former streak, usually reaching distal end of costal streak; fringe on apical area creamy white with basal and terminal black bands, on termen white, on dorsum whitish grey. Hindwing grey, subapex tinged with cream; fringe whitish grey except apical area with a terminal black band. Legs silvery white; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface; mid and hind tibiae with a black oblique streak near apex; mid and hind tarsi with first tarsomere black medially, tarsomeres II–III or II–IV black in basal half.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 27N). Approximately 1/5 length of abdomen, gradually narrowed to posterior 1/3, then broadly bifid; each tine very slender, sharply pointed apically.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 44D). Uncus oval. Gnathos hook sinuous, shortly curved upward apically. Tegumen approximately 2.5 times as long as uncus. Valva slender, with costa nearly straight from base to near apex, ventral margin bulged in basal 3/7; apex rounded, slightly expanded. Anellus lobe very narrow, digitate, approximately 1/5 length of valva, with long and sparse setae. Juxta convex, hummock-like, sparsely setose. Vinculum simple, emarginate at middle of posterior margin. Saccus short, subtriangular, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus.Aedeagus with basal 2/3 dilated, narrowed and curved apically.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 61C). Papillae anales weakly sclerotized except base of apophyses posteriores. Apophyses anteriores 1/2 or 1/2.5 length of apophyses posteriores. Sternum VIII slightly convex anteriorly. Ostium bursae rounded, opening near anterior margin of sternum VIII, with a short linear sclerite extending to base of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae slightly broadening to corpus bursae, with anterior 1/2 twisted; ductus seminalis arising from near base of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae ovate, as long or slightly longer than ductus bursae; signum situated at middle of corpus bursae, with a basal plate round, a short hook arising from the middle of basal plate and projecting inward.   
 Distribution. China (Taiwan, Zhejiang).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin hamatus (hook-shaped) and signum (signum), referring to the signum having a hook-like process.
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 147-148, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121