Thiotricha lunata 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 lunata

description: Thiotricha lunata sp. nov.   
(Figs 8C, 23R, 31F, 49B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hubei Province, Luotian County, Qingtaiguan Forest (31.19°N, 115.7°E), 570 m, 2.vii.2014, leg. Wei Guan and Meiqing Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE17010. Paratypes. CHINA: Fujian Province: 1 ♀, Tongmu Village, Mt. Wuyi, 1.ix.2012, leg. Zhibo Wang, genitalia slide no. LGE18540; Guizhou Province: 1 ♀, Shuizu Town, 820 m, Limingguan, Libo County, 21.vii.2015, leg. Meiqing Yang and Ga-Eun Lee, genitalia slide no. LGE18533; Hainan Province: 1 ♀, Jianfengling Nature Reserves (18.74°N, 108.87°E), 770 m, Ledong County, 28.v.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE17011; Hubei Province: 1 ♀, Taohuachong (30.98°N, 116.02°E), 635 m, Yingshan County, 24.vi.2014, leg. Wei Guan and Meiqing Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE18532; Zhejiang Province: 1 ♀, Qingliangfeng, 900 m, Lin’an County, 10.viii.2005, leg. Yunli Xiao, genitalia slide no. LGE18059; 1 ♂, Mt. Jiulong (27.97°N, 119.63°E), 400 m, 4.viii.2011, leg. Linlin Yang and Na Chen, genitalia slide no. LGE18589.   
 Diagnosis. The new species has the labial palpus entirely creamy white whereas those are slightly or strongly mixed with fuscous to black in other related species. The male genitalia of T. lunata are separated from those of T. albicephalata, T. gemmulans and T. margarodes by the broader anellus lobe bearing a robust and strongly hooked apical bristle and the U-shaped saccus. In the female genitalia, the sternum VIII of T. lunata is less produced compared to those of T. albicephalata and T. pteropis. The signum of T. lunata is distinctive as it is long and slightly curved without distinctive serration.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 8C). Wingspan 8.0− 10.5 mm. Head creamy white. Labial palpus creamy white; in male, segment I slightly shorter than II; segment III as long as II, strongly curved, hair pencil reaching apex of III; in female slender and slightly longer than that of male, segment I very short, segment III slightly shorter than II. Antenna with scape creamy white; flagellum light brown, strongly mixed with creamy white on dorsal surface, male cilia approximately three times as long as diameter. Thorax and tegula creamy white. Forewing creamy white, costa with basal 1/3 of anterior edge black, apical spot bordered anteriorly by white scales; markings dark fuscous: a costal streak at distal 1/4, extending toward apical spot; beyond this, a triangular costal patch before apex, fuscous and orange mixed; a semi-circular large spot on termen, its anterior margin bordered by a dark fuscous line; costal fringe cream with subterminal and terminal black bands; fringe on termen orange and fuscous mixed; fringe on dorsum cream to light brown. Hindwing brown, fringe cream and light brown mixed. Legs cream; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface except apex of each segment; mid tibia sometimes tinged with fuscous near apex; hind tibia sometimes strongly mixed with fuscous, an oblique, fuscous streak near apex; mid and hind tarsus with first tarsomere dark fuscous at middle of outer surface, remaining tarsomeres dark fuscous in basal half of outer surface.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 23R). Approximately 1/9 length of abdomen, subtriangular, posterior apex nearly straight.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 31F). Uncus tongue-shaped, distal 1/2 with a row of stiff setae on lateral margin. Gnathos hook moderately long, simple. Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus, anterior margin deeply concave. Valva uniformly elongate from base to near apex, slightly broadened apically. Anellus lobe oval, 1/6 length of valva; apical bristle robust and strongly hooked apically, as long as anellus lobe. Juxta with a hummock-like process. Vinculum slightly convex medially on posterior margin. Saccus small and tongue-shaped, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal half dilated and melanized, narrowed distally and slightly sinuous.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 49B). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized.Apophyses anteriores as long as apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII short and concave posteriorly. Sternum VIII deeply concave posteriorly and strongly produced anteriorly in U-shape, medial sclerotization narrowly extended to base of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae narrow at base, gradually broadening to anterior 1/3, abruptly expanded near corpus bursae; ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/3. Corpus bursae elliptical, as long or longer than ductus bursae; signum situated in posterior 1/2, slender, slightly curved in crescent-shape.   
 Distribution. China (Fujian, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Zhejiang).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin, lunatus (crescent-shaped), referring to the crescent-shaped signum.   
 Remarks. This species is Thiotricha sp. 1 in Lee et al. (2021) for the phylogenetic study of Thiotrichinae, and the genetic sequences are available from GenBank.
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 page 37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121