Thiotricha spatulativalva 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 spatulativalva

description: Thiotricha spatulativalva sp. nov.   
(Figs 8D, 23S, 32A, 49C)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Diaoluoshan Nature Reserves (18.43°N, 109.52°E), 922 m, 25.v.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18121. Paratypes. CHINA: Hainan Province: 5 ♀♀, same data as holotype except 24−26.v.2015, genitalia slide no. LGE18364; 3 ♀♀, Mt. Diaoluo (18.67°N, 109.94°E), 940 m, 31.v, 2.vi.2007, leg. Zhiwei Zhang and Weichun Li, genitalia slide no. LGE18365; 1 ♀, Dialuoshan Nature Reserves (18.73°N, 109.87°E), 980 m, Lingshui County, 23.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18348; 1 ♀, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.88°N, 109.65°E), 742 m, 6.vii.2014, leg. Peixin Cong, Linjie Liu and Sha Hu.   
 Diagnosis. The species closely resembles T. uncaticula and T. curtisacca. Compared to those species, T. spatulativalva has the forewing darker than T. uncaticula and brighter than T. curtisacca. Also, the pink scales on the apical area are more vivid than those of T. uncaticula and more reduced than those of T. curtisacca. The male genitalia of T. spatulativalva can be diagnosed by the distally expanded valva, the long and slender anellus lobe and the knobbed saccus exceeding the tegumen pedunculus. In two other species, the distal parts of valvae are narrower, the anellus lobes are smaller and the unci are much shorter. The female genitalia of T. spatulativalva, T. uncaticula and T. curtisacca are unusual in the genus as the papillae anales are heavily sclerotized and sharply pointed at the apex. It is difficult to separate them based solely on the female genitalia, but T. spatulativalva has somewhat thicker apophyses and smaller corpus bursae than those of T. uncaticula and T. curtisacca. Also, the weakly sclerotized area around ostium bursae is broader than those of two latter species.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 8D). Wingspan 8.5−10.5 mm. Head ochreous grey. Labial palpus light ochre, segment II fuscous at apex; segment III shorter than II, fuscous on ventral surface. Antenna with scape ochreous grey, posterior margin usually fuscous; flagellum dark fuscous except basal 1/4 of dorsal surface ochreous grey to ochre, male cilia slightly longer than diameter. Thorax ochreous grey. Tegula ochreous grey, anterior margin dark fuscous. Forewing grey to dark fuscous, anterior 1/3 or 1/4 strongly mixed with ochreous grey or ochre, anterior edge of costa black, apical spot round and moderate, below apical spot broadly marked with pink, markings dark: two black, outwardly oblique costal streaks from distal 1/3 and 1/4, respectively, running toward anterior end of termen, between two streaks suffused with pink; beyond them a somewhat indistinct, dark brown triangular costal patch; beyond this a small white costal spot, often extended to second costal streak as a short streak, sometimes indistinct; two dark fuscous streaks from distal 1/2 and 1/3 of wing above fold, running toward apex and gradually joined together, both converging with first costal streak before apex; beyond them a black streak along termen, inwardly suffused with pink, nearly converging the second costal streak before apex; costal fringe dark fuscous with a creamy median band; fringe on termen dark fuscous, basal half strongly mixed with pink; fringe on dorsum dark fuscous. Hindwing dark fuscous, fringe dark fuscous except apical area slightly tinged with pink and white. Legs light ochre and grey mixed; fore femur, tibia and tarsus dark fuscous on outer surface; mid and hind tarsi dark fuscous on outer surface except apex.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 23S). Approximately 1/10 length of abdomen, broad, semicircular, posterior apex rounded.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 32A). Uncus spatulate, setose along apical margin. Gnathos hook short. Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valva curved inward, slender in basal 2/3, spatulate and sparsely setose distally, rounded at apex. Anellus lobe long and slender, approximately 1/2 length of valva, slightly dilated apically; apical bristle present (missing during dissection). Juxta with a hummock-like broad process, sparsely setose. Vinculum very slender, nearly flat on posterior margin. Saccus knobbed, rounded at apex, exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 2/5 dilated, then uniformly elongate, distal 1/5 narrowed, apex blunt; a ventral and a dorsal tooth at distal 1/5.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 49C). Papillae anales heavily sclerotized, with long setae medially, sharply pointed and hooked apically. Apophyses thick, anteriores slightly shorter than posteriores. Tergum VIII very short. Sternum VIII broad, weakly sclerotized around ostium bursae; anterior margin concave at middle, strongly sclerotized. Ostium bursae broad. Ductus bursae broad at base, narrowing to colliculum, then gradually broadening toward corpus bursae, twisted near corpus bursae; colliculum near base, ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/3. Corpus bursae very small, obovate, 1/4 length of ductus bursae; signum situated at posterior 1/3, with basal plate rounded, consisting of triangular and tongue-shaped long projections arising from the plate.   
 Distribution. China (Hainan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, spatulatus (spatulate) and valva (valva), referring to the spatulate 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 38-39, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121