Thiotricha karsholti 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 karsholti

description: Thiotricha karsholti sp. nov.   
(Figs 15D, E, 26D, 39D, 55F)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Sichuan Province, Chengdu City, Anzihe Nature Reserves, Shaoyaogou Conservation Station (30.78°N, 103.2°E), 1598 m, 21.vi.2016, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE18325. Paratypes. CHINA: Sichuan Province: 3 ♀♀, same data as holotype except 20, 23.vi.2016, genitalia slide no. LGE18326; 1 ♀, Fengtongzhai Nature Reserves (30.37°N, 102.83°E), 1600 m, Baoxing County, 2.viii.2004, leg. Yingdang Ren; 1 ♀, Wolong (31.48°N, 103.6°E), 1900 m, 8.viii.2004, leg. Yingdang Ren; 5 ♀♀, Wolong (30.34°N, 103.42°E), 2008 m, 23, 26.vii.2005, leg. Haili Yu, genitalia slide no. ZJL05474; 4 ♀♀, Caoping Town (30.95°N, 103.32°E), 1557 m, Sanjiang Town, Wenchuan County, 9–12.vii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu, genitalia slide nos. LGE18300, LGE18301, LGE18324; 1 ♀, Baliping Conservation Station (30.78°N, 103.22°E), 1706 m, Anzihe Nature Reserves, Chengdu City, 25.vi.2016, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xiaofei Yang; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Muyangchang (32.97°N, 104.10°E), 2577 m, Wanglang Nature Reserves, 19.vii.2017, leg. Mujie Qi and Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide nos. LGE 17072m, LGE17079f; Shaanxi Province: 5 ♀♀, Houzhenzi, 1350–1750 m, Zhouzhi County, 15, 16.vii.1987, leg. Houhun Li, genitalia slide nos. ZJL05109, ZJL05110; 3 ♀♀, Xunyangba Town, 1360 m, Ningshan, 26.vi.2007, leg. Haili Yu, genitalia slide nos. LGE15092, LGE18302.   
 Diagnosis. Compared to its allies, this species has a broader costal band and an oblique streak running across the wing. The males are darker than females in the forewing color, and the marking near tornus is larger in males. In the male genitalia, the distal 1/2 of valva is curved outward, and a notch is present at the apex. The female genitalia are characterized by the round ostium bursae placed at middle of sternum VIII, the narrow ductus bursae and the obovate corpus bursae slightly longer than ductus bursae.   
 Description. Adult (Figs 15D, E). Wingspan 14.5−16.5 mm. Head white. Labial palpus cream; segment I short, slightly longer in male, dark grey on outer surface; segment II longer in female, strongly suffused or tinged with dark grey in basal 1/2 or 2/3 of outer surface, sometimes entirely cream in female; segment III slightly longer than II, black on ventral surface. Antenna with scape cream; flagellum dark brown except basal 2/3 of dorsal surface cream, male cilia 1.5 or 2 times as long as diameter. Thorax and tegula white or cream, anterior margin of tegula usually tinged with yellow and fuscous. Forewing ground color white, cream or yellowish white, apical area brown or fuscous; apical spot round, sometimes tinged inwardly with greyish scales, apex falcate; markings dark fuscous in male and dark brown in female: a very broad costal band from base to near apex, interrupted by two narrow, outwardly oblique, yellowish white costal streaks beyond middle of wing; beyond this two inwardly oblique costal strigulae alternating with yellowish white scales before apical spot; a very broad, outwardly oblique streak from between basal 1/4 and 1/3 of dorsum, confluent with costal band before middle of wing; beyond middle of wing a large, usually somewhat indistinct, inwardly directed V-shaped marking on fold, surrounded by yellowish scales in female, its upper fork reaching dark grey scales extended from apical spot, this marking broadened and more indistinct in male, somewhat forming a large patch; fringe on apical area cream with basal and terminal black bands; on termen white at base, metallic fuscous distally; on dorsum dark grey. Hindwing and fringe dark grey. Legs white to creamy white; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface; mid tibia black at base, with a black oblique streak on outer surface after middle; hind tibia suffused with dark grey near apex; mid and hind tarsi with tarsomere I broadly dark grey at middle, II and III dark grey in basal half of outer surface.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 26D). Approximately 1/5 length of abdomen, with lateral margins broadly concave; posterior 1/5 bifid, between two tines U-shaped, pointed at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 39D). Uncus tongue-shaped. Gnathos hook simple, long. Tegumen approximately 2.5 times as long as uncus. Valva almost uniformly elongate from base to middle or with base slightly narrowed, ventral margin more or less convex at middle, distal 1/2 slightly narrowed and curved outward, apex round and notched. Anellus lobe clavate, 1/5 length of valva; apical bristle shorter than anellus lobe. Juxta broadly convex and setose. Vinculum with posterior margin rounded. Saccus subtriangular, as long or slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 1/2 dilated, then gradually narrowing toward apex, ventral margin with a short tooth at distal 1/4.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 55F). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores slightly shorter than apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII with posterior margin deeply concave. Sternum VIII with posterior margin broadly concave, anterior margin convex. Ostium bursae round, opening at middle of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae narrow, sometimes with a small sclerite at base; ductus seminalis arising at posterior 1/5. Corpus bursae obovate, rarely elliptical, slightly longer than ductus bursae; signum round, large, placed near posterior margin of corpus bursae, consisting of minute denticles.   
 Variations. The males have the forewing ground color more strongly mixed with cream. The color of forewing marking is dark fuscous in males but dark brown in females, and the distal marking is larger in males.   
 Distribution. China (Sichuan, Shaanxi).   
 Etymology. The species is dedicated to Mr. Ole Karsolt for his contribution to the subfamily Thiotrichinae.
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 101-102, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121