Thiotricha polyaula Meyrick 1918
Creators: name: Lee, Ga-Eun
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Thiotricha
Thiotricha polyaula

description: Thiotricha polyaula Meyrick, 1918   
(Figs 2D, 4A, 12C, 25I, 37A, 53E, 64G, H, 71A)  
 Thiotricha polyaula Meyrick, 1918: 125; 1925: 103; Gaede, 1937: 306; Clarke, 1969: 464; Ivinskis et al., 1984: 39. TL: Assam, India. TD: NHMUK.   
 Type material (Figs 64G, H, 71A). Lectotype ♂ INDIA, Assam, Khasi Hills, v.1907, genitalia slide no. J. F.G.C. 8375 (NHMUK).   
 Additional material examined. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♂, Mt. Diaoluo (18.67°N, 109.94°E), 940 m, 31.v.2007, leg. Zhiwei Zhang and Weichun Li; 1 ♀, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.90°N, 109.67°E), 740 m, 14.iv.2009, leg. Qing Jin and Bingbing Hu; 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Shuiman Town (18.88°N, 109.67°E), 630 m, Wuzhishan City, 16, 17.iv.2009, leg. Qing Jin and Bingbing Hu, genitalia slide nos. LGE 15079m, LGE15080f, LGE18385f; 1 ♂, Yinggeling (19.08°N, 109.50°E), 620 m, 3.vi.2010, leg. Bingbing Hu and Jing Zhang; 2 ♀♀, Tianchi, Jianfengling, 11, 12.vi.2010, leg. Bingbing Hu and Jing Zhang, genitalia slide no. LGE18384; 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Hongxin Village (19.08°N, 109.52°E) 430 m, Yuanmen, Baisha County, 15−17.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu, genitalia slide nos. LGE 15075m, LGE 15076m, LGE15077f, LGE15078f; 1 ♂, Tropical Arboretum (18.70°N, 108.79°E), 40 m, Jianfeng Town, Ledong County, 30.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Bawangling Nature Reserves (19.12°N, 109.08°E), 161 m, 7, 10.vi.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE17235f; 2 ♂♂, Yaxing Village (19.02°N, 109.40°E), 321 m, Nankai Town, Baisha County, 20, 21.vi.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu; 1 ♀, Bawangling (19.08°N, 109.10°E), 261 m, 22.vii.2015, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Mengting Chen; 1 ♂, Yinggezui (19.05°N, 109.57°E), 623 m, Yinggeling, 6.i.2018, leg. Mujie Qi and Shuai Yu, genitalia slide no. LGE18387; Yunnan Province: 1 ♂, Nanlahe (21.59°N, 101.58°E), 652 m, Bubang Town, Mengla County, 12.vii.2013, leg. Shurong Liu, Yuqi Wang and Kaijian Teng; 1 ♂, Xiaoheishan Nature Reserves (24.52°N, 98.84°E), 1974 m, Longling County, 18.vii.2013, leg. Shurong Liu, Yuqi Wang and Kaijian Teng; 1 ♂, Bubang (21.60°N, 101.59°E), 656 m, Xishuangbanna, 22.vii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu, genitalia slide no. LGE18386.   
 Diagnosis. Adult (Figs 2D, 4A, 12C). Wingspan 9.5−13.0 mm. Externally, T. polyaula can be defined by the brownish forewing marked with cream to ochreous white longitudinal streaks. The wing patterns are somewhat similar to those of T. latistriata, T. contracta and T. projecta, but T. polyaula has brighter coloring and the brown trapezoidal basal patch on dorsum is distinct. The male sternum VIII (Fig. 25I) of T. polyaula is easily distinguished from other species as the lateral margins are serrate and the posterior apex is deeply concave in U-shape. The male genitalia (Fig. 37A) are diagnosed by the large uncus, the narrow valva with distal half slightly expanded, the broadly convex juxta and the narrow aedeagus with a pointed projection near apex. The gnathos is distinctive as the apex is abruptly narrowed and shortly hooked. The female genitalia (Fig. 53E) cannot be confused with other related species as the appendix bursae is present.   
 Distribution. China (Hainan, Yunnan), India.   
 Remarks. This species is newly recorded from China and the female genitalia are known for the first time in this study.
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 81-82, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121