Thiotricha setangulata 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 setangulata

description: Thiotricha setangulata sp. nov.   
(Figs 12F, 25L, 37D, 54A)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jinxiu, Dayaoshan Nature Reserves (24.15°N, 110.21°E), 1364 m, 19.vii.2015, leg. Mujie Qi and Shengnan Zhao, genitalia slide no. LGE18292.   
 Paratypes. CHINA: Guizhou Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Suoluo (28.43°N, 106.02°E), 240 m, Chishui, 21.ix.2000, leg. Haili Yu, genitalia slide nos. ZJL05351f, ZJL05353m.   
 Diagnosis. The forewing color and markings of T. setangulata are very similar to T. barathrota (Meyrick, 1918) described from India, but the latter species does not have a median costal streak and the broad oblique band is not broadly mixed with beige as in T. setangulata. The male genitalia of T. setangulata can easily be distinguished from the latter by the anellus lobe with a strongly angled apical bristle and the valva with costa broadly concave. In T. barathrota, a thorn-like spine is present at the subapex of anellus lobe and the valva is narrower and straight.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 12F). Wingspan 10.0−12.0 mm. Head cream. Labial palpus cream, with segments I and II fuscous on outer surface except apex of II; in male stout, segment I slightly longer than 1/2 length of II, hair pencil nearly reaching apex of III, segment III slender, nearly twice as long as II, tipped fuscous; in female, segment I very short, segment II with short scale tuft dorsally, segment III very slender and slightly longer than II, strongly mixed with fuscous on ventral surface and apex. Antenna with scape cream ventrally, black dorsally; flagellum black, male cilia as long as diameter. Thorax cream. Tegula cream except anterior margin dark fuscous. Forewing ground color dark fuscous to black, with base broadly cream from near costa to basal 1/4 of dorsum; apical area light brown, with two inwardly oblique, dark fuscous costal strigulae alternating with cream scales before apical spot; apical spot round, apex falcate; other markings cream: two narrow, outwardly oblique costal streaks from distal 1/2 and 1/4 of wing, first streak running close to second, second streak running toward tornal streak; a very broad, outwardly oblique band from dorsum between distal 2/3 and 1/4 of wing, its outer margin broadly mixed with beige, gradually narrowing toward apex and meeting second costal streak distally; below this, a narrow, short streak from lower angle of discal cell, confluent with former streak distally; tornal streak short and broad, running toward second costal streak but interrupted by grey scaling at half way across wing; fringe on apical area fuscous, on termen fuscous except base cream, on dorsum mixed beige and grey. Hindwing fuscous except subapex whitish grey, fringe light brown. Legs cream; fore coxa strongly mixed with dark fuscous anteriorly; fore femur, tarsus and tibia dark fuscous on outer surface; mid femur dark fuscous at base and at apex on outer surface; mid tibia dark fuscous except apex; hind tibia with two oblique, dark fuscous streaks at base and before apex, respectively; mid and hind tarsi with each tarsomere dark fuscous on outer surface except apex.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 25L). 1/4 length of abdomen, gradually narrowing toward posterior apex; posterior 1/4 bifid, each tine very slender and pointed.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 37D). Uncus tongue-shaped, apex slightly concave at middle. Gnathos hook simple, long. Tegumen approximately 4 times as long as uncus. Valva with base narrow, ventral margin nearly straight; costa gradually broadening from base to basal 1/3, narrowing to 2/3, then broadening again to apex; distal 1/3 setose, rounded apically. Anellus lobe large oval, 1/3 length of valva, broader than valva in width; apical bristle very robust, its basal half straight, then strongly angled distally, tending to form an inverted V-shaped hook. Juxta broadly convex. Vinculum with posterior margin strongly produced medially. Saccus sub-triangular, blunt at apex, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus slender, slightly curved, distal 1/6 very narrowed, blunt at apex.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 54A). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 2/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Segment VIII broadly concave posteriorly; sternum VIII longer than tergum VIII, strongly produced anteriorly in V-shape. Ostium bursae cup-shaped, opening at anterior margin of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae very narrow, slightly broadened near corpus bursae. Corpus bursae somewhat obovate, slightly constricted medially, without signum.   
 Distribution. China (Guangxi, Guizhou).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, set - (bristle) and angulatus (angled), referring to the strongly angled apical bristle of the anellus lobe.   
 Remarks. The species is closely related to T. barathrota. The holotype of T. barathrota deposited in NHMUK is an undissected female, but four non-type specimens from the type locality (Assam of India) are available and those were identified based on the morphological similaries. Among them, one male was dissected and examined by the first author but not illustrated 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 84-85, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121