Meganola phuana Cha &amp; László &amp; Bayarsaikhan &amp; Ko &amp; Lee &amp; Jang &amp; Kim &amp; Kim &amp; Bae 2021, sp. n.
Creators: name: Cha, Yeong-Bin
name: László, Gyula M.
name: Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal
name: Ko, Jae-Ho
name: Lee, Tak-Gi
name: Jang, Chang-Moon
name: Kim, Hanul
name: Kim, Jeong-Nam
name: Bae, Yang-Seop
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Nolidae
Meganola
Meganola phuana

description: <i>Meganola phuana</i> Cha &amp; Bae, sp. n. (Figures 1, 2, 6, 7) <b>Type material.</b> <b>Holotype:</b> &amp;male;, Laos, Xiengkhouang Province, Ban Tha (N19°43'28.92'', E103°35'26.02'', Alt.: 1,245m), 01. IX. 2018 (Bae Y.S., Na S.M., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Cha Y.B., Jang C.M.), genitalia slide No. INU-9479 (INU). <b>Paratype.</b> 1&amp;male;, with the same data as in the holotype, genitalia slide No. INU-9478 (INU). <b>Diagnosis.</b> Though belongs to the <i>M. flexuosa</i> species group, <i>Meganola phuana</i> <b>sp. n.</b> is very similar externally to the members of the <i>M. strigivena</i> species group but can be distinguished by the more broadly arched costal and straight dorsal section of the postmedial line. Based on the configuration of the male genitalia, namely the robust, finger-like, distally serrate harpe and the narrow, triangular basal lobe of the valva, the new species’ closest kin is <i>M. nanlinga</i> Hu, László, Ronkay &amp; Wang, 2013 described from the Nanling Mountains in Guangdong Province, China. However, the two species are easily distinguishable by the following characters: <i>Meganola phuana</i> <b>sp. n.</b> has somewhat narrower, apically slightly more pointed and noticeably darker forewing and considerably less excessively zigzagged dorsal section of the medial line compared to those of <i>M. nanlinga</i>. In the male genitalia, the new species compared to <i>M. nanlinga</i> has slightly shorter and narrower uncus, somewhat thicker subscaphium arms, markedly narrower valva without dilated apical part, slightly shorter harpe, narrower basal lobe of valva, and broader saccus; in addition, the ventral margin of the sacculus is obtuse-angled in <i>Meganola phuana</i> <b>sp. n.</b>, while it is rounded right-angled in its congener. The aedeagus of the new species is noticeably slimmer than that of the allied species, with its vesica bearing somewhat smaller spine-like cornutus, situated more distally than in <i>M. nanlinga</i>. The female is unknown. <b>Description.</b> <i>Adult</i> (Figures 1, 2). Length of forewing 8–9 mm in males. Antenna bipectinate in male. Frons and vertex pale gray, mixed with brownish-gray scales. Patagium (Figures 1b, 2b) with a black line basally. Ground color of forewing pale brownish gray; basal area dark grayish brown, the upper side of cell brownish-green until medial line; antemedial line angled medially; costal half of medial line diffuse, dorsal half sharply defined, zigzagged; postmedial line curved in costal half, almost straight in dorsal half; postmedial area with indistinct grayishbrown fascia gradually widening in the medial part of terminal area until the outer forewing margin; subterminal line interrupted; terminal line continuous, pale ivory. Ground color of hindwing pale grayish brown, with a dark discal spot. <i>Male genitalia</i> (Figures 6a, 7a). Uncus short, tapered, apically rounded, subscaphium process relatively thick, apically rounded, densely setose. Tegumen relatively short and narrow. Valva narrow, apically rounded, costal margin sclerotized, dilated basally, slightly concave; ventral half of valva membranous, ventral margin almost straight, very slightly concave in basal third; basal lobe short, narrow, triangular; harpe stout, finger-like, posterior margin serrate, basally bifurcate, postero-medial branch expanding to costal margin of valva, lateral one connected to sacculus. Juxta V-shaped, antero-laterally pointed. Sacculus sclerotized, ventral margin obtuse-angled. Saccus robust, elongate V-shaped. Aedeagus constricted medially, main tube thinner than coecum penis, vesica armed with a small, acute, spine-like cornutus. Eighth tergite (Figures 6b, 7b) with quadrangular medial plate with gently arched margins, anteriorly with two very short, straight, apically rounded processes, erecting near the corners of the medial plate; 8 th sternite (Figures 6b, 7b) with a wide trapezoidal medial plate. Female unknown. <b>Distribution.</b> Laos (Xiengkhouang Province). <b>Remark.</b> This species was collected in the upper montane zone, up to 1,200m a.s.l. (Figure 11). <b>Etymology.</b> The new species is named after the Phuan people inhabiting the Xiengkhouang Plateau, where the new species was collected.
description: Published as part of <i>Cha, Yeong-Bin, László, Gyula M., Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Ko, Jae-Ho, Lee, Tak-Gi, Jang, Chang-Moon, Kim, Hanul, Kim, Jeong-Nam &amp; Bae, Yang-Seop, 2021, Two new species and a new record of the genus Meganola Dyar, 1898 (Lepidoptera, Nolidae, Nolinae) from Laos, pp. 423-430 in Zootaxa 5032 (3)</i> on pages 424-425, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5032.3.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5497025