Thiotricha cochlearis 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 cochlearis

description: Thiotricha cochlearis sp. nov.   
(Figs 10E, 24P, 34F, 52A)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Wuzhishan City, Shuiman Town, Tea Garden (18.88°N, 109.67°E), 690 m, 5.xi.2016, leg. Xia Bai, Shuonan Qian and Wanding Qi, genitalia slide no. LGE16363. Paratypes. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♀, Jianfengling (18.73°N, 108.91°E), 940 m, 4.vi.2007, leg. Zhiwei Zhang and Weichun Li; 1 ♂, Diaoluoshan Nature Reserves (18.43°N, 109.52°E), 922 m, 24.v.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE16030; 1 ♀, Limushan Nature Reserves (19.17°N, 109.73°E), 632 m, 7.i.2016, leg. Kaijian Teng, Xia Bai and Mengting Chen, genitalia slide no. LGE16351; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.90°N, 109.67°E), 738 m, 27, 29.vii.2016, leg. Xia Bai, Shuonan Qian and Wanding Qi, genitalia slide nos. LGE 16265m, LGE 16348m; 1 ♀, Shuiman Town (18.88°N, 109.67°E), 766 m, Wuzhishan City, 31.vii.2016, leg. Xia Bai, Shuonan Qian and Wanding Qi, genitalia slide no. LGE16348.   
 Diagnosis. The new species is characterized by the light ochre forewing scattered with carmine-pink scales and marked with white patches and dark brown streaks. The head, thorax and tegula are sometimes spotted or tinged with carmine-pink. Such coloration and forewing markings are very similar to those of T. albimaculata, but the carmine-pink fringe scales on termen are more extended to the apex in T. cochlearis. Also, the mid tibia of T. cochlearis has two streaks whereas latter species have one. The male genitalia are diagnosed by the serrate inner margin of valva, the spoon-shaped anellus lobe and the short juxtal process near valval base. The female genitalia are easily differentiated from other species by the trapezoidal signum.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 10E). Wingspan 8.0–10.0 mm. Head cream to light ochre, sometimes tinged with carmine-pink posteriorly, frons white. Labial palpus light ochre, strongly mixed with white on inner surface of segments II and III, segment III black-tipped. Antenna with scape light ochre except dorsal surface white; flagellum mixed light ochre and brown, dorsal surface white in basal 1/2, male cilia slightly longer than diameter. Thorax cream to light ochre, often irregularly spotted with carmine-pink. Tegula mixed cream and light ochre, inner margin often carmine-pink. Forewing ground color light ochre, often scattered with carmine-pink; costa with basal 1/3 of anterior edge black, distal 1/4 or 1/5 dark brown; apical spot very small, sometimes elongate or indistinct; dorsum with a large, sometimes indistinct, semicircular patch in basal 1/3 and after middle of wing, respectively; other markings dark brown: a streak arising from base, shortly extended to costa, sometimes not reaching costa; a costal spot at basal 1/3; a broad, irregular band from near base of dorsum, longitudinally running over two white patches close to costa, curved downward after middle and reaching distal 1/4 of dorsum, interrupted by white scales near lower angle of discal cell, its posterior margin often bordered by carmine-pink scales; a somewhat indistinct, short streak from basal 2/5 of dorsum, confluent with former band at middle; two narrow streaks from distal 1/4 of wing, running to apical spot in parallel to costa, often bordered by carmine-pink scales anteriorly; fringe on distal 1/4 of costa brown with creamy base; carmine-pink fringe from termen to near apex, with a metallic terminal band; fringe on dorsum brown. Hindwing and fringe dark fuscous. Legs mixed white and light ochre; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface; mid tibia with two black oblique streaks at basal 1/3 and 1/2, respectively, first streak sometimes reduced as a spot and mixed with carmine-pink; hind tibia with an oblique streak near apex; hind tarsus as in mid tarsus.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 24P). Approximately 1/6 length of abdomen, with lateral margins broadly concave, bifurcate from posterior 1/6; inner margin U-shaped between two tines, pointed at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig.34F).Uncus tongue-shaped.Gnathos hook moderately long, simple.Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valva with ventral margin serrate and bulged between basal 1/3 and 2/3, distal 1/4 slightly broadened, rounded at apex. Anellus lobe approximately 1/5 length of valva, strongly curved inward; spoon-shaped, basal 1/2 very slender, oval in distal 1/2, bearing sparse setae along apical margin. Juxta with a short, pointed process near base of valva, broadly convex at base. Vinculum broadly convex. Saccus broad, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus, rounded at apex. Aedeagus with basal 1/3 dilated, gradually narrowed to distal 1/3, blunt at apex.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 52A). Papillae anales weakly sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 3/5 of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII deeply concave medially. Sternum VIII broadly elongate anteriorly. Ostium bursae round, opening in anterior half of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae narrow, with a short colliculum near base; ductus seminalis arising from basal 1/3. Corpus bursae elliptical, as long or slightly shorter than ductus bursae; signum large and trapezoidal, situated at middle.   
 Distribution. China (Hainan).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin cochlearis (spoon-shaped), referring to the spoon-shaped anellus lobe.   
 Remarks. This species is Thiotricha sp. 6 in Lee et al. (2021) for) for the phylogenetic study of Thiotrichinae, and the genetic sequences are available from GenBank.
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 59-60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121