Thiotricha rufimarginata 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 rufimarginata

description: Thiotricha rufimarginata sp. nov.   
(Figs 10G, 24R, 35B, 52B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Ledong County, Jianfengling Nature Reserves (18.74°N, 108.84°E), 1050 m, 27.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18265. Paratypes. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slide no. LGE16288; 2 ♀♀, Hongxin Village (19.08°N, 109.52°E) 430 m, Yuanmen, Baisha County, 17.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18266; 1 ♀, Jianfengling (18.75°N, 108.87°E), 810 m, Ledong County, 15.vi.2018, leg. Ping Liu, Xia Bai and Shuai Yu; Taiwan Province: 1 ♀, Hueisun Exp. Forest, Nantou, 22−24.x.1998, leg. Mey and Ebert, genitalia slide no. MNHU-NK182 (deposited in MNHU); Zhejiang Province : 1 ♀, Wuyanling (27.35°N, 119.92°E), 790 m, Taishun County, 2.viii.2007, leg. Qing Jing; 1 ♂, Gutianshan (29.14°N, 118.07°E), 416 m, Kaihua County, 15.viii.2018, leg. Shuai Yu, Mengran Xing and Chen Liu, genitalia slide no. LGE19033.   
 Diagnosis. The species is easily distinguished from congeners by the yellowish forewing with a broad, inverted triangular patch. Compared to its allies, the forewing ground color of T. rufimarginata is yellower, and two white patches are absent on dorsum. The male genitalia are diagnosed by the asymmetrical valvae, the medially rounded anellus lobe and the trifid aedeagus. Especially, the shape of anellus lobe and of the aedeagus are unique in the genus.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 10G). Wingspan 9.0– 11.5 mm. Head white to pale yellow; frons light yellow, rarely tinged with carmine-pink medially. Labial palpus light yellow to yellow except segment I and basal 1/2 of segment II white; segment II sometimes slightly tinged with carmine-pink on outer surface apically; segment III slightly longer than II, black-tipped. Antenna with scape white except posterior margin light yellow; flagellum fuscous except base of dorsal surface mixed white and light yellow; male cilia shorter than diameter. Thorax light yellow, with a carmine-pink median line. Tegula light yellow except anterior margin fuscous, inner margin often slightly tinged with carmine-pink. Forewing ground color light yellow to yellow; apical spot very small and indistinct, elongated, bordered inwardly by metallic silver scales; two irregular carmine-pink spots or short streaks near base of dorsum, often extending to fold; a larger carmine-pink spot on dorsum beyond fold, rarely tinged with black inside; other markings dark fuscous: a very broad, inverted triangular patch lying from base to near apex of wing, interrupted by yellow scales on costa, gradually narrowed and reaching middle of dorsum posteriorly, bordered with carmine-pink scales, its outer margin especially strongly mixed with carmine-pink; a short costal streak at basal 1/3, sometimes reduced as a spot, meeting former patch posteriorly; a somewhat indistinct, oblique costal streak from between distal 1/3 and 1/4, attenuated downward, its inner margin confluent with former patch, outwardly reaching costal spot; a narrow costal streak on distal 1/5; fringe on distal 1/4 of costa light yellow with brown terminal band, on termen carmine-pink with a metallic terminal band, on dorsum brown except basal 1/2 light yellow. Hindwing fuscous, fringe light grey to grey. Legs mixed cream and light yellow; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface; mid tibia with a black spot near apex, often elongated as a short streak; mid tibia with a black spot near apex; mid tarsus with first tarsomere black at middle, second and third segments basal half black; hind tibia with an oblique black streak near apex; hind tarsus as in mid tarsus.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 24R). Approximately 1/4 length of abdomen, gradually narrowed, constricted and bifurcate from posterior 1/3; inner margin V-shaped, each tine slender and pointed at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 35B). Uncus tongue-shaped, somewhat truncate distally. Gnathos hook slender, moderately long. Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valvae asymmetrical: left valva with basal 1/2 slender, slightly constricted after middle, distal 2/5 broad spatulate; right valva more slender than left valva, constricted after middle, spatulate distally. Anellus lobe approximately 1/4 length of valva, strongly curved inward; basal 1/2 slender, abruptly broadened after middle as a round plate, a slender projection arising from one side of the plate. Juxta with a subtriangular process in basal 1/3 of inner margin. Vinculum simple. Saccus short triangular, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 1/2 dilated, narrowed after middle, trifid apically: a ventral tine shortest and straight, dorsal two longer and curved downward.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 52B). Papillae anales simple. Apophyses anteriores slightly longer than half length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII nearly straight posteriorly. Sternum concave posteriorly and broadly convex anteriorly. Ostium bursae round, opening near anterior margin of sternum VIII. Antrum approximately 1/4 length of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae abruptly broadened after antrum, uniformly elongate to corpus bursae; inception of ductus seminalis near anterior end of antrum. Corpus bursae ovate, slightly shorter than ductus bursae; signum large fusiform, situated middle of corpus bursae.   
 Distribution. China (Hainan, Taiwan, Zhejiang).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin rufus (reddish) and marginatus (margined), referring to the longitudinal band margined with carmine-pink on the forewing.
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 61-62, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121