Thiotricha robustiseta 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 robustiseta

description: Thiotricha robustiseta sp. nov.   
(Figs 12E, 25K, 37C)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.88°N, 109.65°E), 742 m, 21.v.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18343. Paratype. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♂, Yaxing Village (19.02°N, 109.40°E), 321 m, Nankai Town, Baisha County, 21.vi.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18344.   
 Diagnosis. This new species is easily distinguished from congeners by the forewing with contrasting light base and dark distal 2/3. The male genitalia of T. robustiseta are diagnosed by the elliptical anellus lobe bearing a robust bristle at the subapex, the uniformly elongate valva and the very short saccus. The male sternum VIII is unique as the posterior margin is broad and serrate whereas many other species have a bifurcate posterior apex.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 12E). Wingspan 9.0−10.0 mm. Head cream. Labial palpus cream; in male segment I long, fuscous on outer surface; segment II as long as I, fuscous in basal half of outer surface, hair pencil nearly reaching apex of III; segment III 1.5 time longer than II, tipped fuscous. Antenna with scape cream; flagellum fuscous except basal 2/3 of dorsal surface fuscous, male cilia as long as diameter. Thorax cream, tinged with fuscous posteriorly. Tegula cream, fuscous along inner and anterior margins. Forewing dark brown except basal 1/3 cream, dorsum broadly cream, apical area brown; apical spot round, apex falcate; markings cream: from distal 1/2 and 1/4 of wing, two outwardly oblique costal streaks shortly running toward termen, second streak narrower, meeting grey scaling at half way across wing; below the first costal streak, a short streak from upper angle of discal cell, running toward second costal streak; an outwardly oblique streak from distal 1/3 above fold, running toward apex and almost confluent with former streak distally; tornal streak short, inwardly oblique, running toward second costal streak but interrupted by grey scaling at half way across wing; an irregular dark brown marking at basal 1/3 between fold and dorsum, broadened near dorsum; fringe on apical area dark fuscous with a median creamy band, on termen dark fuscous except base cream, on dorsum fuscous strongly mixed with cream basally. Hindwing fuscous except subapex cream and apex black; fringe fuscous except apical area cream with a terminal black band. Legs cream; fore femur, tarsus and tibia dark fuscous on outer surface; mid tibia with an oblique dark fuscous streak beyond middle; hind tibia with an oblique dark fuscous streak before apex; mid and hind tarsi with each tarsomere dark fuscous on outer surface except apex.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 25K). Broad, sub-trapezoidal, approximately 1/6 length of abdomen; posterior apex broad, nearly straight, serrate except middle.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 37C). Uncus broad, tongue-shaped. Gnathos hook simple, long. Tegumen 3 times as long as uncus. Valva slender, uniformly elongate from base to apex, setose in distal 2/5, rounded apically. Anellus lobe large, elliptical, approximately 1/3 length of valva, sparsely setose along ventral margin; subapex with a robust bristle, slightly shorter than anellus lobe, curved inward; apical bristle very short, usually indistinct. Juxta with a hummock-like process at middle. Vinculum with posterior margin produced at middle. Saccus very short, broad at base, abruptly narrowed apically.Aedeagus short, with basal 3/4 dilated, slightly constricted at distal 1/4, broadened and truncate apically; a slender projection arising from apex on dorsal margin.   
Female unknown.  
 Distribution. China (Hainan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, robustus (robust) and seta (seta), referring to the robust subapical bristle on the anellus lobe.
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 83-84, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121