Meleonoma tenuiuncata Wang & Zhu 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Shuxia
name: Zhu, Xiaoju
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Cosmopterigidae
Meleonoma
Meleonoma tenuiuncata

description: Meleonoma tenuiuncata sp. nov.
(Figs. 8, 24)
Type material. CHINA, Guangxi: Holotype ♂, Hekou (24.14°N, 110.09°E), Mt. Dayao, Jinxiu, 823 m, 20.VII.2015, leg. MJ Qi & SN Zhao, slide No. YAH15410.
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to M. polychaeta Li, 2004 in the male genitalia. It can be distinguished by the valva with distal 1/4 equally narrow, the saccus elongate triangular, and the stout aedeagus wider than the valva in the male genitalia. In M. polychaeta, the valva is gradually narrowed to apex, the saccus short broad triangular, and the slender aedeagus is narrower than the valva (Li & Wang 2004: 35, Fig. 4).
Description. Adult (Fig. 8). Forewing length 4.3 mm.
Head yellowish white. Labial palpus yellowish white; second segment with a greyish brown ring apically; third segment with a greyish brown spot at middle dorsally, shorter than second segment. Antenna yellowish white, flagellum annulated with greyish brown on dorsal surface except basal several flagellomeres yellow.
Thorax yellowish white (worn); tegula greyish brown, yellowish white distally. Forewing with costal margin arched, apex rounded; ground color yellow, costal margin with more black scales in basal 2/5, forming an ill-defined narrow stripe; costal spot greyish brown, inverted triangular, situated beyond middle; apical patch greyish black, large; tornal spot greyish black, smaller, narrowly diffused to apical patch along termen; discal and plical spots black, almost equally sized; discocellular spots blackish grey, small; dorsum with a black spot at base, consisting of a few black scales; fringe greyish black, with a yellow basal line interrupted by greyish black scales. Hindwing and fringe greyish black. Legs yellow (worn); on ventral surface, mid femur as well as tibiae of fore- and midlegs marked with greyish brown scales.
Male genitalia (Fig. 24). Uncus slender, slightly narrowed to pointed apex. Tegumen inverted V shaped; lateral arm rounded anteriorly. Valva sub-rectangular, with dense setae basally, slightly curved at distal 1/4 on dorsal margin, equally narrow from distal 1/4 to apex, forming a rounded distal process with tufted dense long setae and numerous short spines; ventral margin heavily sclerotized, forming a narrow band, linked with dorsoapex of sacculus; costa slightly convex beyond middle; transtilla band shaped, almost meeting medially. Sacculus sub-triangular; apex obliquely inward, bearing dense short setae; ventral margin short. Saccus wide basally, narrowed distally, rounded at apex; shorter than uncus. Juxta circular.Aedeagus 1.5 times as long as valva; distal 4/5 with a slender bar ventrally, with a large, sclerotized, tubular process dorsally.
Female unknown.
Distribution. China (Guangxi).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin tenu - and uncatus, referring to the slender uncus.
description: Published as part of Wang, Shuxia & Zhu, Xiaoju, 2020, Study of the genus Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae) from China, with descriptions of fifteen new species, pp. 331-357 in Zootaxa 4838 (3) on page 339, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4838.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4404074