Tenupalpa immaculata Lee et Li 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lee, Ga-Eun
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Gelechiidae
Tenupalpa
Tenupalpa immaculata

description: Tenupalpa immaculata Lee et Li, sp. nov.
(Figs 17, 30, 50, 69, 87)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9FA70607-8700-49D3-BCE8-76AAA5D28EFD
Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Guizhou Province, Mt. Fanjing, Huixiangping, 1700 m, 1.vi.2002, leg. Xinpu Wang, genitalia slide no. LGE18025. Paratype. Guizhou Province: 1 ♀, Heiwanhe, Mt. Fanjing, 530 m, 2.vi.2002, leg. Xinpu Wang, genitalia slide no. LGE18002.
Diagnosis. The species may be confused with the similar T. isabellina sp. nov., but the forewing coloration is somewhat paler than that of the latter. Diagnostic characters for T. immaculata are present on the legs: the mid-tibia lacks a spot, and the hind tibia is dark fuscous apically. In T. isabellina sp. nov., a fuscous spot is present at the distal 1/3 of the mid-tibia, and the apex of the hind tibia is pale orange. The male genitalia of T. immaculata are differentiated from those of T. isabellina by the shorter uncus, narrower apex of valva, and the anellus lobe distally constricted.
Description. Adult (Fig. 50). Head: Vertex pale brown to greyish brown, frons creamy white. Labial palpus pale brown; palpomere I tinged with fuscous apically; palpomere III as long as II, strongly mixed with grey.Antenna with scape pale greyish brown except posterior margin tinged with fuscous distally; flagellum dark fuscous, basal half of dorsal surface slightly mixed with creamy white, male cilia as long as diameter.
Thorax: Pale brown, anterior margin sometimes suffused with fuscous. Tegula pale brown except anterior 3/5 dark fuscous. Wingspan 8.5–9.0 mm; forewing ground color pale greyish brown, grey along costa, base dark fuscous near costa, middle of wing broadly suffused with grey; two indistinct grey lines arising from outer margin of former greyish suffusion: upper line longitudinally running toward apex at anterior 1/3 of wing, lower line running to tornus along fold; fringe scales pale greyish brown. Hindwing grey to pale greyish brown; fringe scales pale greyish brown. Legs creamy white to pale brown; hind tibia broadly fuscous at middle and apex.
Abdomen (Fig. 17): Male coremata nearly as long as sternum VIII; sternum VIII sub-triangular, lateral margin broadly convex. Male genitalia (Fig. 69) with uncus short, sub-pentagonal, with a medial ridge on ventral surface. Gnathos hook moderately long, sharply pointed apically. Tegumen approximately 6 times as long as uncus; with abundant tubercles situated at middle of ventral surface, each tubercle ampulliform and bearing a long seta (Fig. 30). Valva slender, slightly broadened at base and in distal 1/3, rounded at apex. Anellus lobe ovate, approximately 1/6 length of valva, sparely setose near apex; apical bristle longer than anellus lobe. Juxta simple, inner margin broadly convex. Vinculum simple, broadly convex on posterior margin. Saccus sub-triangular, slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal half globular, distal half slender and straight. Female genitalia (Fig. 87) with papillae anales simple and setose. Apophyses anteriores approximately 1/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Sternum VIII produced anteriorly, with two short sub-triangular flaps covering ostium bursae. Ostium bursae opening near anterior margin of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae narrow at base, gradually widening toward corpus bursae from posterior 1/3; ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/3 of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae ovate, abruptly bulged at base; signum small, crescent-shaped, situated near entrance of ductus bursae.
Distribution. China (Guizhou).
Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin immaculatus (spotless), referring to the absence of a spot on the mid-tibia.
description: Published as part of Lee, Ga-Eun & Li, Houhun, 2022, Taxonomic study of the genus Tenupalpa Lee et Li, 2021 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae Thiotrichinae) from China, with descriptions of fifteen new species, pp. 75-111 in Zootaxa 5087 (1) on pages 88-89, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5087.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/5819794