Diduga laocai Bayarsaikhan & Heppner & Kwon & Bae 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal
name: Heppner, John B.
name: Kwon, Hyung Wook
name: Bae, Yang-Seop
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Erebidae
Diduga
Diduga laocai

description: Diduga laocai Bayarsaikhan & Heppner, sp. nov.
(Figs 6a, 6b, 16, 21)
LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 5D025A9E-1C36-4163-A0DC-3B29D3A4AE47
Type materials (n=4). Holotype: ♂, Vietnam, Lao Cai Prov., Tram Ton Pass For. Sta., 17–18 May 2011, 1950m, J.B. Heppner, adult no. FLMNH-MGCL1174125 (deposited in MGCL) and genitalia slides no. UB ˗12955. Paratypes. 2♂, 1♀, same data as holotype, adults no. FLMNH-MGCL1174123-male, 1174124-male, 1174126-female and genitalia slides no. UB-12956-female (deposited in MGCL).
Diagnosis. By the wing pattern of this species, it is hardly distinguishable from many others of the genus Diduga, but the shape of the forewing of the new species is most similar to Diduga mucronata Bayarsaikhan & Bae, 2021 (Bayarsaikhan et al. 2021: 134, figs. 2a, 2b); both species are larger than other members of the genus Diduga (length of forewing longer than 6 mm in the male) and forewing has a strongly angled apex and terminal area weakly covered by dark brown scales. In the male genitalia, both species have an apically bent uncus with broadened basal area, and a stout valva with a large weakly sclerotized, rounded spur in basal area of costal margin. However, D. laocai sp. nov. differs from D. mucronata, in the male genitalia by having a larger, asymmetric apical spine and edged by a strongly sclerotized rounded spur in waved apical area of valva, and a strongly sclerotized arched juxta, and a large spine in the aedeagus vesica. In D. mucronata, valva has an asymmetric small apical spine in right valva (about 3–4 times shorter than new species), and edged membranous narrowly, and juxta broadly truncate, and aedeagus vesica with six differently sized spine-shaped cornuti in the male genitalia (Fig 17).
In female genitalia, ostium plate is strongly sclerotized and narrowly U-shaped, and ovoid corpus bursa has a large strongly sclerotized plate in cervix of bursa and whole of bursa is covered by short strong spines; and this distinguishes this species well from all the other known females of Diduga.
Description. Adult (Figures 6a, 6b). Length of forewing 8–9 mm in both sexes. Head and patagium pale yellowish. Proximal end of tegula pale yellowish and distal end dark brownish. Thorax dark brownish. Forewing ground color dark brownish, with pale yellowish, broad costal and terminal margin, it edged by golden yellowish line, except slender dark line in basal area of costal margin; with small, dark brown dots in costal border; cilia golden yellowish. Hindwing ground color pale brown; cilia pale brown. Abdomen brown, with deep yellow anal tuft and pale brown ventral side in male and female. Male genitalia (Figure 16). Uncus stout, tapering, apical area weakly bent, basal area broadened, with a bundle of spines ventrally, almost same length with tegumen. Anal tube membranous and scaphium weakly sclerotized. Tegumen triangular, weakly sclerotized. Valvae asymmetric, stout, weakly elongate and weakly sclerotized, with a strongly sclerotized, pointed, spine-like apical process, left apex of valva narrower than right; a large basal harpe weakly sclerotized; waved costal margin of valva strongly sclerotized, with a rounded, membranous apical process; apical saccular process strongly sclerotized and roundly edged. Juxta weakly sclerotized, arched. Vinculum short, weakly sclerotized; saccus broadly “U”˗shaped. Aedeagus stout, weakly sclerotized, and vesica covered with spinules and a large spine shaped cornuti and a sclerotized plate. Female genitalia (Figure 21). Papillae anales weakly covered with setae; both apophyses slender and anterior apophysis shorter than posterior apophysis; lamella postvaginalis sclerotized; ostium plate strongly sclerotized, narrowly U-shaped. Ductus bursae membranous, short, broadly tubular; corpus bursae ovoid, covered by short, strong spines whole bursae, and a large strongly sclerotized plate covered in cervix of bursa area.
Distribution. Vietnam (Lao Cai Province).
Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality, Lao Cai Province, a mountainous region in northwestern Vietnam bordering the Yunnan Province, China.
description: Published as part of Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Heppner, John B., Kwon, Hyung Wook & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2024, Review of the genus Diduga (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) of Vietnam, with a new species and two newly recorded species, pp. 553-563 in Zootaxa 5501 (4) on pages 558-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5501.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/13745443