Thiotricha macularis 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 macularis

description: Thiotricha macularis sp. nov.   
(Figs 12G, 25M, 37E, 54B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Yinggeling, Hongkan (19.08°N, 109.50°E), 540 m, 14.iii.2016, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Shengnan Zhao, genitalia slide no. LGE18232. Paratypes. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♂, same data as holotype except 16.iii.2016; 2 ♂♂, Diaoluoshan (18.8°N, 109.89°E), 940 m, 2, 6.vi.2007, leg. Zhiwei Zhang and Weichun Li; 1 ♀, Tianchi, 810 m, Jianfengling, 30.iii.2008, leg. Bingbing Hu and Haiyan Bai; 2 ♂♂, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.90°N, 109.67°E), 740 m, 14, 15.iv.2009, leg. Qing Jin and Bingbing Hu; 1 ♂, Shuiman Town (18.88°N, 109.67°E), 630 m, Wuzhishan City, 16.iv.2009, leg. Qing Jin and Bingbing Hu; 1 ♂, Tianchi (18.74°N, 108.84°E), 1050 m, Jianfengling, Ledong County, 29.iv.2013, leg. Yinghui Sun, Wei Guan and Tengteng Liu; 1 ♂, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.91°N, 109.68°E), 710 m, 20.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu; 2 ♂♂, Jianfengling Nature Reserves (18.74°N, 108.84°E), 1050 m, Ledong County, 27.iv.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Limushan Nature Reserves (19.17°N, 109.74°E), 640−700 m, 1−5.v.2014, leg. Tengteng Liu, Wei Guan and Xuemei Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE18233f (one male and one female are deposited in NHMUK); 1 ♂, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.88°N, 109.65°E), 742 m, 20.v.2015, leg. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu; 1 ♂, Hongxin Village (19.07°N, 109.52°E), 445 m, Yuanmen Town, Baisha County, 1.viii.2015, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Mengting Chen; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.90°N, 109.67°E), 738 m, 3.iii.2016, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Shengnan Zhao, genitalia slide no. LGE 18241m; 1 ♂, Tianchi (18.73°N, 108.87°E), 787 m, Jianfengling, 6.iii.2016, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Shengnan Zhao; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.90°N, 109.67°E), 738 m, 23, 29.vii.2016, leg. Xia Bai, Shuonan Qian and Wanding Qi; 1 ♂, Butterfly Ecological Pasture (18.87°N, 109.67°E), 680 m, Wuzhishan City, 31.x.2016, leg. Xia Bai, Shuonan Qian and Wanding Qi; Guizhou Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Shaluo, 390 m, Chishui, 28, 29.v.2000, leg. Yanli Du, genitalia slide nos. LZD01190m, ZJL05349f; Taiwan Province: 5 ♀♀, Hueisun Exp. Forest, 650 m, Nantou, 22−29.x.1998, leg. Mey and Speidel, genitalia slide nos. MNHU-NK172, MNHU-NK173, MNHU-NK174, MNHU-NK176, MNHU-NK187 (deposited in MNHU); Yunnan Province: 1 ♂, Yexianggu (22.17°N, 100.87°E), 762 m, Xishuangbanna, 17.vii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Bubang (21.60°N, 101.59°E), 656 m, Xishuangbanna, 22, 24.vii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu, genitalia slide no. LGE18242f.   
 Diagnosis. In general appearance, this species is similar to T. vittaticosta, T. lineata and T. albalata but can be distinguished easily from the latter by the presence of a large fuscous spot near the costa. The male genitalia are diagnosed by the valva with apex outwardly curved and the strongly angled conjunction between the extreme base of valva and the juxta. The female genitalia can be distinguished from its allies by the broad ductus bursae with a teardrop-shaped sclerite at the base.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 12G). Wingspan 6.5−11.0 mm. Head white. Labial palpus creamy white; in male, shorter and stouter than that of female, segment I long, tinged with fuscous on outer surface; segment II as long as I, hair pencil reaching apex of III; segment III strongly upcurved, sometimes with apex nearly reaching its base, fuscous on ventral surface; in female, segment III as long as II, fuscous on ventral surface. Antenna with scape white; flagellum fuscous except basal 3/4 or 4/5 of dorsal surface white, male cilia twice as long as diameter. Thorax creamy white. Tegula creamy white, usually with anterior margin fuscous. Forewing ground color cream, anterior edge of costa dark fuscous in basal 1/3 of wing, apical area light brown; apical spot round, suffused inwardly with whitish grey scales, apex falcate; markings fuscous: sometimes a slender, longitudinal line from base to basal 1/5 of wing along subcosta; a large, round or elongate spot at basal 2/5 of subcosta; outwardly oblique, two costal streaks from distal 1/3 and 1/4 of wing, respectively, confluent at half way across wing, then extends to termen, often interrupted by silvery scales at middle; beyond this, two inwardly oblique costal strigulae before apical spot, alternating with creamy scales; a fuscous shade from base to near tornus along dorsum, sometimes indistinct; at basal 1/4, the shade extends to fold forming a spot or a short streak; beyond this the shade well-defined, extends toward apex as an oblique streak, meets costal streak before apex; on dorsum, from near tornus, two slender and inwardly oblique streaks shortly running toward discal cell, confluent near lower angle of discal cell, then strongly curved outward forming a V-shaped marking, extends to costal streak; tornal streak short and somewhat indistinct, running toward costal streaks but interrupted by silvery scales; fringe on apical area dark fuscous with a creamy median band, on termen metallic fuscous with base cream, on dorsum grey strongly mixed with cream distally. Hindwing grey, tipped dark fuscous; fringe grey except apical area fuscous. Legs creamy white, with outer surface marked with fuscous: fore femur, tibia and tarsus dark fuscous; mid tibia with a short, oblique streak beyond middle, mid tarsus fuscous except apex; hind tibia with a short, oblique streak before apex; hind tarsus with first tarsomere fuscous at middle, remaining tarsomeres fuscous basally.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 25M). 1/5 length of abdomen, gradually narrowing toward posterior apex, with lateral margins broadly concave; posterior 1/5 bifid, each tine stout and blunt at apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig.37E).Uncus tongue-shaped.Gnathos hook simple,moderately long.Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valva very slender at base, broadening to basal 1/3, then uniformly elongate toward apex; apex slightly expanded, curved outward; conjunction between extreme base of valva and juxta strongly elongate and angled, forming a triangular process. Anellus lobe clubbed, 1/4 length of valva, setose along ventral margin; apical bristle 1/2 length of anellus lobe, strongly hooked. Juxta simple, broadly convex. Vinculum with posterior margin convex. Saccus very short, sub-triangular, apex narrowly produced. Aedeagus with basal half dilated, then gradually narrowed, distal 1/4 constricted, a short tooth ventrally before apex, blunt at apex.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 54B). Papillae anales very weakly sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 2/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Segment VIII (both tergum and sternum) with numerous round patches, each patch consisting of minute spines; tergum VIII divided into two sclerites; sternum VIII deeply concave posteriorly, strongly produced anteriorly in U-shape. Ostium bursae round, strongly sclerotized. Ductus bursae long and wide, narrowed at base, a teardrop-shaped sclerite at extreme base; ductus seminalis arising from beyond the sclerite. Corpus bursae obovate, slightly shorter than 1/2 length of ductus bursae; signum round, situated at posterior 1/4, bulged inward, with minute denticles.   
 Distribution. China (Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin macularis (spotted), referring to the spot near costa of 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 85-86, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121