Thiotricha jianfengensis 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 jianfengensis

description: Thiotricha jianfengensis sp. nov.   
(Figs 11B, 25A, 35E)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Jianfengling, Tianchi (18.73°N, 108.87°E), 787 m, 11.vii.2015, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Mengting Chen, genitalia slide no. LGE18287. Paratype. CHINA: Hainan Province: 1 ♂, Jianfengling Nature Reserves (18.74°N, 108.87°E), 770 m, Ledong County, 17.vii.2014, leg. Peixin Cong, Linjie Liu and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE15097.   
 Diagnosis. Thiotricha jianfengensis is similar to T. grandimacula in having a whitish ochre forewing marked with a large black costal spot, but the spot is smaller and somewhat narrowed posteriorly in the former. Also, the longitudinal distal streaks are shorter and more or less indistinct in T. jianfengensis. The male genitalia can be distinguished easily from other species by the very narrowed valva and the robust aedeagus with a hummock-like process on the ventral margin.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 11B). Wingspan 11.5–13.0 mm. Head ocherous white. Labial palpus whitish ochre, with segment III slightly longer than II. Antenna ochreous white, flagellum with distal 2/3 gradually darker to apex; male cilia as long or slightly longer than diameter. Thorax whitish ochre, strongly mixed with ochre posteriorly. Tegula whitish ochre, inner margin tinged with fuscous. Forewing ground color whitish ochre, apical area strongly mixed with white, anterior edge of costa black in basal 1/3; a minute black spot below costa near base; a large black costal spot at basal 1/3, somewhat narrowly extended toward fold; a narrow, fuscous costal streak at distal 1/4, obliquely running to termen; beyond this, another fuscous streak running to apex along costa; four narrow fuscous streaks in distal 1/3 of wing, almost longitudinally running toward termen, fourth shortest and situated on fold; a light brown, outwardly oblique band present in holotype, running from near base of dorsum to fold; a black line on termen, sometimes disconnected at middle forming two spots; apex narrowly elongate, without distinct apical spot; fringe whitish ochre to light grey. Hindwing dark grey except apex dirty white; fringe dark grey. Legs ochreous white; fore femur, tibia and tarsus mixed with black on outer surface; mid tibia with a short black streak on outer surface after middle; mid tarsus with first tarsomere black at middle, second and third black in basal half; hind tibia with an oblique black streak near apex; hind tarsus with first tarsomere black at middle, II–IV with basal half fuscous.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 25A). Approximately 1/6 length of abdomen, with lateral margins broadly concave, bifurcate from posterior 1/4; each tine abruptly narrowed after its base, with inner margin U-shaped.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 35E). Uncus tongue-shaped. Gnathos hook slender and moderately long. Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valva very narrow, nearly straight, slightly broadened after base, rounded apically. Anellus lobe digitate, approximately 1/5 length of valva, with a minute apical bristle. Juxta with a broad subtriangular process. Vinculum triangular medially. Saccus broad, U-shaped, slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus strongly dilated in basal 2/5, then gradually narrowed to apex, ventral margin with a hummock-like process at middle, blunt at apex.   
Female unknown.  
 Variation. The short brown dorsal streak present in the holotype is absent in the single paratype.   
 Distribution. China (Hainan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality, Jianfengling of Hainan Province.
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 64-65, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121