Lecithocera sichuanensis Yu & Wang 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yu, Shuai
name: Wang, Shuxia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lecithoceridae
Lecithocera
Lecithocera sichuanensis

description: Lecithocera sichuanensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: EC3B5129-E123-42AB-8567-730AC9EDD541
Figs 4E, 8D, 13E, 17F, 20E
Diagnosis
The new species is superficially similar to L. pelomorpha Meyrick, 1931. It can be distinguished in the male genitalia by the subrectangular cucullus, the juxta with subquadrate posterior lobes, and in the female genitalia by the corpus bursae with a small asteroidal signum; in L. pelomorpha, the cucullus is subtriangular (Gozmány 1978: pl 26 fig. 41), the posterior lobe of the juxta is horn-shaped, and the signum is large, subrectangular (Gozmány 1978: pl. 63 fig. 41).
Etymology
The specific epithet is derived from the name of the type locality.
Type material
Holotype
CHINA – Sichuan Province • ♂; Chengdu City, Anzihe; 30º47′ N, 103º12′ E; 1598 m a.s.l.; 22 Jun. 2016; K.J. Teng and X.F. Yang leg.; slide no. YS19028; NKU.
Paratypes (19 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀)
CHINA – Sichuan Province • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; slide no. YS19027; NKU • 5 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Chengdu City, Anzihe; 12‒15 Jul. 2016; Y. Fei leg.; slide nos YS19549 ♂, YS19585 ♀; NKU • 3 ♂♂; Baoxing, Fengtongzhai; 1600 m a.s.l.; 2 Aug. 2004; Y.D. Ren leg.; slide nos LSR13058, LSR13064, LSR13331; NKU • 10 ♂♂; Baoxing, Fengtongzhai; 1565 m a.s.l.; 1‒2 Aug. 2016; Y. Fei leg.; slide no. YS19026; NKU.
Description
ADULT (Figs 4E, 8D). Wingspan 16.5–18.0 mm. Head pale orange. Antenna pale orange. Labial palpus pale yellow except dark brown ventrally on third palpomere; third palpomere about ⅔ length of second palpomere. Thorax pale orange; tegula pale orange, blackish brown at base. Forewing with costal margin nearly straight, apex blunt, termen oblique; ground colour yellowish brown, with scattered dark brown scales distally, mottled orange-yellow scales along costal margin from about middle to apex; markings blackish brown: basal streak distinct at base; discal stigma small; discocellular stigma larger, oblong; tornal streak wide at base, narrowed and diffused to below discocellular stigma; fringe brownish yellow, basal line orange white; R 3 close to R 4+5 at base, R 4 and R 5 stalked for longer than half length, R 5 to termen, M 2 and M 3 separated, CuA 1 and CuA 2 short-stalked. Hindwing and fringe grey; fringe with an orange white basal line; M 3 and CuA 1 stalked for about ⅓ length of M 3.
MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 13E). Uncus subtriangular, broadly V-shaped on posterior margin; caudal lobe short, thumbed, setose. Gnathos with lateral arm broad, triangular on posterior margin; median process wide in basal 3/5, narrowed from distal 2/5 to pointed apex, curved ventrad at distal 2/5 by right angle. Valva broad basally, slightly narrowed before cucullus; cucullus about half length of valva, nearly as wide as basal width of valva, subrectangular, broad at apex, setose ventrodistally, with row of bullet-shaped setae distally along ventral margin; costal bar narrow, angled at basal 2/5; sacculus broad taenioid, narrowed distally, reaching cucullus. Vinculum broad; saccus almost semiovate. Juxta large, deeply incised at middle on posterior margin forming paired large quadrate posterior lobe, with short, digitiform process at middle on anterior margin. Aedeagus shorter than valva, tubular, gently curved at middle; cornuti consisting of several dispersed, needle-like spines in basal ⅓, two large sclerites in distal half, and three teeth dorsoapically.
SEVENTH ABDOMINAL STERNITE (Fig. 17F). Anterior margin convex medially; anterolateral rib short, reaching before posterior margin of sixth abdominal sternite; posterior margin convex medially; posterolateral lobe small.
FEMALE GENITALIA (Fig. 20E). Eighth abdominal sternite concave medially on posterior margin forming two semiovate caudal lobes. Apophyses posteriores twice as long as apophyses anteriores. Antrum weakly sclerotized, nearly funnel-shaped, with horizontal median ridge. Ductus bursae distinctly shorter than corpus bursae, narrow, widened toward corpus bursae; ductus seminalis slender, dilated basally, forming rounded sac. Corpus bursae oblong; signum very small, asteroidal, with denticles, placed near anterior margin of corpus bursae.
Distribution
China (Sichuan).
description: Published as part of Yu, Shuai & Wang, Shuxia, 2024, The genus Lecithocera (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) from China, with descriptions of twenty-one new species, pp. 1-74 in European Journal of Taxonomy 924 on pages 35-37, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.924.2447, http://zenodo.org/record/10803382