Thiotricha digitiprojecta 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 digitiprojecta

description: Thiotricha digitiprojecta sp. nov.   
(Figs 9G, 24J, 33F, 51B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Tengchong City, Linjiapu (25.29°N, 98.70°E), 2144 m, 14.viii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Shurong Liu and Hua Rong, genitalia slide no. LGE18280. Paratypes. CHINA: Yunnan Province: 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype except 14−16.viii.2014, genitalia slide nos. LGE 16203m, LGE16204f; 2 ♂♂, Mt. Weibao (24.52°N, 98.84°E), 2244 m, Weishan County, Dali City, 22, 23.vii.2013, leg. Shurong Liu, Yuqi Wang and Kaijian Teng (undissected male is deposited in NHMUK), genitalia slide no. LGE18282; 1 ♀, Baoshan (24.82°N, 98.78°E), 2009 m, 20.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai (deposited in NHMUK); 1 ♀, Xiaoheishan Nature Reserves (24.52°N, 98.84°E), 1974 m, Longling County, 28.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai, genitalia slide no. LGE18281; 1 ♀, Qinlangdang Conservation Station (27.69°N, 98.27°E), 380 m, Gaoligongshan Nature Reserves, Nujiang, 29.v.2017, leg. Kaijian Teng et al., genitalia slide no. LGE18503; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Pukawang Village (27.84°N, 98.32°E), 1335 m, Dulongjiang Town, Gaoligongshan County, 7−12.vi.2017, leg. Kaijian Teng et al., genitalia slide no. LGE18502f.   
 Diagnosis. The species closely resembles T. truncata, but it is usually slightly larger in size and the dark fuscous line below costa is more slender than that of the latter species. Also, the line on dorsum is sometimes joined with another line running above dorsum in T. digitiprojecta whereas two lines are well-separated in T. truncata. The male genitalia of T. digitiprojecta are clearly distinguished from other related species by having a digitate projection at the base of valval costa. The female genitalia are diagnosed by the round sclerite situated near the base of ductus bursae. The signum of T. digitiprojecta is absent as in T. crassiflagella, T. tridentata and T. peniticoncava, but corpus bursae is round in shape whereas those of the latter species are ovate or elongate-ovate.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 9G). Wingspan 8.0−10.0 mm. Head golden ochre. Labial palpus golden ochre; segment III as long as II, sometimes suffused with fuscous on ventral surface, fuscous at apex. Antenna with scape golden ochre; flagellum dark fuscous except basal 1/3 or 1/4 of dorsal surface light yellow, male cilia shorter than diameter. Thorax golden ochre, with a dark fuscous median line. Tegula golden ochre, anterior half dark fuscous, sometimes dark fuscous along inner margin. Forewing ground color golden ochre, apical area darker; apical spot bordered inwardly by silvery white scales, these scales usually forming a small spot; markings dark fuscous: a line from base to near apex along costa, darker in basal 1/2, broadened beyond middle, curved downward from distal 1/4, attenuated to anterior 1/3 of wing, bordered outwardly by white and light-yellow scales; beyond this, a slender costal streak rarely present from distal 1/5, nearly reaching former costal streak posteriorly; a longitudinal line from base to basal 2/3 below costa, usually confluent with former costal line distally; a longitudinal line from base to near apex above dorsum, sometimes disconnected before middle, broadened near fold, slightly curved from fold and obliquely running toward apical spot, reaching distal 1/4 of wing; a narrow line on dorsum in basal 1/2, sometimes broadened distally and joined with former line; an inwardly directed, V-shaped marking on fold near tornus, nearly reaching the line running above dorsum anteriorly; tornal streak very short, usually indistinct, bordered inwardly by white and light-yellow scales; fringe on costa, termen and dorsum dark fuscous, strongly mixed with golden ochre along termen. Hindwing dark fuscous, fringe dark fuscous except apical area white with a terminal black band. Legs golden ochre; fore coxa usually mixed with dark fuscous; remaining parts as in T. spinesigna.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 24J). 1/6 length of abdomen, subtriangular, posterior apex blunt.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 33F). Uncus tongue-shaped, setose distally. Gnathos hook moderately long, simple. Tegumen approximately 3.5 times as long as uncus. Valva narrow in basal 2/3, between basal 1/4 and 1/2 of inner margin broadly convex; a slender, digitate projection at base of costa, strongly curved after middle, blunt at apex; distal 1/3 broadened, densely setose. Anellus lobe very short and bulbous, somewhat indistinct, approximately 1/7 length of valva; apical bristle longer than anellus lobe, strongly hooked. Juxta with a hummock-like process in basal 1/3 of inner margin. Vinculum simple. Saccus extremely short and slender, bent toward left side. Aedeagus with basal 1/2 globular, distal 1/2 slender and straight, narrowed at apex.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 51B). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 1/2 length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII deeply concave posteriorly and nearly straight anteriorly. Sternum VIII longer than tergum VIII, posterior 2/3 with a broad, oblong sclerotization above ostium bursae, anterior margin produced in U-shape. Ostium bursae large, opening at posterior 2/3 of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae narrow, with a small and round sclerite near base, ductus seminalis arising from beyond the sclerite. Corpus bursae round, 1/5 length of ductus bursae, without signum.   
 Variations. On the forewing, the longitudinal line above dorsum can be disconnected between basal 1/4 and 1/3, and the thickness of the line running along dorsum can vary.   
 Distribution. China (Yunnan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, digit - (digitate) and projectus (projection), referring to the digitate projection on the base of valva.
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 51-52, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121