Thiotricha asymmetricosta 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 asymmetricosta

description: Thiotricha asymmetricosta sp. nov.   
(Figs 18F, G, 27A, 42C, 59B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Tengchong County, Linjiapu (25.29°N, 98.70°E), 2144 m, 16.viii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Shurong Liu and Hua Rong, genitalia slide no. LGE18188. Paratypes. CHINA: Yunnan Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype except 15, 16.viii.2014, genitalia slide nos. LGE 18189m, LGE18190f; Xizang Autonomous Region: 3 ♂♂, 80K (29.66°N, 95.49°E), 2059−2089 m, Motuo County, 8−19. viii.2017, leg. Mujie Qi and Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE18197.   
 Diagnosis. The forewing marking of T. asymmetricosta is somewhat similar to those of T. leucochalca and T. aurea, but the anterior 1/2 of the wing is darker and the white band below fold is larger and constricted medially compared to the latter two species. In the male genitalia of T. asymmetricosta, the valvae are slightly asymmetrical and the left valva has a flap on the costa. The rod-like slender anellus lobe and the aedeagus with a sharply pointed apex are also diagnostic. The female genitalia can be distinguished easily from other related species by the narrow ductus and corpus bursae.   
 Description. Adult (Figs 18F, G). Wingspan 11.0−12.0 mm. Head white. Labial palpus golden ochre, segment II strongly mixed with fuscous on outer surface; segment III white except ventral surface and apex black, slightly longer than II. Antenna with scape golden ochre, posterior margin fuscous; flagellum dark fuscous except basal half of dorsal surface golden ochre, male cilia as long as diameter. Thorax and tegula mixed fuscous, ochre and cream. Forewing ground color fuscous strongly mixed with golden ocher, basal 1/6 broadly white below fold, anterior edge of costa black in basal 1/3; apical spot moderate and round, bordered anteriorly by white scales, apex falcate; a short, golden ocher longitudinal streak near costa, lying from near base to basal 1/3 of wing, sometimes indistinct; other markings white: a small, elongate spot near costa before middle of wing; a very short, narrow costal streak at distal 1/5, somewhat indistinct, obliquely extending toward termen; a broad, outwardly oblique band from dorsum to fold in between basal 1/6 and 1/3 of wing, medially constricted and mixed with golden ocher; beyond this, a subtriangular patch near dorsum at 1/2 of wing, slightly exceeding fold anteriorly; beyond this, two elongate spots at distal 1/4 of wing, first one on dorsum, second above the former spot and shortly extending toward apical spot; tornal streak reaching apical spot, suffused with dark grey scales anteriorly; fringe on costa cream with subterminal and terminal black bands, on termen ochre with a dark fuscous terminal band, on dorsum greyish brown. Hindwing and fringe dark grey. Legs fuscous mixed with ochre; fore femur, tibia and tarsus dark fuscous on outer surface; mid femur dark fuscous at apex; mid tibia white with base dark fuscous, distal half of outer surface dark fuscous except apex; hind tibia with outer surface dark fuscous, white at base, a white oblique streak before middle; mid and hind tarsi dark fuscous on outer surface, first tarsomere white at base and at apex, remaining tarsomeres white at apex.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 27A). Approximately 1/5 length of abdomen, posterior 1/3 melanized and bifid; each tine very slender, inner margin between two tines U-shaped.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 42C). Uncus tongue-shaped. Gnathos hook long and simple. Tegumen approximately 4 times as long as uncus. Valva slightly asymmetrical, with base very narrowed, gradually broadening to basal 1/3, then uniformly elongate to blunt apex; costa of valva elongated in basal 3/5, well-developed on right valva as a flap, weakly developed on left. Anellus lobe very slender and uniform, rod-shaped, 1/3 length of valva, blunt at apex; subapical bristle extremely short. Juxta with inner margin broadly subrectangular. Vinculum broad, rounded posteriorly. Saccus subtriangular, rounded at apex, not exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 2/5 dilated, cylindrical distally, tapering from distal 1/5 to apex, sharply pointed apically.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 59B). Papillae anales weakly sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 2/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII short, convex posteriorly, nearly straight anteriorly. Sternum VIII twice as long as tergum VIII, broadly concave posteriorly; anterior margin strongly sclerotized, produced in U-shape. Ostium bursae round. Ductus bursae very slender and short; colliculum at base of ductus bursae, abruptly constricted anteriorly; ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/3. Corpus bursae narrow, slightly longer than ductus bursae, constricted at anterior 1/4 and 3/4, bulged medially; signum large, situated in posterior 2/5, semielliptical with a central ridge.   
 Distribution. China (Yunnan, Xizang).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin, asymmetricus (asymmetrical), referring to the asymmetrical costa of valvae.
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 page 125, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121