Thiotricha ferruginea 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 ferruginea

description: Thiotricha ferruginea sp. nov.   
(Figs 17G, 58B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♀, CHINA, Sichuan Province, Wanglang Nature Reserves, Baixionggou (33.00°N, 104.03°E), 2845 m, 21.vii.2017, leg. Mujie Qi and Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE18227. Paratypes: 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slide no. LGE18226.   
 Diagnosis. The species can easily be distinguished from its congeners by the reddish-brown forewing simply marked with spots and streaks. The female genitalia are diagnosed by the short, smooth segment VIII without minute spines, the short and slender sclerite at the base of ductus bursae and the elliptical corpus bursae.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 17G). Wingspan 15.0−16.0 mm. Head brown. Labial palpus slender, mixed cream and reddish-brown; segment III as long as II, dark fuscous on ventral surface. Antenna with scape brown except posterior margin fuscous, flagellum fuscous. Thorax reddish-brown, tinged with fuscous. Tegula brown. Forewing ground color reddish-brown, sprinkled with fuscous scales; a light pink costal streak from distal 1/4, outwardly oblique, reaching half way across wing, bordered outwardly by a black streak; beyond this, one or two black costal strigulae alternating with light pink scales before apical spot; apical spot small and round, bordered inwardly by silvery scales, apex slightly falcate; a large fuscous spot at middle of wing above fold, sometimes indistinct; distal 1/4 with a short, somewhat indistinct, outwardly oblique light pink streak running from near lower angle of discal cell toward apex; tornal streak light pink, running toward apical spot, bordered outwardly by a black streak; fringe on apical area dark fuscous with a creamy median band, on termen metallic fuscous, on dorsum dark grey to fuscous. Hindwing and fringe dark grey. Legs ochreous white, slightly suffused with fuscous; fore coxa strongly mixed with fuscous, sometimes suffused with reddish-brown; fore femur, tibia and tarsus dark fuscous on outer surface; mid and hind tarsi strongly mixed with fuscous.   
Male unknown.  
 Female genitalia (Fig. 58B). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores 2/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Segment VIII short, smooth, broadly concave posteriorly; sternum VIII twice length of tergum VIII, anteriorly produced in U-shape. Ostium bursae round. Ductus bursae narrow at base, gradually broadening toward corpus bursae; a short, slender sclerite at base; ductus seminalis arising from near base. Corpus bursae elliptical, 2/3 length of ductus bursae; signum round, situated near entrance of ductus bursae, bulged inward, with minute denticles.   
 Distribution. China (Sichuan).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin, ferrugineus (rusty), referring to the reddish-brown colored forewing.   
 Remarks. Males are unknown but the morphological characteristics of the forewing and the female genitalia are typical of the pancratiastis -group.
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 118-119, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121