Thiotricha fasciaria 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 fasciaria

description: Thiotricha fasciaria sp. nov.   
(Figs 6C, 23B, 29B, 47B)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Xizang Autonomous Region, Milin County, Pai Town (29.51°N, 94.86°E), 2900 m, 1.viii.2010, leg. Houhun Li et al., genitalia slide no. LGE18040. Paratypes. CHINA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype, genitalia slide nos. LGE18041f, LGE 18082m.   
 Diagnosis. The forewing markings of T. fasciaria are somewhat similar to those of T. tetraphala Meyrick, 1886 described from New Zealand, but the new species can be differentiated from the latter by having a broader, fuscous fascia at basal 1/3 of the forewing. Also, male antennal ciliation is much shorter in the new species. Morphology of the male genitalia is closely related to T. subocellea and T. apicispinea, especially having asymmetrical valvae and a pair of flaps on uncus. The new species can be distinguished from T. subocellea by the narrowed apex of valva and from T. apicispinea by the hummock-like process on juxta and the more slender process on the right valva. The aedeagus of T. fasciaria has an interior sclerite as in T. apicispinea, but its apex is smooth in the former whereas it bears cornuti in the latter species.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 6C). Wingspan 13.0− 13.5 mm. Head whitish grey, slightly tinged with fuscous. Labial palpus dark fuscous, whitish grey on dorsal surface; segment III as long as II, pointed at apex. Antenna dark fuscous, sometimes tinged with white; flagellum dark fuscous except base of dorsal surface whitish grey, male cilia as long as diameter. Thorax and tegula fuscous mixed with whitish grey. Forewing ground color whitish grey, sprinkled with dark fuscous especially at base and near apex, apical spot small and black; markings dark fuscous: a broad fascia running obliquely from 1/3 of costa to 1/4 of dorsum, sometimes interrupted medially; a large, elliptical spot at middle, extending from discal cell to dorsum; a very small spot near outer margin of discal cell; fringe on apical area white with subterminal and terminal fuscous bands, remaining fringe whitish grey with fuscous tip. Hindwing dark grey, fringe grey. Fore leg and mid leg dark fuscous mixed with whitish grey; hind leg whitish grey, outer surface strongly mixed with fuscous.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 23B). 1/5 length of abdomen, posterior 2/3 sharply narrowed, posterior 1/4 bifurcate with slender tines.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 29B). Uncus with base very narrow, bulbous distally; a pair of basal flaps on ventral surface, 1/3 length of uncus, subtriangular. Gnathos hook slender, pointed at apex. Tegumen 3 times as long as uncus, anterior margin indented in rectangle. Valvae asymmetrical, with base narrow, basal 1/2 slightly curved inward, distal 1/2 setose and slightly curved outward; right valva with a digitate process before middle of ventral margin, constricted at middle, distal 1/3 sharply narrowed to apex; left valva with distal 1/2 gradually narrowed to apex.Anellus lobe 1/3 length of valva, bulged at base, distal half constricted; apical bristle 1/4 length of anellus lobe, slightly hooked. Juxta with a hummock-like process, outer margin weakly sclerotized, with sparse hairs on distal margin of process. Vinculum with posterior margin strongly convex at middle, forming a subtriangular process. Saccus extremely short, subtriangular. Aedeagus with basal 1/2 dilated, gradually narrowing to blunt apex; interior sclerite arising from middle, slightly exceeding apex.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 47B). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized, posterior 3/4 covered with minute spines. Apophyses anteriores slightly shorter than apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII shorter than sternum VIII, posterior margin concave. Sternum VIII with anterior margin strongly elongate in U-shape, a weakly sclerotized oval area around ostium bursae; medial sclerotization fan-shaped in posterior 1/2, narrowly elongated anteriorly as a slender sclerite, anterior end spatulate and reaching base of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae slightly broadened after base, then uniformly elongate, twisted near corpus bursae; ductus seminalis arising from posterior 1/7. Corpus bursae obovate, slightly shorter than ductus bursae; signum semielliptical with a central ridge.   
 Variations. The forewing of one female specimen has the dorsum broadly fuscous.   
 Distribution. China (Xizang).   
 Etymology. The species name is from Latin, fasciarius (band-shaped), referring to the broad fascia on the forewing.
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 20-21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121