Promalactis parvissima Wang & Liu & David 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Shuxia
name: Liu, Chen
name: David, Lees
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Oecophoridae
Promalactis
Promalactis parvissima

description: Promalactis parvissima Wang, sp. nov.
(Figs 26, 59, 78)
Type material. Thailand: Holotype ♂, Checkpoint km 37, Doi Inthanon NP, 1700 m, 9–10.IX.1988, leg. A.M. Cotton & I.J. Kitching, slide No. NHMUK010317032.
Paratypes. 1♂4♀, same data as holotype, slide Nos. NHMUK010316977 ♀, NHMUK010317157 ♀, NHMUK010317158 ♀.
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to P. bispina Wang, 2021 in male genitalia. It can be distinguished by the bullet-shaped mesial plate of the gnathos, and the conical costal process of the valva with a sub-quadrate basal plate in the male genitalia. In P. bispina, the mesial plate of the gnathos is triangular, and the costal process of the valva has two apical spines. In the female genitalia, the two species are different in the shapes of the lamella postvaginalis and the signum.
Description. Adult (Fig. 26). Forewing length 5.0– 6.5 mm.
Head. Vertex deep grey, with white scales laterally; frons greyish brown; occiput rust brown. Labial palpus with second segment pale ochreous brown on outer surface, ochreous yellow on inner surface; third segment black, with greyish white scales on inner surface distally. Antennal scape white, black along anterior margin; flagellum black, alternating with white on dorsal surface except basal 3–4 flagellomeres entirely white.
Thorax. Mesonotum and tegula rust brown. Forewing ochreous yellow, dark ochreous brown between fold and dorsum; markings white edged with black scales: costal spot sub-triangular, from distal 2/5 oblique outward to posterior angle of cell; basal streak from dorsum oblique inward to base of fold; antemedian streak from basal 2/5 of dorsum to before middle of anterior margin of cell, arched outward, anterior 1/2 widened; dorsal streak from distal 1/3 oblique outward to distal 1/4 of posterior margin of cell; tornal spot small, with deep grey scales diffused from its outer margin to end of dorsal streak, forming a deep grey stripe mixed with black scales; apical spot large, from apex narrowed along termen, interrupted by black scales; fringe ochreous yellow except grey around tornus. Hindwing and fringe grey. Fore- and midlegs black except fore femur and midleg greyish white ventrally, tibiae with white dot at base and apex, with a tuft of white scales at apex, tarsi white at apices of basal two tarsomeres; hindleg yellowish brown ventrally, black dorsally, tarsus white at apices of basal three tarsomeres and on entire distal two tarsomeres.
Male genitalia (Fig. 59). Uncus triangular, wide at base, narrowed to pointed apex. Gnathos slightly longer than uncus; mesial plate bullet-shaped, pointed apically; basal arm longer than mesial plate, wide basally. Tegumen widened anteriorly, with a wide and shallow anterior emargination. Valva sub-rectangular, distal 1/5 produced into a setose sub-rectangular process; costa very short, produced into a free conical distal process, exceeding apex of valva, at its base placed a large, apically furcate sub-quadrate process; sacculus wide at base, narrowed to distal process. Saccus sub-triangular, longer than uncus. Juxta flagellate, curved, with dense spines along longitudinal axe, exceeding apex of uncus; basal lobe slender, clubbed. Phallus approx. 1.3 times length of valva, straight, distally arrow-shaped and finely serrate laterally; cornutus absent.
Female genitalia (Fig. 78). Apophyses posteriores approx. 3 times length of apophyses anteriores. Eighth tergum deeply concave on posterior margin, weakly sclerotized. Lamella postvaginalis large and elongate, heavily sclerotized, posterior 1/3 serrate laterally, slightly concave on posterior margin. Lamella antevaginalis tubular, heavily sclerotized. Ductus bursae long, approx. 1.5 times length of corpus bursae, posterior 3/4 uniformly narrow, anterior 1/4 inflated, with a sclerotized belt coiled twice and bearing two spines. Corpus bursae membranous, ovate; signum being a sclerotized plate with two denticles.
Distribution. Thailand.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin parvissimus, referring to the small mesial plate of the gnathos.
description: Published as part of Wang, Shuxia, Liu, Chen & David, Lees, 2024, Partial revision of Promalactis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), based on specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, pp. 1-58 in Zootaxa 5536 (1) on pages 26-27, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5536.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14023827