Thiotricha canimaculata 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 canimaculata

description: Thiotricha canimaculata sp. nov.   
(Figs 21C, 27Q, 45A, 61F, 61 Fa)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Tengchong City, Linjiapu (25.29°N, 98.70°E), 2144 m, 15.viii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Shurong Liu and Hua Rong, genitalia slide no. LGE17001. Paratype: 1 ♀, same data as holotype except 14.viii.2014, genitalia slide no. LGE18088.   
 Diagnosis. Thiotricha canimaculata can be recognized by the dark forewing with six dull grey spots. The male genitalia are unique in the genus as the uncus and the gnathos are very reduced. Also, the valva strongly produced at basal 1/3 of the inner margin and the reniform anellus lobe are diagnostic. The female genitalia are distinguished from other species by the presence of a small sclerotization on the anterior margin of papillae anales (Fig. 61 Fa) and the small signum.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 21C). Wingspan 14.0 mm. Head ochre. Labial palpus ochre, segment II slightly suffused with black on ventral and outer surfaces; segment III nearly as long as II, sharply pointed at apex. Antenna with scape ochre; flagellum black, male cilia 2–3 times as long as diameter. Thorax and tegula dirty-ochre mixed with black. Forewing dark grey strongly mixed with black especially at base; apex attenuated, without apical spot; six large, dull grey, somewhat indistinct spots near base just below fold, at basal 1/4 of wing between costa and fold, at basal 1/3 between fold and dorsum, at middle between costa and fold, at basal 3/5 on dorsum and at basal 2/3 at middle, respectively; fringe grey. Hindwing dark grey, tinged with black at apex, fringe grey. Legs whitish ochre; foreleg black on outer surface, mid femur and tibia black on outer surface except middle of tibia, hind tibia black on outer surface except middle and apical margin, hid tarsus slightly suffused with black on outer surface.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 27Q). 1/7 length of abdomen, elongate subtrapezoidal with lateral margins broadly concave, posterior apex emarginate medially.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 45A). Uncus tongue-shaped, setose apically. Gnathos hook very short. Tegumen approximately 4 times as long as uncus, anterior margin deeply concave. Valva with costa nearly straight; ventral margin widening from base to basal 1/3, narrowing to middle, then almost evenly elongate to apex; distal 1/4 densely setose, rounded apically. Anellus lobe more or less reniform, 1/4 length of valva, with distal half curved inward; apex shortly bifid and pointed, subapical bristle short. Juxta broadly convex.Vinculum simple, with posterior margin rounded. Saccus sub-triangular, slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus with basal 1/3 dilated, then gradually narrowing to blunt apex, distal 1/5 with a dorsal tooth.   
 Female genitalia (Figs 61F, 61 Fa). Papillae anales weakly sclerotized, setose, with a pair of small, round sclerotization near apophyses posteriores. Apophyses anteriores about 2/3 length of apophyses posteriores. Tergum VIII divided into two sclerite, with posterior margin concave. Sternum VIII longer than tergum VIII, with posterior margin concave, anterior margin projecting in V-shaped medially; somewhat weakly sclerotized laterally. Ostium bursae simple. Ductus bursae narrow, broadened near entrance of corpus bursae. Corpus bursae elliptical, slightly shorter than ductus bursae; signum small, round, placed at posterior 1/6 of corpus bursae, with minute denticles.   
 Distribution. China (Yunnan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin, canus (grey) and maculatus (spotted), referring to the grey-spotted forewing.   
 Remarks. This new species is somewhat similar to members of the subocellea -group in having a greyish forewing sprinkled with dark scales, but additional materials need to be examined to confirm its placement since the two type specimens of T. canimaculata are somewhat worn and the apical spot and the dark apical ciliation seem to be absent.
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 150-152, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121