Thiotricha grandimacula 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 grandimacula

description: Thiotricha grandimacula sp. nov.   
(Figs 11C, 25B, 35F, 52C)  
 Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Taiyanghe Nature Reserves (22.79°N, 100.98°E), 1450 m, 2.ix.2014, leg. Zhenguo Zhang, genitalia slide no. LGE18234. Paratypes. CHINA: Yunnan Province: 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype except 31.iii−5.ix.2014, genitalia slide nos. LGE 16273m, LGE 16365m, LGE18235f, LGE 18288m; 1 ♀, Bubang (21.60°N, 101.59°E), 656 m, Xishuangbanna, 22.vii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu; 1 ♀, Taiyanghe Nature Reserves, Pu’er City, 8.vi.2015, leg. Zhenguo Zhang, genitalia slide no. LGE18289; 1 ♀, Yexianggu (22.17°N, 100.87°E), 762 m, Xishuangbanna, 11.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai; 1 ♂, Yexianggu (22.17°N, 100.87°E), 762 m, Jinghong City, 10.viii.2016, leg. Kaijian Teng, Ga-Eun Lee and Tao Wang.   
 Diagnosis. Superficially, this species resembles T. jianfengensis and T. grammitis Meyrick, 1908 (Fig. 63E), but the costal spot at basal 1/3 of the forewing is larger in T. grandimacula. The male genitalia of T. grandimacula are very similar to those of T. grammitis (Fig. 69C), but anellus lobes are longer and narrower in the former. Female genitalia of T. grandimacula share some morphological characteristics with T. confluens and T. rosatorna such as the presence of a linear sclerotization along anterior margin of papillae anales and round signum bearing inner projections. In T. grandimacula, however, the projections near the posterior margin of signum are larger in number and smaller in size.   
 Description. Adult (Fig. 11B). Wingspan 10.5–13.0 mm. Head, labial palpus and antenna as in T. jianfengensis. Thorax whitish ochre, tinged with fuscous posteriorly. Tegula whitish ochre. Forewing ground color whitish ochre, anterior edge of costa black in basal 1/3, slightly suffused with dark fuscous at 2/3 of wing, apical area strongly mixed with white; markings black: a large oval costal spot at basal 1/3; beyond this, three longitudinal streaks running from dark suffusion at 2/3, converging to near apex and nearly reaching apical spot; a somewhat indistinct streak running from subapex to apex along costa; apical spot small and indistinct, narrowly extending toward tornus along termen; a short, outwardly oblique streak from near basal 1/3 of dorsum, extending to fold; an elliptical spot or short streak at basal 1/4 bellow fold, indistinct in some individuals; fringe whitish ochre to light grey. Hindwing dark grey except apex dirty white; fringe dark grey except apical area dirty white with a terminal black band. Legs as in T. jianfengensis.   
 Male sternum VIII (Fig. 25B). Lateral margins gradually narrowed, posterior margin broadly concave in Ushape, leaving two short tines with pointed apex.   
 Male genitalia (Fig. 35E). Uncus tongue-shaped, with base narrow. Gnathos hook moderately long. Tegumen approximately 3 times as long as uncus. Valva with base narrow, ventral margin gradually broadening to middle, then almost uniformly elongate to apex, rounded apically. Anellus lobe rod-shaped, slightly shorter than 1/5 length of valva, round at apex; apical bristle straight, 1/3 length of anellus lobe. Vinculum triangular medially. Saccus broad, U-shaped, slightly exceeding tegumen pedunculus. Aedeagus slightly curved, dilated at base, then gradually narrowed to apex, ventral margin with a hummock-like process at middle, somewhat rounded apically.   
 Female genitalia (Fig. 52C). Papillae anales moderately sclerotized, anterior margin with a linear sclerotization extended from apophyses posteriores. Apophyses anteriores slightly shorter than apophyses posteriores. Sternum VIII with anterior margin strongly produced. Ostium bursae very large and opening in anterior 2/3 of sternum VIII. Antrum stout, well-sclerotized. Ductus bursae slightly broadened after base, almost uniformly elongate to corpus bursae; ductus seminalis arising from near anterior margin of antrum. Corpus bursae ovate, slightly longer than ductus bursae; signum situated at middle, basal plate somewhat round, bearing four small projections in posterior 1/3 and a large semicircular projection on anterior margin.   
 Distribution. China (Yunnan).   
 Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin grandis (large) and macula (spot), referring to the large costal spot 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 65-67, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5449.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11233121