Palpifer qinglai Xu, Yang & Grehan 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Xu, Zhen-Bang
name: Grehan, John R.
name: Yang, Zi-Yi
name: Gan, Hao-Lin
name: Hu, Shao-Ji
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Palpifer
Palpifer qinglai

description: Palpifer qinglai Xu, Yang & Grehan sp. nov. îJẗŝãš
(Figures 2A–B, 3A–B, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A–B, 8A, 9A)
Type material. Holotype #m, Chenggong Campus of Yunnan University (1970 m), Chenggong District, Kunming, Central Yunnan, China, 2024-VI-24, Y.-Z. Yi leg. [KIZ 0139651] [GenBank accession no: PQ966559].
Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Palpifer species by half the basal surface of the hindwing coloured yellowish-orange. Wing pattern most similar to P. sexnotatus with both having basal third of hindwing being yellowish-orange (Figure 11A–B).
Description: Male (Figure 2A–B). Wingspan: 29 mm; forewing length: 15 mm.
Head: Scales grey, piliform; eye tuft scales yellowish brown (Figure 3a–b). Eyes prominent, about 2/3 headwidth at posterior, partially obscured by surrounding scales. Antenna with 35 annuli, covered with numerous sensilla trichodea.
Thorax: Metathorax with elongate yellow scales. Scales of body and legs piliform, coloured as for head.
Forewing dorsal costal margin weakly convex, apex rounded, outer margin curving near M 2, tornus basal to A vein. Venation (Figure 5A) hepialine, Sc1 present, Sc and R widely spaced, at least double vein width; central discal cell short, half or less length of posterior discal cell. Dorsal ground colour dark greyish-brown (Figure 2A). Ovoid white patch at base of anterior discal cell, and two yellowish sub-oval white spots near base of CuP and A. Black marginal spot on posterior margin between CuA 2 and CuP, and a small faint black spot near A. Oval scent gland bifurcated by vein A near wing base; Dorsal scales lamellar, ovoid, distally pointed, outer and posterior margin scales lamellar, rectangular, elongate, wider distally. Forewing ventral surface basally yellowish, merging with dark greyish-brown over distal half. Hindwing dorsally yellowish-orange basally to sub-linear transition, dark greyish-brown distally. Outer margin with yellowish-white fringe between Rs4-M 2. Costal margin nearly straight, curving slightly near apex; outer and dorsal margins forming a continuous curve; Scales as for forewing with posterior margin scales longer and narrower; Ventral hindwing colour pattern as for dorsal. Legs with yellowish brown scales, epiphysis and arolium present (Figure 4A). Metalegs lost from specimen during collection.
Pregenital abdomen: Coloured as head, anterior segments dorso-ventrally taller, and segments narrowing posteriorly. Tergum VIII sub-rectangular, longer than wide, lateral edges shallow convex, narrowing posteriorly; sternum VIII triangular with concave lateral edges and narrow apex (Figure 6A).
Genitalia (Figures 7A–B, 8A, 9A, 10A). Pseudotegumen rim with long, substantial, densely sclerotized, sub-equal, and centrally curved postero-ventral and ventrally curved postero-medial spines. (Figure 7A, 9D); Pseudotegumen much reduced in size, complex in shape extending dorso-posteriorly as a long crescent-shaped process. Pseudoteguminal arms saddle-shaped, fused across median, apex not strongly sclerotized (Figure 7A). Tegumen elongate, weakly fused to lateral pseudotegumen. Valva with elongate digitiform arm, curving medially, apex expanded as a flattened lobe covered with numerous short setae, setae also extending basally along inner surface; sacculus basally broad and shallow, then expanding to lunate anterior valva blade with blunt apex, medial surface setose over approximately anterior half. Fultura superior sclerotized, V-shaped, articulating dorsally with pseudotegumen and ventrally with fultura inferior; latter forming a vertically elongate, tongue-like sclerite, length almost double maximum basal width, laterally convex; medial and posterior sclerotization forming an inverted ‘T’. Saccus with broadly U-shaped anterior margin, posterior margin almost straight.
Female: Unknown.
Habitat and Phenology: Subtropical montane plateau with monsoon climate, with mild and wet summers. The university campus has many green belts, with vegetation primarily consisting of artificially planted species, including Celtis tetrandra Roxb., Photinia glomerata Rehd. et Wils., Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don and Abelia × grandiflora (Rovelli ex André) Rehder, among others. Specimen collected in the spring.
Distribution: Currently known from type locality only, in the Chenggong District, Kunming, Central Yunnan, China.
Etymology: The new species is dedicated to Mr. Qing-Lai Xiong [āîJ, 1893–1969], who served as the President of Yunnan University from 1937 to 1949, in recognition of his contribution to the early development of Yunnan University and devotion to higher education in China (the name is to be treated as a noun in apposition).
description: Published as part of Xu, Zhen-Bang, Grehan, John R., Yang, Zi-Yi, Gan, Hao-Lin & Hu, Shao-Ji, 2025, Two new species of Palpifer Hampson (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from Yunnan, China, pp. 560-570 in Zootaxa 5621 (5) on pages 563-567, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.5.4, http://zenodo.org/record/15263322