Meleonoma circinans Wang & Zhu 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Shuxia
name: Zhu, Xiaoju
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Cosmopterigidae
Meleonoma
Meleonoma circinans

description: Meleonoma circinans sp. nov.
(Figs 7, 29)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: FB1B5A6D-604F-411B-9290-7F771E5A0D3B
Type material. CHINA, Yunnan: Holotype ♂, Taiyanghe (25.05°N, 102.70°E), 1450 m, 22.V.2014, leg. ZG Zhang, slide No. YAH15397 (NKU).
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to M. apicispinata Wang, 2016 in the male genitalia, but it can be distinguished by the valva triangularly produced on the ventral margin, the sacculus without apical spines and the saccus distinctly narrowed from base to apex; in M. apicispinata, the valva is gently arched on the ventral margin, the sacculus has apical spines and the saccus distinctly narrowed and almost uniform from about middle to apex (Yin & Wang 2016: 26, fig. 5).
Description. Adult (Fig. 7). Forewing length 5.0 mm.
Head orange yellow, vertex black in middle. Labial palpus orange yellow; first segment black on outer surface; second segment black in distal half on ventral surface, with a black ring apically; third segment half length of second segment, black except orange yellow at base and at apex. Antenna orange yellow; flagellum ringed with blackish brown.
Thorax black, orange yellow laterally; tegula orange yellow, black basally. Forewing with costal margin arched, apex narrowly rounded; ground colour black, with a small orange-yellow spot at base, with three large orange-yellow spots: basal yellow spot from near base of costal margin extending obliquely outward to distal 1/3 of fold, then obliquely extending inward to near base of dorsum, widened posteriorly; median yellow spot from middle of costal margin extending outward to before tornus, widened posteriorly, with black scales above middle; distal yellow spot from distal 1/4 extending inward to beyond posterior angle of cell, then narrowly extending from outer corner to beyond tornus; orange-yellow dots from apex along termen to tornus; fringe blackish grey, mixed with orange yellow along termen. Hindwing and fringe pale grey. Legs yellow; on ventral surface, fore coxa with black scales, fore femur black, fore tarsus black except orange yellow at apices of basal two tarsomeres, tibiae of fore- and midlegs black except orange yellow apically (mid tarsus and hindleg lost).
Male genitalia (Fig. 29). Uncus slender, large spine-shaped, narrowed distally. Gnathos circular, heavily sclerotized laterally, weakly sclerotized anteriorly. Tegumen widened medially, sclerotized along outer and inner margins; lateral arm narrowed anteriorly. Valva narrow at base, widened to middle, then slightly narrowed to rounded apex; ventral margin heavily sclerotized, widely banded, concave before apex, triangularly produced ventrad distally; costa straight, reaching middle of valva; transtilla short, clavate, extending straightly toward middle. Sacculus slightly narrower distally, not separated from valva; apex obtuse, heavily sclerotized, with dense long setae. Saccus triangular, distinctly narrowed from base to pointed apex, 3/5 length of uncus. Juxta V-shaped. Aedeagus uniformly narrow in basal 1/4, uniformly wide from basal 1/4 to middle, distal half partly membranous, with a straight wide band.
Female unknown.
Distribution. China (Yunnan).
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin circinans, referring to the shape of the gnathos in the male genitalia.
description: Published as part of Wang, Shuxia & Zhu, Xiaoju, 2020, Study of the genus Meleonoma Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae) from China, with descriptions of twenty-one new species (II), pp. 257-289 in Zootaxa 4881 (2) on pages 264-265, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4881.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4283658