Paratalanta furcata Zhang et Li, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, Dandan
name: Cai, Yanpeng
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Crambidae
Paratalanta
Paratalanta furcata

description: Paratalanta furcata Zhang et Li, sp. nov.
(Figs. 4, 5, 15, 22)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, CHINA: Yangdian (34.17°N, 108.57°E), Shannxi Province, 31.v.1984, leg. Houhun Li, gen. slide no. ZDD02026. Paratypes: 28 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀, Baotianman, Neixiang County (33.40ºN, 111.92ºE), Henan Province, 1200 m, 2 – 4, 20 – 31.v.2006, leg. Jinmei Lv & Xu Zhang, gen. slide no. CYP 12045 (♀), DXC06176 (♂), DXC06177 (♀), ZDD07005 (♀); 1 ♀, Guankou, Xunyang County (32.90ºN, 109.53ºE), Shaanxi Province, 30.v.1992, leg. Houhun Li, gen. slide no. ZDD02142; 1 ♀, Xunyangba, Ningshan County (33.53ºN, 108.53ºE), Shaanxi Province, 1360 m, 3.vii.2007, leg. Haili Yu; 6 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Mt. Liupan (35.37ºN, 106.30ºE), Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 1900 – 2100 m, 27 – 29.vi.2008, leg. Shulian Hao & Zhiwei Zhang.
Diagnosis. This species is superficially similar to P. pandalis by sharing similar wing pattern, but can be distinguished by the broadly trapezoidal uncus, the furcate sella and the shallowly curved sticklike cornutus in the male genitalia; and by the oval membranous sac arising from the joint of the antrum and the ductus bursae in the female genitalia. In P. pandalis, the uncus is subsquare, the sella is curved and long, and the cornutus is semiorbicular; and the two horn-shaped membranous sacs protrude from the joint of the antrum and the ductus bursae.
Description. Adult (Figs. 4, 5). Wing expanse 29.5 – 40.5 mm. Body yellow. Vertex whitish yellow, laterally white. Labial palpus with basal segment white, second and third segments pale ocherous yellow on outer surface, creamy white on inner surface, third segment white ventrally. Maxillary palpus yellowish brown, creamy white terminally. Thorax ventral surface creamy white. Fore leg yellowish white except inner surface of femur, tibia and first tarsal segment grayish brown, tarsus tinged with yellow distally; mid and hind legs yellowish white.
Wings pale yellow, markings pale yellowish brown; fore wing with antemedial line from costal 1/5 to basal 1/4 of 1A, then curved inwardly to dorsal 1/3; reniform stigma near costal 1/2; postmedial line serrate, from costal 3/4 almost parallel with termen to basal 1/3 of CuA2, then curved to dorsal 1/2; subterminal line serrate, parallel to termen. Hind wing with postmedial line almost parallel with termen from costal 2/3 to CuA1, then curved inward to basal 1/2 of CuA2, finally curved to dorsal 2/3; subterminal line parallel to termen. Fringe concolourous with wings.
Male genitalia (Fig. 15). Uncus broadly trapezoidal, clothed with short setae along dorsal surface and lateral margin. Transtilla separate. Valva nearly uniformly wide from base to apex, apex broadly rounded; editum strapshaped basally, inflated and with dense setae dorsally, somewhat forming a brushlike process; sella straight, furcate, with longer branch extending beyond ventroapical angle of valva. Saccus triangular. Juxta somewhat oval, concave in V shape at middle on posterior margin. Phallus about 3/5 length of valva, slightly curved, with a shallowly curved sticklike cornutus distally.
Female genitalia (Fig. 22). Anterior apophysis curved, slightly longer than posterior apophysis. Antrum quadrangular. Ductus bursae membranous, about 1.5 times length of corpus bursae, posterior 1/4 sclerotized and slightly dilated; oval membranous sac arising from the joint of the antrum and the ductus bursae. Corpus bursae globular; signum arms with ridge greatly sharpening to both ends; appendix bursae originating from near posterior end of corpus bursae.
Distribution. China (Henan, Ningxia, Shaanxi).
Etymology. The species name is from the Latin furcatus (= fork-shaped), referring to the shape of sella.
Ecology. Caught in mountains from 1200 m to 2100 m. Flight period from middle May to early July.
description: Published as part of Zhang, Dandan, Cai, Yanpeng & Li, Houhun, 2014, Taxonomic review of the genus Paratalanta Meyrick, 1890 (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Pyraustinae) from China, with descriptions of two new species, pp. 118-132 in Zootaxa 3753 (2) on pages 125-128, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3753.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/227700