Prays tauricornis Li, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cong, Peixin
name: Li, Houhun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Yponomeutidae
Prays
Prays tauricornis

description: Prays tauricornis Li, sp. nov.
(Figs. 12, 28, 40)
Type material. CHINA: Holotype ♂, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Pingxiang, 280 m, 13.IV.2013, coll. Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide No. CPX15162. Paratypes: 51 ♂, 73 ♀, 1.V.2012, 28.III–17.IV.2013, others same as holotype, genitalia slide Nos. CPX15138♀, CPX15139♂, CPX15155♂, CPX15161♀, CPX16006♀; Hainan Province: 1 ♀, Tianchi, Jianfengling, 790 m, 1.IV.2008, coll. Bingbing Hu and Haiyan Bai, genitalia slide No. CPX15200; 1 ♀, Mt. Diaoluo, 100 m, 18.IV.2008, coll. Bingbing Hu and Haiyan Bai, genitalia slide No. CPX15151; 1 ♂, Shuiman, Mt. Wuzhi, 630 m, 16.IV.2009, coll. Qing Jin and Bingbing Hu, genitalia slide No. CPX15148; 1 ♀, Hongxin Village, Yuanmen, Baisha, 430 m, 15.IV.2014, coll. Tengteng Liu et al., genitalia slide No. CPX16014; 1 ♂, Jianfengling Arboretum, Ledong, 40 m, 30.IV.2014, coll. Tengteng Liu et al., genitalia slide No. CPX15199; Chongqing: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Beipo, Mt. Jinfo, 1100 m, 5–12.V.2013, coll. Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide Nos. CPX15156♂, CPX15216♀.
Diagnosis. This species is similar to P. longisaccula sp. nov. in both external appearance and genitalia. Prays tauricornis sp. nov. differs in the male genitalia by having a horn-shaped socius, the sacculus approximately same length as the valva, and the aedeagus about 1.3 times the length of the valva; in the female genitalia by the lamella postvaginalis being two finger-like processes and the semielliptical signum. In P. longisaccula sp. nov., the socius is almost oblique outwards straightly, the sacculus is longer than the valva and the aedeagus is about 2.3 times the length of the valva in the male genitalia; the lamella postvaginalis is a pair of narrow band-like processes, and the signum is triangular in the female genitalia.
Description. Adult (Fig. 12): Wingspan 8.0–10.0 mm. Head yellowish brown, mixed with dark brown scales. Labial palpus yellowish brown, second and third segments with basal half dark brown on ventral surface. Antenna with scape white on ventral surface, yellowish brown mixed with dark brown on dorsal surface; flagellum dark brown. Thorax and tegula blackish brown. Forewing with ground color lutescent, covered with dense blackish brown scales that form numerous irregular blackish brown markings and stripes of unequal size; costal margin with six to eight blackish brown strigulae in basal half, interrupted by lutescent scales, with a triangular lutescent spot at distal 1/5; dorsum with about seven blackish brown strigulae alternated with lutescent, with a blackish brown spot at tornus; several yellow dots ranging from apex along termen to tornus; cilia yellowish brown, mixed with dark brown scales. Hindwing and cilia pale brown. Foreleg with coxa blackish brown, femur white on dorsal surface, blackish brown on ventral surface, tibia blackish brown, with white streak at base and middle on outer surface respectively, tarsus blackish brown, first and second tarsomeres white apically on outer surface; midleg with coxa white, femur white on dorsal surface, blackish brown on ventral surface, tibia blackish brown, with white streak on outer surface at base and middle separately, tarsus white on inner surface, blackish brown on outer surface; hindleg with coxa and femur lutescent, tibia dark brown on outer surface, lutescent on inner surface, tarsus dark brown, each tarsomere with a white streak apically. Abdomen greyish brown on dorsal surface, white on ventral surface.
Male genitalia (Fig. 28): Socius oxhorn-shaped, basal 2/5 extending horizontally outwards, widened, covered with dense long setae, curved upwards by a right angle at approximately 2/5, smoothly narrowed and parallel between 3/5 and 4/5, gradually narrowed from distal 1/5 to a point. Tegumen medially extended for half length of lateral band, anterior margin concave medially; lateral band gradually oblique outwards anteriorly. Gnathos narrowed medially, with a short thorn-shaped process at middle. Valva with distal half separated from sacculus, bluntly rounded apically, dorsal margin bearing strong dense setae in basal half, protruded triangularly at middle; transtilla narrowly banded, slightly arched medially; sacculus nearly as long as valva, basal 1/3 protruded triangularly on ventral margin, bearing dense setae, distal 2/3 gradually narrowed to pointed apex; elliptical membranous area between basal 2/5 of sacculus and valva, covered with dense spinules. Vinculum V-shaped; saccus 2/5 length of socius, clubed, rounded apically. Juxta semicircular; anellus lobe broadly banded, incurved, covered with dense long setae, arising from inner margin of juxta anteriorly, extending to transtilla apically. Aedeagus approximately 1.3 times length of valva, slightly narrowed distally; cornuti consisting of a slender thorn and two clusters of spinules, placed distally, closely adjacent.
Female genitalia (Fig. 40): Apophyses posteriores about 1.5 times length of apophyses anteriores. Lamella postvaginalis produced into a pair of thick finger-like processes, with sparse long setae at apex. Ductus bursae about 2/5 length of corpus bursae, slightly narrowed and sclerotized anteriorly; ductus seminalis arising from posterior margin of corpus bursae, close to ductus bursae. Corpus bursae pear-like; signum situated in middle of corpus bursae, concave triangularly in posterior 1/3, heavily sclerotized along edge of concavity, dentate along lateral and anterior margins.
Distribution. China (Chongqing, Guangxi, Hainan).
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin tauricornis, referring to the oxhorn-like socius in the male genitalia.
description: Published as part of Cong, Peixin & Li, Houhun, 2017, Review of the genus Prays Hübner, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Praydidae) from China, with descriptions of twelve new species, pp. 201-227 in Zootaxa 4263 (2) on pages 212-214, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4263.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/573055