Psoricoptera proximikawabei, Zheng & Li, 2021

Zheng, Meiling & Li, Houhun, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the genus Psoricoptera Stainton, 1854 (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae: Gelechiinae) from China, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4975 (2), pp. 253-272 : 266

Psoricoptera proximikawabei sp. nov.

( Figs 10 , 23–26 , 37–38 , 44 )

Type material. CHINA: Holotype ♂, Yunnan Province: Mt. Xiaohei (24.52°N, 98.84°E), Longling County, 1974 m, 27.vii.2015, coll. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai, genitalia slide No. ZML 19288 . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 27– 28.vii.2015, genitalia slide Nos. ZML 19289 ♀, ZML 19326 ♂, ZML 19327 ♀, other data same as holotype ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Rare Botanical Garden (24.08°N, 97.83°E), Ruili City, 1000 m, 06.viii.2005, coll. Yingdang Ren, genitalia slide Nos. SYW05377 ♀, SYW05489 ♂ ; 1 ♂, Bubang Village (21.60°N, 101.59°E), Xishuangbanna, 656 m, 22.vii.2014, coll. Kaijian Teng, Wei Guan, Xiuchun Wang and Shurong Liu, genitalia slide No. ZML 19314 ; 1 ♂, Taiyang River National Forest Park (22.68°N, 101.03°E), 1450 m, 03.vii.2015, coll. Kaijian Teng, genitalia slide No. ZML 19299 .

Description. Adult ( Figs 23–26 ) wingspan 12.0–15.0 mm. Head vertex grey to dark grey, scales tipped with blackish brown, frons light yellow. Labial palpus with second segment with inner surface yellowish white, outer surface blackish brown but decorated with pale yellowish brown scales tipped with white from basal 1/3 to 2/3, ventral surface yellowish brown tipped with blackish brown; third segment blackish brown except basal 1/3 to 2/3 covered with yellowish brown scales tipped with white. Antenna with scape blackish brown; flagellum blackish brown and yellowish brown alternated, serrate and thicker in male but unmodified in female. Thorax and tegula darkgoldenrod, scales tipped with blackish brown, paler or darker in some specimens. Forewing ground colour dark yellow to yellowish brown; costal patch indistinctly triangular, extending from between basal 1/4 and 1/2 of costal margin to fold, decorated with a few of white scales on inner margin sometimes, costal spot at distal 1/3, followed by some white scales; cell suffused with numerous blackish brown scales especially on mesial 1/3, posterior angle with a yellowish brown tuft; fold with two yellowish brown tufts below basal 1/3 and 2/3 respectively; apical angle with scales tipped with blackish brown; fringe dark grey intermixed with yellowish brown scales tipped with blackish brown. Hindwing and fringe dark grey. Fore and mid legs blackish brown scattered with white, tufts on tibiae yellowish brown tipped with white, tarsi with first, second and fifth tarsomeres ringed with yellowish brown apically; hind leg with inner surface yellowish white, outer surface greyish white, scales tipped with blackish brown, all tarsomeres ringed with yellowish white apically.

Male genitalia ( Figs 10 , 37–38 ). Uncus single branch, basal half conic, distal half rodlike, apex narrowly rounded; affiliated plates about 3/4 length of uncus, strongly produced to wedge-shaped. Gnathos with middle process entirely hook-shaped, not inflated basally. Valva apically far exceeding tip of uncus, flagelliform, distal 1/5 slightly dilated to drop-shape, setose. Sacculus leaf-shaped, apex inwardly curved in beak-shaped. Juxta doublewave shaped. Saccus tapered from base to apex. Phallus nearly straight, basally with a short handle, then narrowed from dilated base to narrowly rounded apex, without microthorns.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 44 ). Apophyses posteriores about 7× length of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate rather narrow, sub-triangular, with a pair of rhomboidal posterolateral lobes of equal length of itself. Apophyses anteriores about 1/6 length of subgenital plate. Antrum indistinctly trapezoidal. Ductus bursae broadened anteriorly, with a small sclerotized plate near antrum. Corpus bursae oval; signum greatly long, almost same length of corpus bursae, cross-shaped, hardly with denticles except on outer edge.

Diagnosis. This species is unique from its congeners in appearance and female genitalia. It can be recognized externally by the distinct costal patch, and by the unique subgenital plate which with a pair of posterolateral lobes, and the extremely big cross-shaped signum which about same length of corpus bursae in the female genitalia. In the male genitalia, it is similar to P. kawabei Park & Karsholt, 1999 , but can be recognized by the gnathos thicker, the valva with distal 1/5 dilated to drop-shaped, the phallus nearly straight; in P. kawabei , the gnathos appears more slender, the valva with apex pointed, the phallus arched ( Park & Karsholt 1999: 46, Figs 42–43 ).

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin proximus, meaning similar, and the specific name of P. kawabei , referring to the similarity between the two species.

Figures

FIGURES 6–13. Male genitalia structure and abdominal segment VIII of Psoricoptera spp. 6, male genitalia of P. latignathosa, slide no. ZML19331; 7, P. latignathosa, enlarged view of microthorns on phallus, slide no. ZML19333; 8, P. speciosella, enlarged view of microthorns on vinculum, slide no. ZML19342; 9–12, affiliated plates: 9, P. curva sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19302; 10, P. proximikawabei sp. nov., paratype, slide no. ZML19299; 11, P. minutignatha sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19287; 12, P. speciosella, slide no. ZML19339; 13, abdominal segment VIII of P. speciosella, slide no. ZML19295. Scale bars: 6, 9, 12, 13 = 0.5 mm; 7, 8, 10, 11 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 23–30. Adult of Psoricoptera spp. 23–26, P. proximikawabei sp. nov.: 23, 25, paratypes, ♀; 24, 26, paratypes, ♂; 27–30, P. speciosella: 27–28, 30, ♀, 29, ♂. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 36–38. Male genitalia of Psoricoptera spp. 36, P. minutignatha sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19287, 36a–36b, showing variations in affiliated plate (36a) and saccus (36b), paratype, slide no. ZML19320; 37–38, P. proximikawabei sp. nov., paratypes, slide nos. ZML19299, SYW05489. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 44–47. Female genitalia of Psoricoptera spp. 44, P. proximikawabei sp. nov., paratype, slide no. ZML19289; 45–47, P. speciosella, slide nos. ZML19298, ZML19293, ZML17545. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 40–43. Female genitalia of Psoricoptera latignathosa, slide nos. ZML19306, ZML19325, ZML19332, ZML19312. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.