Thubdora serrata Dutton & Park, 2025

Karisch, Timm, Dutton, Amy-Jayne, Yu, Tae-Uk & Park, Kyu-Tek, 2025, Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) from Nimba Mts. bordering Liberia and Guinea, Part I: The subfamily Torodorinae, with descriptions of 15 new species, Zootaxa 5728 (2), pp. 247-286 : 277-280

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.2.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3588FC65-B5B1-43BC-9149-3C8610920278
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BE2A4A-FFAF-FFDB-51A9-7D5FFC8DFB85
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Thubdora serrata Dutton & Park
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

8. Thubdora serrata Dutton & Park , sp. nov.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

( Fig. 19 View FIGURE 19 )

Type specimens. Holotype: Male , Guinea, Mt. Nimba area, xi 2009, Coll. ZSM, gen. slide no. 4285/ Karisch, barcoding CBNU694 , in ZSM.

Paratypes: 2♀, same data as holotype, gen. slide no. 4283/ Karisch barcoding CBNU693 , in ZSM; 4♀, Guinea, Mt. Nimba area, x 2010, Coll. ZSM , gen. slide no. 4287/Karisch, barcoding CBNU695 , 4305 / Karisch, 4306/Karisch, barcoding CBNU696 , 4307 / Karisch, Coll. ZSM , in ZSM; 1♂, 2♀, Guinea, Mt. Nimba area, x 2010, coll. ZSM , in ZSM; 1♀, Liberia, Nimba Mountains , alt. 1050 m, 4.2 km SE Yekepa, 0.2 km SSW camp, secondary-forest on SE slope, 7°32’35.6’’N 8°31’20.3’’W, 23 viii 2022, LF (125 W HQL), leg. T GoogleMaps . Karisch, gen. slide no. 4182/Karisch, barcoding CBNU689 , in SDEI; 2♂, Liberia, alt. 750 m, Nimba County, Nimba Mts. , ENNR , Cellcom Road , 7°33’3.78” N 8°31’46.49” W, 16-28 xii 2018, Cold Cathode UV GoogleMaps Light Trap (8 w), leg. Sz. Száfián & G. Simonicz, gen. slide no. 4223/ Karisch , ANHRTUK 00150892, 00147931, in ANHRT ; 1♀, Liberia, Nimba Mountains, alt. 1060 m, 4.4 km SE Yekepa, 0.2 km SSW camp secondary-forest near Parinari-forest 7°32’27.3’’N 8°31’24.3’’W, 28 viii 2022 LF (125 W HQL), leg. T GoogleMaps . Karisch & A.J. Dutton, gen. slide no. 4183/Karisch, in MNVD.

Diagnosis. The male genitalia of this species can be distinguished from those of its congeners by the uniquely elongated uncus, the valva with a serrated costal margin, and the saccal zone triangularly extended anteriorly. Nevertheless, its assignment to Thubdora is supported by the forewing venation, which agrees with that of the genus, and by the DNA sequence analysis showing close affinity.

Description. Male ( Figs 19A, B View FIGURE 19 ). Wingspan 16.5–18.0 mm.

Head: Dark greyish brown, with yellowish scales around eyes. Antenna filiform, slightly shorter than forewing; basal segment slightly broadened, yellowish or golden, laterally darker; flagellum serrate, ciliate, pale yellowish or golden, laterally suffused with greyish or blackish in basal half. Second palpomere of labial palpus slightly broadened, yellowish grey, darker dorsally; third palpomere as long as second, greyish yellow, ventrally darker.

Thorax: Dark greyish brown or blackish; Hind tibia pale yellowish, proximally and caudally dark greyish or blackish; median spurs pale greyish yellow or golden with darker tip, inner spur twice as long as outer; apical spurs pale yellowish, tinged with grey, inner twice as long as outer. Forewing dark greyish brown; costa slightly convex; costal patch conspicuous, triangular or pyramidal, yellowish; apex obtuse; termen straight to slightly concave; fringes dark greyish brown, basal line invisible. Hindwing greyish brown; fringes concolorous, basal line invisible.

Abdomen: Dark greyish brown, tinged with yellow at the tip; dorsal spinous zones broadly developed with strong spines; tergite VIII with a sclerotized crescentic plate along anterior margin.

Male genitalia ( Figs 19C, C View FIGURE 19 1 View FIGURE 1 ): Uncus prominent, broadened apically with a flat apex, far exceeding the apex of the gnathos basal plate. Gnathos basal plate reaching about 2/3 the length of uncus; median process rather small. Valva with short basal part; ventral margin concave before lower corner of cucullus; cucullus with strong, dense dentations along costa, with rounded apex. Vinculum band-shaped; saccal zone triangularly produced and elongated. Aedeagus longer than valva, broadened in basal 2/5, then parallel-sided distally; cornutus consisting of a long row of short spines, about 3/5 the length of aedeagus.

Female genitalia ( Figs 19D, D View FIGURE 19 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ): Abdominal sternite VIII slightly emarginated at middle, with short vertical ridge reaching about halfway. Antrum broadly developed, heavily sclerotized, with a rounded latero-caudal margin and sharply produced latero-anteriorly. Ductus bursae extremely broadened in distal 3/4, narrowing anteriorly. Corpus bursae large, ovate, as long as ductus bursae; signum absent.

Distribution. Guinea and Liberia ( Nimba Mts.).

Remarks. The shape of the ostium bursae of the three paratypes (gen. slide nos. 4181, -4182, and -4283) ( Figs 19D View FIGURE 19 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ) shows minor variation, having a smooth edge or a slightly irregular margin; this is considered intraspecific variation.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin, serratus (= dentate), referring to the serrated dorsal margin of the cucullus. An adjective in the nominative singular.