Thubdora aurea 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

7. Thubdora aurea Dutton & Park , sp. nov.

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

( Fig. 18 )

Type specimens. Holotype: Male , Guinea, Mt. Nimba area, xi 2009, coll. ZSM, gen. slide no. 4282/ Karisch, barcoding CBNU692 , in ZSM.

Diagnosis. The new species is superficially similar to T. ealaensis Park & De Prins, 2019 , described from DR Congo, but it can be distinguished by the forewing pattern, with the termen oblique (nearly straight in T. ealaensis ) and the costal patch smaller and farther from the apex. The male genitalia differ from those of any known species of the genus by the triangular shape of the cucullus.

Description. Male ( Figs 18A, B ). Wingspan 17.5 mm.

Head: Dark brown dorsally; frons greyish. Antenna filiform, slightly serrate, ciliate, about 4/5 as long as forewing; basal segment thickened, pale to golden yellowish; flagellum pale or golden yellow dorsally, slightly tinged with grey. Second palpomere of labial palpus thickened, shiny pale greyish on outer surface; third palpomere as long as second, pale yellowish.

Thorax: Dark brown dorsally as tegula. Hind tibia dark brown basally and golden yellow in distal half dorsally. Forewing rather broadened, nearly rectangular; dark greyish brown, with a small, triangular yellowish-white costal patch beyond basal 3/4; apex sharply produced; termen slightly concave; fringes concolorous, with a fine yellowish basal line. Hindwing pale greyish brown; fringes concolorous, also with a fine yellowish basal line.

Abdomen: Dark brown, with some greyish scales terminally; dorsal spinous zones broadly developed.

Male genitalia ( Figs 18D, D 1 ): Uncus narrowly elongated, gently bent downward from beyond 2/3, exceeding apex of gnathos basal plate. Basal plate of gnathos somewhat triangular; median process relatively large, strongly bent downward from middle. Valva broad basally, costal margin deeply concave; cucullus rather short, strongly upturned, triangularly terminated, with dense, strong setae. Juxta large, with central vertical ridge; caudal margin convex. Aedeagus (basal part broken), without a distinct cornutus.

Female unknown.

Distribution. Liberia ( Nimba Mts.).

Etymology. The specific name was derived from the Latin, aureus (= golden), referring to the golden yellow scales on distal half of the tibia. An adjective in the nominative singular.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A, Topographic map of the Guinea Highlands (Wikipedia.org./wiki/Guinea_Highlands/, Tom Radulovich, CC BY- SA 4.0, colours adapted); B, Blue itabirit at Blue Lake in laminar formation with other minerals (photo: A.-J Dutton, 2022); C, View from the NW-SE-exposed mountain ridge to the main ridge of Nimba Mountains in Liberia, in the middle with the excavations for iron ore. (photo: A.-J. Dutton, 2022); D, Blue Lake and its surroundings showing the extent of iron ore mining in the southern part of the Nimba Mountains (photo: T. Karisch, 2022); E, Cloud covered main ridge of the southern part of the Nimba Mountains (photo: A.-J Dutton).

FIGURE 18. A, Thubdora aurea Dutton & Park, sp. nov.: A, male (holotype); B, head with labial palpus; C, close-up of body dorsally; D, male genitalia (gen. slide no. 4282/Karisch); D1, aedeagus.