Thiotricha acrantha Meyrick, 1908

Lee, Ga-Eun & Li, Houhun, 2024, A taxonomic review of Thiotricha Meyrick, 1886 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Thiotrichinae) from China, with descriptions of 84 new species, Zootaxa 5449 (1), pp. 1-222 : 154

Thiotricha acrantha Meyrick, 1908

( Figs 21H , 27U , 45E , 62E , 67E, F , 74C )

Thiotricha acrantha Meyrick, 1908: 440 ; 1925: 102; Gaede, 1937: 303; Clarke, 1969: 448; Ivinskis et al., 1984: 38. TL: Assam, India. TD: NHMUK.

Type material ( Figs 67E, F , 74C ). Holotype ♂, INDIA, Assam, Khasi Hills , ix.1906, genitalia slide no. J. F.G.C. 8337 ( NHMUK).

Additional material examined. INDIA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same original data as holotype except X.1906 for male and 1925[?] for female (abdomens are missing for both) ( NHMUK) . CHINA: Yunnan Province: 1 ♂, Xiaodifangxincun (24.87°N, 98.75°E), 2116 m, Tengchong County, 12.viii.2014, leg. Kaijian Teng, Shurong Liu and Hua Rong, genitalia slide no. LGE18366; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Baoshan (24.82°N, 98.78°E), 2009 m, 17, 20.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai, genitalia slide nos. LGE 16079m, LGE16080f, LGE 16294m, LGE18367f .

Diagnosis. Adult ( Fig. 21H ). Wingspan 9.5−13.0 mm. The male labial palpus of T. acrantha has segment II slightly longer than I and as long as III, and the hair pencil of segment II is present. The forewing is white to cream, and it is marked with fuscous streaks on dorsum and near apex. The costal strigulae are indistinct in this species. The apical spot is sometimes tinged with rosy pink scales on its inner margin. The male genitalia ( Fig. 45E ) can easily be recognized by the slender and long anellus lobe and the aedeagus scobinate medially. The female genitalia ( Fig. 62E ) are diagnosed by the short segment VIII and the ovate corpus bursae with the posterior 1/3 covered with minute spines.

Distribution. China (Yunnan), India.

Remarks. The superficial appearance of T. acrantha closely resembles the species of the subocellea -group, but the genital structures, especially in female, are quite different from the latter as the medial sclerotization of female sternum VIII are absent in T. acrantha and the signum is round as in the pancratiastis -group. In the male genitalia, the aedeagus of T. acrantha is narrower and not dilated basally as in the subocellea -group and the middle of aedeagus is not smooth but scobinate. The genetic analysis does not agree with the placement as well (unpublished data), and the subdivision for this species within Thiotricha needs to be further discussed. This species is recorded from China for the first time.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Adults of Thiotricha spp. A, T. acicularis sp. nov., ♀, paratype; B, T. rosegrammica sp. nov., ♂, holotype; C, T. canimaculata sp. nov., ♂, holotype; D, T. hoplomacha Meyrick, ♂; E, F, T. embolarcha Meyrick, ♂; G, T. hexanesa Meyrick, ♂; H, T. acrantha Meyrick, ♀.

FIGURE 27. Male sternum VIII of Thiotricha spp.A, T. asymmetricosta sp. nov.; B, T. aurea sp. nov.; C, T. lata sp. nov.; D, T. emarginata sp. nov.; E, T. pediformis sp. nov.; F, T. curviciliaris sp. nov.; G, T. recticiliaris sp. nov.; H, T. clinopeda Meyrick; I, T. oxygramma Meyrick; J, T. parvimaculata sp. nov.; K, T. apicidisca sp. nov.; L, T. villosa sp. nov.; M, T. flaviterminata sp. nov.; N, T. hamatisigna sp. nov.; O, T. acicularis sp. nov.; P, T. rosegrammica sp. nov.; Q, T. canimaculata sp. nov.; R, T. hoplomacha Meyrick; S, T. embolarcha Meyrick; T, T. hexanesa Meyrick; U, T. acrantha Meyrick; V, T. scotaea Meyrick; W, T. dissobola Meyrick; X, T. pyrphora Meyrick.

FIGURE 45. Male genitalia of Thiotricha spp. A, T. canimaculata sp. nov., holotype, slide no. LGE17001; B, T. hoplomacha Meyrick, slide no. LGE18612; C, T. embolarcha Meyrick, slide no. LGE18402; D, T. hexanesa Meyrick, slide no. LGE16240; E, T. acrantha Meyrick, slide no. LGE16294; F, T. scotaea Meyrick, slide no. LGE18218 (Scale bars = 0.2 mm).

FIGURE 62. Female genitalia of Thiotricha spp. A, T. embolarcha Meyrick, slide no. LGE18403; B−D, ditto, variation of signa, slide nos. LGE15072, LGE16297, LGE15074; E, T. acrantha Meyrick, slide no. LGE16080; F, T. scotaea Meyrick, slide no. LGE18201; G, T. dissobola Meyrick, slide no. LGE18518; H, T. pyrphora Meyrick, slide no. LGE16119 (Scale bars = 0.4 mm).

FIGURE 67. Type specimens and label data of Thiotricha spp. deposited in NHMUK.A, B, T. embolarcha Meyrick, ♀, holotype; C, D, T. hexanesa Meyrick, ♂, holotype; E, F, T. acrantha Meyrick, ♂, holotype; G, H, T. scotaea Meyrick, ♀, holotype.

FIGURE 74. Abdominal segments and genitalia of type specimens deposited in NHMUK. A, T. embolarcha Meyrick, ♀, holotype, slide no. J.F.G.C. 8360; B, T. hexanesa Meyrick, ♂, holotype, slide no. J.F.G.C. 8362; C, T. acrantha Meyrick, ♂, holotype, slide no. J.F.G.C. 8337.