Scythris fustivalva Li, 2018

Lou, Kang, You, Wanxue, Huang, Zhilin & Li, Houhun, 2018, Notes on scythridid moths in Habahu National Nature Reserves, with description of one new species (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae), Zootaxa 4369 (3), pp. 349-362 : 350-351

Scythris fustivalva Li , sp. nov.

( Figs 2, 3 , 10‒12 )

Type materials. CHINA: Holotype ♂, Shaquanwan (37.72°N, 107.23°E), 1510 m, Yanchi , Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 12.vi.2014, leg. Houhun Li et al., slide No. LK16023 . Paratypes (397 ♂, 466♀) from Yanchi : 72 ♂, 20♀, same data as holotype ; 58♂, 114♀, 19‒23.vii.2013, slide Nos : LK16032 ♀, LK16033 ♀, LK16054 ♀, other same data as holotype; 2♂, 25.viii.2014, leg. Meiqing Yang & Peixin Cong, net, other same data as holotype; 20♂, 32♀, 1503 m, 10.vii‒5.viii.2016, leg. Kang Lou, slide No. LK 16042 ♂, other same data as holotype; 8♂, 1♀, Erdaohu , 1397 m, 20.vii.2013, leg. Houhun Li et al., 9♂, 13♀, 1407 m, 25.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 17♂, 3♀, Xijingtan , 1343 m, 18.vi‒12.viii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 22♂, 15♀, Huangjijuan, 1374 m, 17.vi.2014, leg. Houhun Li et al., slide Nos. LK16027 ♂, LK16028 ♀; 8♂, Tongjijuan , 1332 m, 20.vi.2016, leg. Houhun Li et al., 16♂, 29♀, 25.vi‒23.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 6♂, 14♀, Xishawo, 1360 m, 19.vii.2013, 2♀, 9.vi.2014, slide Nos. LK16043 ♂, LK16064 ♀, leg. Houhun Li et al.; 1♀, Panjijuan , 1424 m, 19.vii.2013, leg. Houhun Li et al., net; 1♂, 1♀, Dongdui (37.45°N, 107.83°E), 1468 m, 20.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou, 1♂, 1♀, 1530 m, 21.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 2♀, Gaoshawo , 1480 m, 25.vii.2013, leg. Houhun Li et al., net, 1♂, 25.vii.2013, leg. Houhun Li et al., 2♂, 1♀, 15.vi.2014, leg. Houhun Li et al.; 7♂, 3♀, Jijigou, Gaoshawo, 1449 m, 27.vi‒26.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou, slide No. LK16045♂; 48♂, 31♀, Qingyangjing , 1469 m, 29.vi‒29.vii. 2016, leg. Kang Lou; 6♂, 9♀, Liuyangpu , 1320 m, 21‒22. vii.2013, 6 ♂, 17♀, 1320‒1340 m, 11‒23. vi.2014, 7 ♂, 5♀, 1340 m, 23.vi.2016, leg. Houhun Li et al.; 1♂, 8♀, Shabianzi, Liuyangpu, 1337 m, 15.vii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 6♂, 17♀, Sandaochuan, Liuyangpu, 1311 m, 12.vii‒18.viii.2016, leg. Kang Lou; 14♂, 15♀, Zhouzhuangzi , 1461 m, 24.vii.2013, net, 10♂, 34♀, 24.vii.2013, 2♂, 3♀, 14.vi.2014, 21♂, 2♀, 1452 m, 24.vi.2016, leg. Houhun Li et al., 2♂, 3♀, 25.viii.2014, leg. Meiqing Yang & Peixin Cong, 24♂, 70♀, 1452 m, 7.vii‒4.viii.2016, leg. Kang Lou, slide Nos. LK16046♂, LK16057♀.

Description. Adult ( Fig. 2 ). Wingspan 14.0−15.5 mm. Head ( Fig. 3 ) dark greyish brown, tinged with creamy white, white along dorsal margin of eye; neck tufts white, extending inward from lateral side. Labial palpus with basal segment shining white; second and third segments creamy white on dorsal surface, black on ventral surface; third segment shorter than second, pointed at apex. Antenna with scape black, tinged with creamy white terminally; flagellum black on dorsal surface, creamy white on ventral surface, ciliate ventrally in male. Haustellum covered with white scales basally. Collar creamy white, tinged with dark brown basally. Thorax and tegula dark greyish brown, tinged with creamy white scales that become denser posteriorly. Forewing narrowly elongate, lanceolate, basal 2/3 parallel sided, distal 1/3 narrowed to pointed apex; dark greyish brown, covered with dense creamy white scales except sparse on anterior 1/3 of basal half; costal margin creamy white from distal 1/3 or from middle to before apex; fold with a narrow creamy white streak; cilia dark grey, tinged with creamy white around apex. Hindwing greyish brown; cilia deep bronzed yellow. Fore- and midlegs greyish brown on ventral surface, greyish or dirty white on dorsal surface; hindleg whitish yellow except tarsus black on ventral surface. Abdomen greyish brown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 10 ): Uncus strong, as long as height of tegumen; sub-rectangular, slightly narrowed from base to 3/4; distal 1/4 deeply and widely concave at middle in semicircle, forming strong lateral lobes extending obliquely outward to narrowly rounded apex; ventrodistal 2/5 with large flake-like sub-trapezoidal lateral processes, joined anteromedially, each extending from anteromiddle obliquely upward to apex of each lobe, wider at base, slightly narrowed to bluntly rounded apex, with fine hairs. Gnathos with lateral arms widely banded; distal process beak-like, swollen medially, narrowed to pointed apex distally. Tegumen sub-trapezoidal. Valva broadly fused basally, slightly longer than tegumen, club-shaped, dilated and setose distally. Vinculum very narrow, almost arched horizontally. Phallus stout, longer than tegumen; basal 1/4 ovate, narrowed from basal 1/4 to approximately basal 1/3, then widened to middle; distal half bilobed, each lobe narrowed at base, widened to blunt apex, with a few apical denticles, slightly asymmetrical: left lobe rectangular distally, right lobe inverted triangular distally, wider than left lobe apically; basally joined teniform flakes from beyond ventral 1/3 extending to distal 1/4 of left lobe and to distal 1/3 of right lobe respectively, with spine-like process from between base of two flakes.

Segment VIII ( Fig. 11 ). Tergum sub-rectangular; posterior margin with two long clavate processes dilated distally and approximately as long as tergum; anterior margin laterally with triangular processes narrowed to pointed apex, as long as posterior processes. Sternum narrow sub-rectangular, arched on posterior margin, with paired processes arising from anterior margin, slender and clubbed.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ). Papillae anales with dorsal surface quadrate, setose; ventral surface triangular, sclerotized, produced to small uniformly narrow process posteriorly. Apophyses posteriores slightly more than two times length of apophyses anteriores. Sterigma strong, inverted V-shaped; posterior margin rounded, narrowly and shortly incised at middle; anterolateral lobes broadly banded, slightly narrowed anteriorly. Ostium bursae small and rounded. Antrum thin and short. Ductus bursae slender. Corpus bursae elongate elliptical.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to S. hostilis Nupponen, 2005 in appearance by the forewing having a pale streak along the fold and in the male genitalia by having a bifurcate phallus and uncus. It can be distinguished by the forewing having a narrow creamy white streak but lacking any spots along the fold, and by the male genitalia with a club-shaped valva. In S. hostilis , the forewing has a broader white streak and three blackish brown spots along the fold, and the valva is sub-triangular.

Distribution. China (Ningxia).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin fusti- and valva, in reference to the club-shaped valva in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 2‒9. Adults of Scythris spp. 2, S. fustivalva sp. nov., paratype, ♂; 3, head of S. fustivalva sp. nov., paratype, ♂; 4, S. caballoides, ♂; 5, S. mikkolai, ♂; 6, S. buszkoi, ♂; 7, S. orientella, ♂; 8, S. pallidella, ♂; 9, S. sinevi, ♂ (Scale bars = 2.5mm except 3 = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 10‒12. Genitalia of Scythris fustivalva sp. nov. 10, male genitalia, slide no. LK16043; 11, tergum VIII (left) and sternum VIII (right), slide no. LK16043; 12, female genitalia, paratype, slide no. LK17050 (Scale bars = 0.25 mm).