Pexicopia tungabhadrai Varnitha, Hanchinal & Shashank, 2023

Varnitha, H. N., Hanchinal, S. G., Shashank, P. R., Prabhuraj, A., Bheemanna, M. & Nidagundi, J. M., 2023, A new species and new record of the genus Pexicopia (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) feeding on Abutilon indicum from India, Zootaxa 5323 (3), pp. 423-428 : 424-427

Pexicopia tungabhadrai Varnitha, Hanchinal & Shashank sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 )

Diagnosis. Pexicopia tungabhadrai can be identified by the yellowish cream coloured wing with a black spot at the base of the costa. Pexicopia tungabhadrai is more similar to P. karachiella Amsel, 1968 in having black spot at the base of the costa ( Figs. 1–2 ) but the two species can be distinguished by the male genitalia; P. karachiella is well characterized by the very narrow and long uncus, and the thick and short-stemmed gnathos with broad shovel-shaped end, whereas the uncus in P. tungabhadrai is broad and the socii short ( Fig. 4 ); the valva is broadened towards the outer edge with slightly convex apex in P. tungabhadrai , whereas in P. karachiella it is very much broadened towards the outer edge, the outer edge slightly curved in an S-shape ( Fig. 4 ); the aedeagus is much thickened towards base in P. karachiella , whereas in P. tungabhadrai , the aedeagus is much thickened at the orifice ( Fig. 6 ).

Description. Adult yellowish cream-coloured, wing span 13–15 mm. Head smooth, covered by loosely appressed scales. Antenna black, finely ciliated beneath, serrated in male. Scape with pecten bearing 3–5 hair scales. Frons, vertex and labial palpus covered with yellowish cream-coloured scales. Second palpomere with brush-like, rough scales with a dark fuscous black patch beneath; terminal palpomere densely covered by smooth scales, with a subapical fuscous ring, equal in length to previous one. Straw-coloured legs sprinkled with greyish black scales. Hind tibia covered with spine-like, long scales. Creamish-yellow forewing with black spot near base, a dark grey patch at the costal margin in postmedian region and greyish black antemedian fascia forming an arc (incomplete fascia) from dorsum of the wing; greyish-black scales indistinctly sprinkled from postmedian to sub-terminal region; terminal region lined with greyish black scales; distal half and termen finely ciliated. Hind wing silvery grey, trapezoidal with slightly sinuated costa beyond middle, apex slightly rounded, termen slightly sinuated, with long pale straw-coloured fringe cilia, gradually shortened towards costal edge.

Wing venation. R 1 arises just beyond half of the cell; R 2 nearer to R 3 than R 1; R 2 twice as far from R 1 as from R 3. R 3 arises near upper angle of cell, R 4 and R 5 staked at base; R 4+5 arises at upper angle of the cell, M 3 just above lower angle of cell; M 3, Cu 1 and Cu 2 diverging towards margin of wing; Cu 1 starts at lower angle of cell, Cu 2 just beyond lower angle of cell. In hindwing, costa slightly sinuate just beyond the middle of wing; Sc+R 1 reaches the costa at 3/4th of the costa; R S bends downwards and reaches costa at apex. M 1 closely approximated to R s at the base; M 1 and M 2 subparallel; M 2 nearer to M 3 than M 1. M 3 and Cu 1 short stalked and arises at lower angle of cell; Cu 2 from beyond three-quarters of cell ( Fig. 3 ).

Male genitalia. Uncus with broad, short and setose lateral lobes. Gnathos thick, stem long and narrow, distally shovel-shaped. Valva distally trigonate, narrow at the base, broadened and slightly convex at the tip, costa concave. Vinculum U-shaped. Aedeagus swollen at base, constricted at the orifice and barbed at the tip; cornuti absent ( Figs. 4–6 )

Female genitalia. Ovipositor slightly sclerotized, posterior apophyses longer than anterior apophyses. Corpus bursae with a pair of small, band-shaped, dentate signa ( Figs. 7–8 ).

Immature stages. Egg yellowish ovoid with sculptured surface. Eggs are laid on surface of the capsules of the host-plant. Larvae eruciform. In neonate stage, larva glossy white with prominent prothoracic patch and black head capsule; in early instar, light pink in colour, becoming more intense in later instar; the late instar larva is dark pinkish red in colour with brown head and black prothoracic plate. Pupae light brown, obtect, with prominent eyes. Pupation takes place inside the locules and also sometimes near the calyx. ( Figs. 9–14 ).

Materials examined. Holotype, ♁, India, Karnataka, Baidoddi (16.187050, 77.455998), 16.x.2021, reared o n Abutilon indicum, Varnitha ; Paratypes: 7♀, 6♁, Raichur , UAS (16.2052210, 77.330315), 28.ix.2021 ; 2♀, 2♁, Raichur , Kasbe camp (16.167126, 77.252521), 30.ix.2021 ; Raichur , 1♀, 1♁, Hunsihauda (16.200236, 77.246521), 19.x.2021 ; 2♀, 2♁, (Same data as holotype) ; 2♀, Raichur , Rampur, (16.178425, 77.27458), 16.x.2021 ; 4♀,1 ♁, Raichur , MARS, (16.205415, 77.330 356), 16.ix.2021 ; 2♁, Raichur , Askihal,(16.206152, 77.318356), 16. ix.2021 ; 5♀, 6♁, Raichur , Sultanpur (16.266243, 77.177850), 19.ix.2021 ; 1♀, Raichur , Devarsugur, (16.369356, 77.361256), 19.ix.2021 ; 2♀, Raichur ,SH 19 (14.729520, 76.700796), 19 ix.2021 ; 1♀, 2♁, Raichur , Sultanpur, (16.266126, 77.177526), 22.xii.2021 ; 3♀, 3♁, Raichur , MARS, (16.194159, 77.313563), 22.xii.2021 ; 1♀, Kalmala ,(16.195454, 77.207556), 14.i.2022 ; Raichur , 2♀, Kallur , (16.139152, 77.209152), 20.ix.2021 ; 1♀, Raichur , Neermanvi, (16.044126, 77.100326), 19.x.2022 ; 2♀, 3♁, Raichur , Hirekotnekal, (15.965542, 76.951325), 7.xi.2021 ; 4♀, 2♁, Raichur , Manvi, (15.995325, 77.044265), 19.x.2021 ; 1♁, Raichur , Atanoor (16.187452, 77.120465), 14.i.2022 ; Raichur ; 5♀,1♁, Ballari , Kappagallu, (15.1543, 76.9124), 7.x.2021 ; 1♀,1♁, Ballari , Imbrapura, (15.0802, 76.9803), 7. x.2021 ; 1♁, Ballari , Bagawady, (15.693046, 76.915997), 7.x.2021 ; 1♀,1♁, Ballari , Tekkalkote, (15.537500, 76.877012), 7.x.2021 ; 1♀, 1♁, Yadgir , Mundaragi (16.787145, 77.184865), 7.xi.2021 ; 3♀, 2♁, Yadgir , Gundahalli, (16.720965, 76.993856), 22.xi.2021 ; 1♁, Yadgir , Yadgir, (16.763856, 77.140523), 22.xii.2021 ; 2♀, 3♁, Yadgir , Balichakkar,(16.676584, 77.257985), 22.xii.2021 ; 1♀, Yadgir , Shettikera, (16.678365, 77.177885), 22.xii.2021 ; 4♀, 1♁, Yadgir , Ramasamudra,(16.772458, 77.236123), 22.xii.2021 ; 2♀, Yadgir , Gogi, (16.738856, 76.746456), 22.xii.2021 ; 2♀, 2 ♁, Yadgir , Gundahalli, (16.720985, 76.993856), 7.xi.2021 ; 1♀, 2♁, Yadgir , Manginhal (16.723047, 77.034404), 7.xi.2021 ; 3♀, 1♁, Yadgir , Markal kollur (16.500658,76.889985), 7.xi.2021 ; 2♀, 3♁, Yadgir , Vibhuthihalli (16.653584, 76.847986), 7.xi.2021 ; 1♀, 4♁, Yadgir , Doranahalli (16.749854, 76.926582), 7.xi.2021 ; 2♀, 1♁, Yadgir , Sagara (16.631658, 76.804259), 23.xii.2021 ; Yadgir , 1♀, Hattiguduru (16.601568, 76.880523), 23.xii.2021 ; 2♀, 1♁, Yadgir , Gabbur (16.307436, 77.154604), 7.xi.2021 ; 5♀, 4♁, Raichur , Jawalgere (15.866326, 76.81965), 19.x.2021 ; 1♀, Raichur , Sasalmari (15.701956, 76.763253), 7.xii.2022 ; 2♀, Raichur , Sindhnur (15.758520, 76.769655), 19.X.2021 ; 1♀, 1♁, Raichur , Dadesagur (15.696856, 15.696823), 7.xii.2022 ; 1♁, Raichur , Jawalgere (15.866356, 76.814956), 14.i.2022 ; all specimens reared on Abutilon indicum , coll. Varnitha.

Etymology: The species is named after the Tungabhadra River which flows in Karnataka, India. The specimens were collected from sites along the river.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Adults of Pexicopia tungabhadrai sp. nov. 1, Male (Holotype); 2, Female (Paratype).

FIGURES 3–8. Wing venation and genitalia of Pexicopia tungabhadrai sp. nov. 3, Wing venation (1 mm); 4, Male genitalia (front view) (0.2 mm); 5, Male genitalia (lateral view) (0.2 mm); 6, Aedeagus (0.1 mm); 7, Female genitalia (1 mm); 8, Corpus bursae (0.5 mm).

FIGURES 9–14. Immature stages of Pexicopia tungabhadrai sp. nov. on Abutilon indicum. 9, Egg; 10, Neonate larva; 11, Early instar larva; 12, Mid instar larva; 13, Late instar larva; 14, Pupa.