Tenupalpa Lee et Li, 2021

Lee, Ga-Eun & Li, Houhun, 2022, Taxonomic study of the genus Tenupalpa Lee et Li, 2021 (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae Thiotrichinae) from China, with descriptions of fifteen new species, Zootaxa 5087 (1), pp. 75-111 : 76-77

Tenupalpa Lee et Li, 2021

Tenupalpa Lee et Li, 2021: 371 . Type species: Tenupalpa angustella ( Omelko, 1984) .

Generic characters. Head: With glossy scales. Maxillary palpus 4–articled. Labial palpus slender, strongly recurved, palpomere I very short, palpomere II usually as long as III. Antenna 2/3 length of forewing, male flagellum with long fine cilia.

Thorax: Glossy white, cream or grey, without markings. Legs same color as head; fore femur, tibia, and tarsi dark fuscous on outer surface; hind tibia sometimes dark fuscous at middle and at apex, with long bristles along basal 2/3 of dorsal margin, whorls of bristles at apex. Forewing slender, ground color glossy white, cream, grey, or black, distal 1/3 to 1/4 often with an orange patch, a black apical spot often present; ventral forewing with a group of stiff scales near basal fork of 1A+2A; pterostigma weakly or not developed. Forewing venation ( Figs 1, 2 ) with Sc reaching basal 1/4 or 1/3 of costa, R and Rs 1 free, Rs 2 stalked or connate with Rs 3, M 1 free from or connate with Rs 3, M 2 close to M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 free, 1A+2A forked near base. Hindwing narrower than forewing, ground color grey, fuscous- or black; apex acute, often narrowly black-tipped; fringe scales sometimes with a black terminal band. Hindwing venation with R joining Sc beyond base, Rs stalked with M 1 at distal 1/5, M 2 often weak, CuA 1 and CuA 2 parallel, discal cell open.

Abdomen ( Figs 3, 4 ). Male sternum II–VII with sclerotized plates, VIII round, sub-triangular or pentagonal; tergum VIII reduced, with mediolateral coremata, a linear sclerotization between coremata. Male genitalia ( Fig. 5 ) with uncus small and triangular, often with medial ridge. Culcitula usually present. Gnathos short, hook-shaped. Tegumen sub-triangular, usually with round tubercles medially, anterior margin deeply concave. Valva slender and simple, apex rounded, rarely pointed. Anellus lobe well developed, round, oval, or digitate, rarely asymmetrical, typically bearing a long bristle at apex, bristle sometimes strongly developed as a spine. Juxta simple, divided into two lobes, sometimes with a projection. Vinculum simple, often with posterior margin broadly concave. Saccus broad. Aedeagus with bulbous base and slender distal part, often curved distally. Female genitalia ( Fig. 6 ) with papillae anales setose. Apophyses anteriores as long as or shorter than apophyses posteriores. Sternum VIII medially emarginate or convex. Ostium often small, at anterior or posterior margin of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae slender and simple. Corpus bursae elongate oval; signum semilunar or a linear sclerite, sometimes absent.

Distribution. Oriental and Palearctic regions ( Fig. 103 ).

Remarks. Superficially, many species of Tenupalpa are similar to those of Pulchrala in having a white to greyish forewing with an orange distal patch. However, males of Tenupalpa typically have unmodified labial palpi, whereas those of Pulchrala have expansible hair pencils on the dorsal surface. Also, the coremata of Tenupalpa are short and situated mediolaterally on tergum VIII, whereas they are rather long and situated laterally in Pulchrala. The presence of tegumen tubercles, which is typical of Tenupalpa , has been reported elsewhere only in some species of Palumbina within Thiotrichinae .

Figures

FIGURES 103. Global distribution map of the genus Tenupalpa.

FIGURES 1–2. Wing venation of Tenupalpa spp. 1, T. angustella, male, slide no. NKLGE013; 2, T. venustalis, female, slide no. LGE18032W (Scale bars = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 3–6. Abdominal and genital structures of Tenupalpa spp. 3, distal segments of the abdomen and male genitalia of T. angustella in external view; 4, denuded male 8th abdominal segment of T. angustella (image from Lee et al., 2021: Fig. 7I), slide no. LGE18719; 5, male genitalia of T. angustella, slide no. LGE16107; 6, female genitalia of T. nephodesma, slide no. LGE19022 (Scale bars = 0.2 mm).