Pedesta wangi Xue, Li & Zhu, 2019

Xue, Guoxi, Li, Meng, Zhu, Jianqing, Lu, Weicheng, Li, Jialing & Zheng, Bowen, 2019, Descriptions of Pedesta wangi sp. nov. and the female of P. xiaoqingae (Huang & Zhan, 2004) from China (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), Zootaxa 4700 (3), pp. 356-364 : 358-359

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4700.3.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:54F0D6EE-3126-45C1-9BF8-831729827ABE
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5673252
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/217C851A-FFD4-577D-FF41-FAEB3D943D98
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Pedesta wangi Xue, Li & Zhu
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pedesta wangi Xue, Li & Zhu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 2–5 View FIGURES 2–13 , 16 View FIGURE 16 )

Holotype: male, Cenwanglaoshan NNR, Guangxi, 7.V.2015, 1270 m, leg. Guoxi Xue [M1, A41].

Paratypes: 3♂♂, ditto, 7.V.2015 [ CWLS1 , LC8], 9.V.2015 [ CWLS2 , A42], 10.V.2015 [ CWLS3 , LC15] .

Since the new species extremely resembles P. xiaoqingae ( Figs. 6–10 View FIGURES 2–13 ), and the latter has been described in detail by Huang & Zhan (2004), a comparative diagnosis of the two species are provided as follows instead of a pure description of the new one.

1. On the forewing of P. xiaoqingae , the upper cell spot is absent or very minute on the dorsal side and present but minute on the ventral side, whereas it is always absent on both sides in the type specimens of P. wangi .

2. On the ventral side of the hindwing, there are well developed or reduced markings in P. xiaoqingae , but it is totally unmarked in the new species.

3. Cilia on both the forewing and the hindwing of P. xiaoqingae is checkered, but it is unicolorous in P. wangi .

4. In the male genitalia of P. xiaoqingae ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 , 15 View FIGURE 15 ), the tip of the left footstalk is shallowly bifurcate ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 : K, L, Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 : H) or truncate with serrate margin ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 : D); the tip of the right footstalk is wide and apparently bifurcate ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 : D, J, L, Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 : H). While in the new species ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 ), the left footstalk is triangular and its tip is sharply pointed ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 : G, L, M); the tip of the right footstalk is triangular, with serrate margin ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 : F), slightly bifurcate ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 : L) or sharply pointed ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 : M).

Etymology. The new species is named after Mr. Chunhao Wang (Beijing) for his kind help to the first author’s study on skipper butterflies.

Discussion. This new species is only known from the type locality, Cenwanglaoshan NNR ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 ). All four males were captured by the side of a road inside the reserve. But no more specimens were found during the collecting trip to the same place in June of 2017. Its voltinism and relative bionomic information need further study.

Based upon examined specimens and the records in Inayoshi (2019), a distribution map of P. xiaoqingae and P. wangi is provided ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 ). It shows that P. xiaoqingae is distributed from Nanling Mountains, Hainan Island to Vietnam and central Laos, whereas the type locality of P. wangi is located at the southeast edge of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and isolated from the distribution range of P. xiaoqingae by Guangxi Basin. So we infer that geographic isolation played a very important role during the speciation of the cryptic species P. wangi .