Toccolosida ganeshgudiensis N. Singh, Kirti & Ranjan, 2020

Singh, Navneet, Kirti, Jagbir Singh, Ranjan, Rahul & Chandra, Kailash, 2020, A new species of Toccolosida, a Pyralinae from the Western Ghats, India (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) and the revised status of Lixa as a synonym, Zootaxa 4816 (1), pp. 101-107 : 102

Toccolosida ganeshgudiensis N. Singh, Kirti & Ranjan , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 7–8 )

Type material. Holotype. Male, India: Karnataka, Ganeshgudi (14.9867°N, 74.5934°E), 387 m, 28.xi.2013, leg. R. Ranjan (Coll. NZCZSI).

Paratypes: India, Karnataka: Ganeshgudi (14.9867°N, 74.5934°E), 387 m, 1 ♂, 28.xi.2013; Jog falls (14.22660 N, 74.805 80 E), 471 m, 1 ♂, 21.xi.2014, leg. R . Ranjan (Coll. NZCZSI) .

Diagnosis. Externally, T. ganeshgudiensis , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 ) closely resembles to T. subolivalis Snellen ( Fig. 2 ), but it is distinct based on: (1) the forewing having the medial line absent and the postmedial line diffused, both the lines are prominent in T. subolivalis ; (2) the forewing apex being dark chocolate coloured with a fuscous tip, in T. subolivalis the apex is of the same colour as the rest of the wing; and (3) the hindwing displaying a very faint postmedial line, with the area beyond it representing the marginal band, in T. subolivalis both the antemedial and medial lines are prominent, marginal band absent. The new species differs from the rest of its congeners in the pale brownish ground colour of the adults, which is black in T. rubriceps ( Fig. 3 ) and T. nigraregina ( Fig. 4 ), and redder in T. productalis ( Fig. 5 ) and T. bilinealis ( Fig. 6 ). In the male genitalia, T. ganeshgudiensis , sp. nov. ( Figs. 7, 8 ) is similar to T. rubriceps ( Figs 11–13 ), but is distinct in the vesica with its shorter cornutus and the absence of sclerotised plate, which in T. rubriceps , the cornutus is longer and a sclerotised plate is present.

Description. Holotype male, forewing length 16 mm. Head with vertex pale brown; thorax and abdomen rusty red, the latter with anal tuft present at lateral sides. Patagia bearing prominent hairs. Forewing pale brown, densely speckled with rusty brown scales; a postmedial, semi-elliptical, paler spot on costa; a slightly sinuous, narrow, dark band (depicting the diffused postmedial line) from apex to postmedial region of inner margin. Hindwings pale brown, speckled with rusty brown scales; a very faint postmedial line, area beyond it dark and forming a marginal band. Fringe of both the wings fuscous. Male genitalia with uncus broad tongue shaped, decorated with small hairs; tegumen broad, shouldered; gnathos with hooked tip; valvae broad tongue shaped, costal margin slightly curved, fibula short with blunt tip; juxta with both the edges almost parallel; saccus bowl shaped; vesica with single cornutus.

Remarks: The new species is placed in the genus Toccolosida due to presence of prominent hair on the patagia, uncus and valvae typically tongue shaped, the latter having a prominent fibula at base.

Distribution. The new species is reported from Karnataka (southern India), which is an extended distributional range (in India) of Toccolosida from the Himalayan territory to the Western Ghats of India. The species was collected during post monsoon season in an elevational range between 350 m to 500 m.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality Ganeshgudi (Karnataka, southern India).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Adults of Toccolosida spp. 1, T. ganeshgudiensis, sp. nov., holotype, male; 2, T. subolivalis, male; 3, T. rubriceps, male; 4, T. nigraregina, female; 5, T. productalis, comb. nov., male; 6, T. bilinealis, male.

FIGURES 7–13. Male genitalia of Toccolosida spp. 7–8, male genitalia & phallus of T. ganeshgudiensis, sp. nov., holotype; 9–10, male genitalia & phallus of T. productalis, comb. nov.; 11–13, male genitalia, phallus & enlarged view of vesica of T. rubriceps. Photo credits: Figs. 9–10: © NHMUK, slide number NHMUK010316354