Rasa litanga Saldaitis et Yakovlev, 2019

Saldaitis, A. & Yakovlev, R. V., 2019, Rasa litanga - a new genus and species of Carpenter Moth (Lepidoptera: Cossidae: Cossinae) from Sichuan Province (China), Russian Entomological Journal 28 (2), pp. 183-185 : 184-185

Rasa litanga Saldaitis et Yakovlev , sp.n.

Figs 1–3 .

MATERIAL: holotype, ♀, China, W. Sichuan, near Litang,H 4000 m, N 29°49.136’, E 100°20.576’, 15.vi.2015, leg. Floriani & Saldaitis, (in the micro tube) (coll. ASV = A. Saldaitis (Vilnius, Lithuania) later to be deposited in the WIGJ = World Insect Gallery, Joniškis, Lithuania); paratype, ♀, China, W. Szechuan, 80 km NW Litang, Haizy-Shan , lake, 4500–4600 m, 8.07.2018, leg. M. Markhasev (RYB). DESCRIPTION. Wingspan 51 mm. Antenna bipectinate. Length of crest processes (in middle third of antenna) 1, 2 times bigger than rod diameter. Length of antenna equal to 0.5 of fore wing length. Tegula and patagium pale brown. Abdomen covered with orange hairs. Fore wing pale brown, with dark brown pattern: costal edge brown with poorly noticeable dark brown transverse strokes, poorly contrast dark brown undulate strokes throughout wing, blurred dark brown patches in discal area (between veins of cubital trunk), dark brown spots merging into oblique band in postdiscal area (between veins of medial trunk), fringe pale brown, unicolorous. Hind wing pale brown without pattern, fringe pale brown, unicolorous .

Female genitalia ( Fig. 2 ) — see the genus description.

Male unknown.

BIOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. Single female was collected at ultraviolet light at 15 June, 2015 in a remote part of Litang County in southwestern Sichuan Province’s Shaluli Shan mountain range. The new species was collected at altitudes of approximately 4000 meters in mountain mixed forests dominated by various conifer trees, bushes and rhododendron.

ETYMOLOGY. The new genus is named in honor of Rasa Saldaitienë (Vilnius, Lithuania) for her deep understanding and support of the entomological activities of the senior author, “rasa” in Lithuanian language means “morning dew”; species name is toponymical.

Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Anna Ustjuzhanina (Tomsk) for language improvements, to Maxim Markhasev (Moscow) for new material from China, to Thomas Witt (Munich) for providing comfortable conditions to work with his collection and library and to Alessandro Floriani (Milan, Italy) for his enthusiasm and patience during the China trips.

Figures

Figs 1–3. Rasa litanga, gen. et sp.n.: 1 — female, holotype (ASV/WIGJ); 2 — female genitalia; 3 — biotope (photo by A. Saldaitis). Рис. 1–3. Rasa litanga, gen. et sp.n.: 1 — самка; голотип (ASV/WIGJ); 2 — гениталии самки; 3 — биотоп (фото А. Салдаитиса).