Loxoneptera Hampson, 1896

Xiang, Lanbin, Chen, Kai & Zhang, Dandan, 2021, Revision and phylogeny of the genus Loxoneptera Hampson, 1896 (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Pyraustinae), based on morphology and molecular data, ZooKeys 1036, pp. 75-98 : 75

Loxoneptera Hampson, 1896

Loxoneptera Hampson, 1896: 405. Type species: Loxoneptera carnealis Hampson, 1896, by original designation.

Diagnosis.

In external appearance, the species of Loxoneptera are similar to species of Eumorphobotys Munroe & Mutuura, 1969 in the long and porrect labial palpus, the usually concolorous wings with no obvious pattern and the straight termen of forewing, but can be best distinguished by the triangular uncus, the rod-shaped dorsal projection of transtilla bearing long and thick hair at the apex, and the hook-shaped ventral sella in the male genitalia. In the female genitalia, the ductus bursae of Loxoneptera is shorter and stouter than that of Eumorphobotys . These two genera are also different in the shape of the signum, if present a nearly rhomboid signum with connected carina, or reduced into a keel-like carina in Loxoneptera , and a narrowly rhomboid signum with carina interrupted in Eumorphobotys . Eighth sternite in males of Loxoneptera is slightly sclerotised, with two slender and sclerotised anterolateral processes.

Description.

Head. Frons oblique, slightly protruding. Vertex with moderately raised scales projecting between antennae. Labial palpus ~ 2-2.5 × eye diameter; second segment obliquely upward, third segment long and porrect. Maxillary palpus small. Thorax. Legs unmodified usually, outer spur 1/3 to 1/2 the length of inner spur, sometimes outer spur minute. Wings. Forewing elongated triangular, termen obliquely straight to slightly curved; discal cell ~ 1/2 length of wing, R1 from ~ 3/4 of anterior margin of cell, R3 and R4 stalked to more than half of R4, R5 free from anterior angle of cell, parallel to stalked R3+R4 at base, then diverging, discocellular veins concavely curved, M1 close to R5 at base, free from discocellular veins and close to anterior angle of cell, M2, M3 and CuA1 from posterior angle of cell, CuA2 from 4/5 of the posterior margin of cell, 1A faintly sinuate to tornus; 2A forming complete loop and distally recurved before joining 1A; usually only with orbicular and reniform stigmata, sometimes no pattern. Hindwing fan-shaped, termen rounded; discal cell less than half length of wing, Sc+R1 and Rs anastomosed to half of Rs, discocellulars concave, M2, M3 and CuA1 from posterior angle of discal cell, CuA2 from 4/5 of the posterior margin of cell; without obviously spot. Abdomen. Eighth sternite in male with two slender and sclerotised anterolateral processes, pointed or slightly stout (Fig. 14 ).

Male genitalia. Uncus triangular, glabrous or with few hair-like setae. Tegumen trapezoid. Saccus nearly triangular. Transtilla with developed ventral process, extending a rod-shaped projection dorsad, usually long, curved, and slender, and terminal part with many long hairs. Valva tongue-shaped; dorsal sella membranous, ventral sella usually with a hook-shaped, strongly sclerotised process, dorso-distal sella presented as a sclerite and usually extended as a long, hook-shaped, sclerotised process; editum absent or not obvious; sacculus broad. Juxta with basal part rivet-shaped, remainder usually with two long and slender bifid arms. Phallus tubular, vesica with spine-shaped cornuti and sometimes deciduous cornuti.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor lobes flat, densely setose. Anterior apophyses longer than posterior apophyses. Antrum sclerotised, cup-shaped or bowl-shaped; colliculum well developed and sclerotised; ductus seminalis entering near anterior end of colliculum; ductus bursae short and stout, almost as long as length of corpus bursae; corpus bursae oval, appendix bursae oval or absent, signum nearly rhomboid, with a carina not interrupted in middle, sometimes signum reduced into a carina, sometimes absent.

Distribution.

China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Figures

Figures 14 - 19. 14 The sternite VIII in male of L. albicostalis 15 - 19 Male genitalia of Loxoneptera spp. 15 L. hampsoni nom. nov., Hainan (genitalia slide no. SYSU 0929) 16 L. albicostalis, Yunnan (genitalia slide no. ZDD 12108) 17 L. crassiuncata sp. nov., Yunnan (genitalia slide no. FCEL 0010) 18 L. carnealis, Guizhou (genitalia slide no. SYSU 0165) 19 L. triangularis sp. nov., Yunnan (genitalia slide no. FCEL 0004). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.