Teleiopsis motleella, Ponomarenko, Margarita & Park, Kyu-Tek, 2007

Ponomarenko, Margarita & Park, Kyu-Tek, 2007, Two new species and a new record of Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) from Korea, Zootaxa 1437, pp. 55-60 : 55-57

Teleiopsis motleella , sp. n.

(Fig. 1)

Teleiopsis Sattler, 1960 belongs to one of the most specialized tribes in Gelechiidae - Litini (=Teleiodini, Exoteleiini). The monophyly of Litini is supported by three apomorphies of the male genitalia: cuculli thin and membranous (or slightly sclerotized), sacculi fused with vinculum, and aedeagus fused with saccus or vinculum basally ( Ponomarenko, 2005).

Males in the genus Teleiopsis possess glands of the genital segment as in other genera of the tribe. The distal sclerotized tubular part of the gland contains a glandular ductus and was referred to as the “glandiductor” based on its function ( Ponomarenko, 2005). The glandiductors are inserted into the proximal part of the ductus bursae and displaced outwardly at the muscle abductors of valvae (m2) traction, facilitating coupling with the female during copulation. Previously the glandiductors were treated by different authors as valvae, valvellae, cuculli or sacculi. In Teleiopsis the glandiductors are secondary fused with sacculi basally.

Teleiopsis is Holarctic in distribution; according to a comprehensive revision of the genus, its greatest species richness is in the western Palaearctic ( Pitkin, 1988). The description of T. motleella , sp. n., brings the total number of species in the genus to 12. It is the third species, together with T. sophistica (Meyrick) and T. diffinis (Haworth) , recorded from East Asia. Host plants are known for 9 species and belong to the three families Anacardiaceae ( Pistacia terebinthus L., Rhus coriaria L., Toxicodendron diversilobum (T. & G.)), Polygonaceae ( Rumex acetosella L., R. lunaria L., R. scutatus L., Oxyria digyna (L.)), and Juglandaceae ( Juglans regia (L.)). It is worth noting that members of each group of related species within Teleiopsis feed on plants of the same family. Because the new species belongs to the brevivalva -group, the suspected host plant is in Juglandaceae .

Diagnosis. The species is most similar to Teleiopsis brevivalva Pitkin, 1988 , and T. sophistica ( Meyrick, 1935) in the male genitalia. The new species differs from the first by the round apex of the uncus and bilobed right sacculus. It can be distinguished from T. sophistica by the asymmetric sacculi, especially the left one, with the inner lobe as an indistinct small knob. In addition, the eighth tergite in the new species has the posterior lobe slightly concave laterally and lacks prominent lateral lobes; in T. sophistica the posterior lobe of the eighth tergite is slightly convex laterally and lateral lobes are rounded and spined.

FIGURES. 1–3. Adults. 1, Teleiopsis motleella , sp. n.; 2, Sitotroga pseudopsacasta sp. n.; 3, Scrobipalpa spumata (Povolný) .

Description. Wingspan 12 mm. Frons light grey. Proboscis light grey with scattered dark grey scales. Head and thorax mainly dark grey, speckled with light grey, cream, and reddish scales along mid-line. Antenna with dark grey scape; basal segments light grey, with dark grey annulation on each segment of flagellum. Second segment of labial palpus with raised cream and reddish scales along ventral margin; outer surface covered with light grey and dark grey scales, with two dark grey rings in basal half; inner surface light grey. Third segment of labial palpus dark grey with two indistinct light grey rings at base and near middle. Tegula dark grey. Ground colour of forewing dark grey, with an oblique, thin, blackish band at 1/6 wing; two distinct blackish dots surrounded by cream raised scales at end of cell; a small cream spot at middle of costal margin and 9–10 concolorous small spots along margin of distal 1/4 of wing. Fringe grey with scattered whitish scales basally. Hindwing grey with concolorous fringe. Legs dark grey, speckled with light grey scales; tarsus with light grey apical rings on each segment.

Male genitalia (Fig. 4). Uncus relatively broad, narrowed distally, with hooklike projection at apex. Gnathos not reaching apex of uncus. Tegumen dilated basally, with broad anterior, lateral parts. Cucullus reduced. Sacculi asymmetric: right sacculus distinctly bilobed, its inner lobe about 1/3 as long as outer one; left sacculus with inner lobe represented by small knob; length of both sacculi from the glandiductor's base to the apex longer than half of uncus length. Glandiductor fused with sacculus basally, with distinct glandular channel (Fig. 4a). Aedeagus uniformly narrowed distally, about four times as long as basal width, fused with anterior margin of vinculum by short tube. Straight part of ductus ejaculatorii shorter than aedeagus. Lamina ductus ejaculatorii turbinal.

Eighth tergite with lateral bunches of strong spines, many of which have hooklike apices, arising from indistinctly separated lobes (Fig. 5). Eighth sternite trapezoidal (Fig. 6).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ɗ, Gagok, Taebaek, Gangwon Prov., 7.IX.2000 (J. C. Sohn); genit. prep. CIS-5149, euparal, M. Ponomarenko. Paratype: ɗ, Korea, Mt. Peakwoon-san, Sooncheon, Jeonnam Prov., 19.VIII.1996 (J. S. Lee & Y. M. Park).

Distribution. Korea.

Etymology. The specific name originates from the word “motley”, since the head, thorax, and forewings are a combination of different colours.