Argyresthia (Argyresthia) brevalbella, Lee & Lee & Liu, 2023

Lee, Ga-Eun, Lee, Yeong-Don & Liu, Tengteng, 2023, A new species and two new records of Argyresthia Hübner, [1825] (Lepidoptera: Argyresthiidae) from Hallasan National Park of Korea, Zootaxa 5315 (3), pp. 282-290 : 285

Argyresthia (Argyresthia) brevalbella sp. nov.

Korean name: huin-tti-gwang-taek-jip-na-bang

( Figs 2–11 )

Type material. Holotype ♁, KOREA, Jeju-do, Seogwipo-si, Saekdal-dong, Hallasan National Park , 1100 Road , 1,100 m, 30.VII.2020, leg. Ga-Eun Lee, genitalia slide no. LGE22042 ( NIBR), DNA voucher no. LGE-G637 ( JNU); paratypes: KOREA, Jeju-do, Seogwipo-si : 1 ♀, same original data as holotype except for 14.VIII.2020, genitalia slide no. LGE22064 ( JNU); 2 ♀, Hawon-dong, Hallasan National Park , Yeongsil, 1,245 m, 30.VIII.2022, leg. Ga-Eun Lee, genitalia slide no. LGE22059, DNA voucher no. LGE-G692 ( JNU).

Diagnosis. Superficially, the new species is very similar to A. (A.) longalbella Liu, Wang et Li, 2017 known from China, and it is difficult to separate them based solely on the external characters. The two species can clearly be differentiated by the male genitalia: A. (A.) brevalbella sp. nov. has the valva widest at middle, a stout saccus and the phallus approximately 6.0 times as long as the width of valva; whereas A. (A.) longalbella has the valva widest at basal 3/7, a slender saccus and the phallus 4.0 times as long as the width of valva ( Liu et al. 2017). The female genitalia differ in the shape of the corpus bursae: round in A. (A.) brevalbella sp. nov. and oval in A. (A.) longalbella with constricted anterior 1/2. The new species is also similar to A. (A.) albicomella Moriuti, 1969 distributed in Korea and Japan ( Moriuti 1969; Na et al. 2017), but the forewing color is darker and the dorsal band is much broader in the former.

Description. Adult. Head ( Figs 2–5 ). Vertex white, frons tinged with yellow. Labial palpus ochreous yellow, strongly mixed with white dorsally; palpomere I short, palpomere II as long as III. Antenna with scape white, pecten ochreous yellow; flagellum white, ringed with black.

Thorax ( Figs 2, 3 ). Dorsum of thorax denuded in most specimens, but somewhat fuscous and mixed with creamy white; tegula ochreous yellow. Legs creamy white, fore-femur, -tibia and -tarsus black on inner surface, fore-tibia with a black spot at base, middle and apex, respectively, on outer surface, fore-tarsus with first tarsomere black medially, each tarsomere black ringed apically; mid-tibia with a black spot at base, middle and apex dorsally, mid-tarsus with first tarsomere black medially, each tarsomere black ringed; hind-tibia slightly tinged with fuscous dorsally, hind-tarsus with each tarsomere ringed with black apically.

Wings ( Figs 2, 3 ). Forewing span 10.0–12.0 mm (n=4) (holotype = 12.0 mm). Forewing ground color fuscous, irregularly strigulated with dark fuscous in distal 1/2, costa creamy white with short dark fuscous striae from near base to distal 1/4, between fold and dorsal band ochreous yellow, dorsal band creamy white, extending to end of fold, sometimes reduced in width; fringe scales fuscous, tipped with dark fuscous along termen. Hindwing and fringe scales fuscous.

Abdominal segment VIII ( Fig. 6 ). Eighth sternite Y-shaped.

Male genitalia ( Figs 7, 8 ). Tuba analis slightly shorter than width of valva. Socius covered with 20 scale-like setae, bearing two setae posteriorly. Gnathos not inflated distally, with long thick setae apically. Valva subelliptical, widest at middle, with a row of long setae near ventral margin in basal 1/2, sparsely setose apically. Saccus stout, slightly constricted medially, dilated in distal 1/2, rounded apically. Phallus straight, approximately 7 times as long as width of valva; cornuti consisting of minute spinules, situated in anterior 1/2 as a band-like structure.

Female genitalia ( Figs 9–11 ). Anterior apophysis slightly shorter than posterior apophysis, bifurcate after middle, one branch leading to posterior end of sternum VIII, another branch leading to ostium bursae along anterior margin of sternum VIII. Lamella postvaginalis elongate rectangular. Antrum funnel-shaped. Ductus bursae long and narrow, anterior 1/5 gradually broadening to corpus bursae, with ductus seminalis at anterior 2/5. Corpus bursae round, approximately 1/3 length of ductus bursae, densely denticulated in posterior 1/2; signum situated at middle, basal plate oval, with a curved, C-shaped process arising from near anterior margin of basal plate.

Distribution. Korea (Jeju-do).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin words, “ brevis ” and “ albella ”, meaning short and white, respectively, referring to the short and whitish dorsal band.

GenBank accession numbers. OQ857835 (holotype), OQ857836(paratype).

DNA analysis. The closest relative of A. (A.) brevalbella sp. nov. registered on GenBank is the North American A. oreasella Clemens, 1860 (accession no. GU095514), with the genetic distance of 3.6% ( Table 1 ). However, they are apparently different from each other morphologically and easily distinguishable by the forewing color and markings: the new species is fuscous with a creamy white dorsal band whereas A. oreasella is silvery white distally marked with brown longitudinal bands.

Figures

FIGURES 2–11. Argyresthia (Argyresthia) brevalbella sp. nov. 2, holotype,male; 3, paratype, female; 4, head in lateral view (holotype, male); 5, head in lateral view (paratype, female); 6, male abdominal segment VIII (holotype, slide no. LGE22042); 7, male genitalia (holotype, ditto); 8, phallus (holotype, ditto); 9, female genitalia (paratype, slide no. LGE22059); 10, Lamella postvaginalis and antrum (paratype, slide no. LGE22064); 11, signum (paratype, ditto). (Scale bars: figs. 2, 3= 2.0 mm; figs. 6–8 = 0.2 mm; fig. 9 = 0.5 mm).