Meleonoma plicata, Yin & Zhi & Cai, 2019

Yin, Aihui, Zhi, Yan & Cai, Yanpeng, 2019, Three new species of Meleonoma Meyrick from Yunnan, China (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Xyloryctidae), ZooKeys 904, pp. 23-33 : 23

Meleonoma plicata sp. nov. Figs 1 , 4

Material examined.

Holotype: China • ♂; Yunnan Province, Puer City, Lianhua Village; alt. 1300 m, 20 May 2018; Yan Zhi leg.; YAH19068.

Diagnosis.

This new species, M. foliiformis , M. malacobyrsa and M. scalprata share many characters in both appearance and male genitalia, which implies that these four species might belong to the same lineage within Meleonoma . In appearance, they all have a relatively large wingspan; similar composition of body color (primarily yellow and brown); similar pattern of coloration of forewings (mostly yellow, more or less mixed with brown near base, a brown fascia from costa obliquely to slightly before tornus, a somewhat triangular brown patch at apex). In male genitalia, they all share the following characters: valva large and broad with median surface densely covered with long hairs; sacculus broad, nearly triangular or trapezoid with various sclerotized processes. However, M. plicata can be easily distinguished from the others by the following character combination: forewing with basal 1/3 densely mixed with blackish brown speckles; dorsal margin of valva with a small finger-shaped process at distal 1/6, ventral margin smooth, without any process; dorsal margin of sacculus with a large fingerlike process at end; phallus with an oblique portion in distal 1/3 heavily wrinkled and covered with numerous tiny spines.

Description.

Head: vertex and front pale gray, mixed with yellow bilaterally; labial palpus long and recurved, extending well beyond vertex, with smooth scales, yellow, segment 1 mixed with dark brown on outer surface, segment 2 blackish brown distally and extending to middle of ventral margin; segment 3 about 3/4 length of segment 2; antenna with scape blackish brown on dorsal surface and yellow on ventral surface, with flagellum ringed, alternately blackish brown and yellow, except almost pure pale yellow on ventral surface of basal half flagellomeres; scales of proboscis yellow.

Thorax: tegula and mesonotum blackish brown mixed with yellow; legs whitish yellow, tibiae and tarsi scattered with blackish brown speckles on outside. Forewing (Fig. 1 ): length 5.8 mm (N = 1), about 3.6 × as long as wide, yellow, basal 1/3 quite densely mixed with blackish brown speckles; a blackish brown fascia extending from basal 3/5 of costa obliquely to slightly before tornus, with inner margin slightly arched outward, outer margin somewhat serrated irregularly; cell with two dim black dots, one set at middle, other at middle of fold; apex forming a somewhat triangular patch, blackish brown, mixed with yellow along apex and termen; other yellow parts sparsely scattered with blackish brown scales; cilia yellow except blackish brown on tornus; ventral surface yellowish brown. Hindwing (Fig. 1 ): translucent grayish brown, gradually darkening towards apex; cilia grayish.

Male genitalia (Fig. 4 ): uncus with base short, slightly dilated bilaterally, with other part quite long and slender, slightly curved, apex acute; gnathos mostly membranous, with lateral arms arched outward; tegumen near bell-shape, lateral arms about same width, posterior margin slightly concave at middle, anterior margin shallowly concave into parenthesis-shape; valva gradually widening to middle from a narrow base, with ventral margin broadly arcuate in distal half into rounded apex, median surface densely covered with long hairs; costa nearly straight, strongly sclerotized except only weakly so in distal 1/6, with a small finger-shaped process protruded outward at distal 1/6; transtilla short and weakly sclerotized, covered with rows of long hairs, protruded forward medially; sacculus broad, nearly triangular, with basal 2/3 of dorsal margin joined with valva, a large fingerlike process at end of dorsal margin, distal half of ventral margin slightly serrated, somewhat protruded, densely covered with long hairs and as well on central area of sacculus; saccus funnel-shaped narrowly rounded at apex; juxta arcuate; phallus moderately sclerotized, cigar-shaped, with an oblique portion in distal 1/3 heavily wrinkled and covered with numerous tiny spines.

Female genitalia: unknown.

Biology.

Nothing is known about the larva. The adult was collected at night in May.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Southwest China: Yunnan Province).

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective plicatus (wrinkled, folded), referring to the heavily wrinkled distal part of the phallus in male genitalia.

Figures

Figures 1 - 3. Meleonoma species, morphology 1 adult of M. plicata sp. nov., holotype, male (gen. slide no. YAH 19068) 2 adult of M. taeniata sp. nov., holotype, male (gen. slide no. YAH 19071) 3 adult of M. scalprata sp. nov., paratype, female (gen. slide no. YAH 19070). Scale bars: 2.50 mm.

Figures 4 - 7. Meleonoma species, morphology 4 male genitalia of M. plicata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19068) 5 male genitalia of M. scalprata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19069) 6 female genitalia of M. scalprata sp. nov., paratype (gen. slide no. YAH 19070) 7 male genitalia of M. taeniata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19071). Scale bars: 0.25 mm.