Rhodostrophia stueningi, Cui & Xue & Jiang, 2019

Cui, Le, Xue, Dayong & Jiang, Nan, 2019, Description of two new species of Rhodostrophia Hübner, 1823 from China (Lepidoptera, Geometridae), Zootaxa 4563 (2), pp. 337-353 : 345-347

Rhodostrophia stueningi sp. nov.

Figs 10 , 23 , 34 , 45 , 55 , 60

Description. Head. Antennae quadripectinate in male, rami covered with cilia, apex shortly filiform, flagellum of the antennae serrate ventrally (fig. 60), basal part yellowish white, longest branches of male antennae two times width of flagellum; filiform in female. Frons densely covered with reddish brown scales, slightly protruding. Labial palpus yellowish brown, suffused with reddish ventrally. Vertex yellowish white. Thorax. Patagia, tegulae and dorsal side of thorax yellowish brown. Hind tibia in male with three spurs. Forewing length: male 17–19 mm; female 16–18 mm. Forewing with apex slightly rather angled, outer margin slightly curved; hind wing with apex rounded, outer margin smooth. Wing colour yellowish brown to brown, or light greyish-brown and pale grey, transverse lines brown to blackish brown. Forewing with antemedial line not reach to costa, slightly curved in and below cell; discal spot black and small; medial line somewhat diffuse, often slightly dentate; postmedial line undulated, protruding between veins M 3 and CuA 1, sometimes indistinct and consisting of short black streaks or even spots; terminal line marked by short black streaks between veins; fringes same-colour as forewing, somewhat lighter. Hind wing with antemedial line absent, medial line smooth, diffuse, postmedial line similar to those of forewing, but less undulated. Discal spot similar to that of forewing, often more weakly developed. Underside paler, antemedial line absent, discal spot, medial and postmedial lines brown and distinct.

Male genitalia ( Figs 23 , 34 ). Uncus long and stout, slightly dilated at apical half, deeply bifurcate at tip. Medial process of gnathos long triangular, with acute tip. Costa covered with a rounded lobe on inner side of apex, ventral part of valva narrow, sclerotized and forked at apex. Juxta slender. Saccus small and rounded. Aedeagus long, narrow, slightly curved, wider on terminal part accompanying with a line of small spurs; cornutus a sclerotized strip covered with spines. Eighth sternite with posterior margin bilobed, incision almost nearly “V”- shaped ( Fig. 55 ).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 45 ). Apophyses anteriores about two fifths as long as apophyses posteriors. Ductus bursae short, sclerotized except a small membranous gap near middle, about two thirds as long as corpus bursae. Ductus seminalis arising from anterior part of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae oval, wider on right side, signum composed of two thin elongate sclerites connecting by a sclerotized diffuse band at base. Seventh sternite with posterior margin forming a rounded concavity.

Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished by combination of the the following characters: the flagellum of the antennae is dentate ventrally; the male hind tibia has three spurs; the medial lines of both wings are serrate (often indistinct); the postmedial line of both wings are protruded between veins M 3 and CuA 2. In the male genitalia, the cornutus is an elongate stripe with teeth. The seventh sternite forms a rounded concavity on the posterior margin. In the female genitalia, the ductus bursae and the sclerotized part are short; the signum is composed of two elongate sclerites which are connected on base by a sclerotized diffuse band.

Type material. Holotype, 6, CHINA: Yunnan ( ZFMK): Li-kiang , 31.VII.1935, H. Höne . Paratypes: Sichuan ( ZFMK): 1 6, Siao-Lou . Yunnan ( IZCAS) : 1 6, same locality as holotype, 6.V.1934, coll. H. Höne (D. Stüning presented from ZFMK) ; 1♀, same locality as holotype, 27. VI.1935, coll. H. Höne (D. Stüning presented from ZFMK) . Yunnan ( ZFMK): 135 6 5♀, same locality and collector as holotype, 15.V–30.V.1934, 21.IV– 6.V.1935; 1 6, Tse-kou . Yunnan ( SMNK) : 26♂, Li-kiang. 19.III–28. VI.1935, coll. H. Höne (GU 465, 6020, 5986, 5987, 186, 6021, 164, 5985, 5989) (on loan from ZFMK) .

Distribution. China (Shandong?, Sichuan, Yunnan).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Dr. Dieter Stüning, Bonn, Germany, who contributed greatly to the taxonomy of Geometridae . Remarks. The new species was kept under the manuscript-name “ sinobahara ” Reisser in the collections of ZFMK and SMNK all the time since Reisser studied the Chinese Sterrhinae at ZFMK. He loaned a number of specimens which later came to SMNK together with his complete collection.

We found two male specimens of the new species labelled “Tai-shan, 1550 m, Prov. Shantung [Shandong], China, 8.VI.1934, 13.VI.1934, coll. H. Höne” in ZFMK. Since most specimens are distributed in the southwest of China, and far away from Shandong, the above two male specimens are probably labelled incorrectly (D. Stüning, pers. comm.). Therefore, we do not list them with in the paratypes.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Adults of Rhodostrophia. 1–2. R. jacularia; 1. Male, Mongolia, 2. Female, Inner Mongolia, China; 3. R. grumaria, male, Tibet, China; 4. R. serraginaria, male, Xinjiang, China; 5. R. bicolor, male, Tibet, China; 6. R. yunnanaria, male, Yunnan, China; 7. R. similata, male, Yunnan, China; 8. R. reisseri sp. nov., male, holotype, Yunnan, China; 9. R. bisinuata bisinuata, female, Yunnan, China; 10. R. stueningi sp. nov., male, holotype, Yunnan, China; 11. R. philolaches, male, Yunnan, China; 12. R. tristrigalis, male, Sichuan, China; 13. R. anchotera, male, Yunnan, China; 14. R. olivacea, male, Yunnan, China; 15. R. pelloniaria, male, Tibet, China. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 16–24. Male genitalia of Rhodostrophia. 16. R. jacularia, Inner Mongolia, China; 17. R. serraginaria, Xinjiang, China; 18. R. bicolor, Tibet, China; 19. R. yunnanaria, Sichuan, China; 20. R. similata, Gansu, China; 21. R. reisseri sp. nov., paratype, Yunnan, China; 22. R. bisinuata bisinuata, Yunnan, China; 23. R. stueningi sp. nov., paratype, Yunnan, China; 24. R. philolaches, Qinghai, China. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 25–37. Male genitalia of Rhodostrophia. 25. R. tristrigalis, Tibet, China; 26. R. pelloniaria, Tibet, China. FIGURES 27–37. Aedeagus of Rhodostrophia. 27. R. jacularia, Inner Mongolia, China; 28. R. serraginaria, Xinjiang, China; 29. R. bicolor, Tibet, China; 30. R. yunnanaria, Sichuan, China; 31. R. similata, Gansu, China; 32. R. reisseri sp. nov., paratype, Yunnan, China; 33. R. bisinuata bisinuata, Yunnan, China; 34. R. stueningi sp. nov., paratype, Yunnan, China, the black lines show the cornutus and the line of small spurs on the terminal part of the aedeagus; 35. R. philolaches, Qinghai, China. 36. R. tristrigalis, Tibet, China; 37. R. pelloniaria, Tibet, China. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 44–47. Female genitalia of Rhodostrophia. 44. R. bisinuata bisinuata, Yunnan, China; 45. R. stueningi sp. nov. with the seventh sternite, paratype, Yunnan, China; 46. R. philolaches, Yunnan, China; 47. R. pelloniaria, Tibet, China. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 48–58. Male eighth sternite of Rhodostrophia. 48. R. jacularia; 49. R. serraginaria; 50. R. bicolor; 51. R. yunnanaria; 52. R. similata; 53. R. reisseri sp. nov.; 54. R. bisinuata bisinuata; 55. R. stueningi sp. nov.; 56. R. philolaches; 57. R. tristrigalis; 58. R. pelloniaria. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 59–60. The antennal flagellum of Rhodostrophia. 59. R. reisseri sp. nov.; 60. R. stueningi sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.