Scaeosopha convexa Li et Zhang, 2012

Li, Houhun, Zhang, Zhiwei & Sinev, Sergey Yu., 2012, Review of the genus Scaeosopha Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Scaeosophinae) in the world, with descriptions of sixteen new species, Zootaxa 3322, pp. 1-34 : 24

Scaeosopha convexa Li et Zhang sp. nov.

( Figs. 22, 46, 59)

Description. Adult ( Fig. 22): Wingspan 13.0–17.0 mm. Head with frons whitish-yellow, vertex black edged with yellow, scale tuft behind compound eye black on outer margin. Antenna yellowish-brown. Labial palpus with second segment grayish-white; third segment deep-yellow, deep leaden dorsally. Thorax dark-brown. Tegula yellow, black at middle. Forewing yellow, overlaid with distinct and indistinct yellowish-brown and black spots or patches; cell with a conspicuous ellipticl black spot at middle crossing anterior margin, with a commalike black spot at end; fold with an oval black spot at distal 1/3; area between fold and dorsum covered with dense black scales; short pale-brown streaks running from before anterodistal corner to posterodistal corner along outer margin of cell; termen brown; cilia whitish-yellow, mixed with yellowish-brown scales. Hindwing and cilia grayish brown. Legs dirty whitish-yellow, tarsi of fore and mid legs with dark-brown patches on outer side.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 46): Brachia of uncus slender, sclerotized, with hooked tip. Valva broad and short, irregularly elliptical, medially with a sclerotized carina; several droplike processes in middle of ventral half; ventral margin with triangular projection medially, with fine setae; valvella sparsely setose, longer than valva, distal 1/3 expanded before acute apex. Phallus uniformly wide, weakly sclerotized, twisted; cornutus absent.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 59): Posterior apophysis about twice as long as anterior apophysis. Sterigma cordiform. Ductus bursae three times length of anterior apophysis; ductus seminalis arising from about middle of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae large, narrow posteriorly, broad anteriorly; signa a pair of longitudinal leaflike plates, each longitudinally with a heavily sclerotized median carina.

Type material. Holotype ♂, BRUNEI: Rampayoh R. [4°29' N, 114°29' E], LP 195B, GR 960785, Lowland dipterocarp forest, 100 m., 26–29.ix.1997, coll. G. S. Robinson, BMNH (E) 1997-261, BMNH Microlep. slide no. 31002, Houhun Li ( BMNH, London).

Paratypes: BRUNEI: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Rampayoh R., LP 195, GR 960785, Lowland dipterocarp forest, 300 ft., 21– 24.ix.1992, coll. G. S. Robinson, Brunei-Malaysia, BM 1993-2, BMNH Microlep. slide no. 31003 (♀), Houhun Li ( BMNH, London) ; 1 ♂, Telisai , Kerangas forest, 100 ft., 13.ii.1982, coll. G. S. Robinson, BM 1982-156. MALAY- SIA : 1 ♂, W. Malaysia, Fraser’s Hill, Gap, 850 m, 2–3.xi.1989, coll. G. S. Robinson & M. A. Tobin, BM 1989-269, BMNH Microlep. slide no. 31019, Houhun Li ( BMNH, London) . INDONESIA: 1 ♂, E. Borneo, 50 m, Balikpapan , xi. 50, Wain River, A. M. R. Wegner, genitalia slide no. ZZWGW004 ( RMNH, Leiden) .

Distribution. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to S. chionoscia Meyrick in the male genitalia, but can be separated from it by the valva with several droplike processes in the median part of the ventral half and the ventral margin triangularly convex at middle; the female sterigma cordiform and the signa being a pair of sclerotized leaflike plates. In S. chionoscia Meyrick , the valva has numerous commalike processes throughout the ventral surface ( Fig. 43); the sterigma is cone-shaped and the signa are paired fan-shaped plates ( Fig. 56). It is also similar to S. rarimaculata sp. nov. in the male genitalia, but can be distinguished by the absence of the cornutus in the phallus, which is present in S. rarimaculata sp. nov. ( Fig. 50).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin convexus = convex, in reference to the triangular projection at the middle of the ventral margin of the valva.