Scrobipalpa septentrionalis, Li, Houhun & Bidzilya, Oleksiy, 2019

Li, Houhun & Bidzilya, Oleksiy, 2019, New species and new records of the genus Scrobipalpa Janse (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from China, ZooKeys 840, pp. 101-131 : 101

Scrobipalpa septentrionalis sp. n. Figs 4, 5, 18, 26

Type material.

CHINA: Holotype ♂, Yuanyichang, Zhongning County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 17.vii.1993, 1170 m, coll. Houhun Li (gen. slide no. L07058) (NKU). Paratypes: 3 ♀, same data as for holotype (gen. slide nos. L07030, L13055, SYW05246); 2 ♀, Xinpu, Zhongning County, Ningxia, 26.vii.1993, 1170 m, coll. Houhun Li (gen. slide no. L93083); 3 ♀, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150 m, 23.vii.1997, coll. Houhun Li (gen. slide nos. L14054, LLJ15219, 115/15, O Bidzilya).

Diagnosis.

This new species resembles S. ningxica sp. n. externally, but is larger, paler and with less well expressed dark irroration. The male genitalia resemble those of S. alterna Falkovitsh & Bidzilya, 2006 and S. lutea (see Huemer and Karsholt 2010, figs 65, 66), but the uncus is shorter, the valva is longer, the vincular process is strongly curved and the saccus is narrower. The female genitalia are similar to those of S. pauperella (Heinemann, 1870), S. spumata ( Povolný, 2001) and S. pseudolutea , but differ in the absence of the foamy sculpture at base of the apophyses anteriores and the longer, weakly curved distal hook of the signum.

Description.

Adult (Figs 4, 5). Wingspan 11.0-13.5 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae covered with light grey brown tipped scales, frons white, labial palpus grey, segment 2 mottled with brown on outer surface and on underside, upperside white, segment 3 with light brown basal and medial belts, scape light brown, other antennal segments brown with whitish basal rings; forewing creamy grey, mixed with light brown particularly near apex, subcostal vein and fold mottled with yellow, three indistinct brown dots in fold, black spots in cell indistinct, cilia grey brown tipped; hindwing and cilia grey.

Variation. The ground colour of forewing varies from cream to light brown.

Male genitalia (Fig. 18). Uncus twice as long as broad, rounded in apical 1/3; gnathos short, weakly curved; tegumen prolonged with deep and broad anteromedial emargination; valva narrow, of equal width, weakly curved, apex rounded, extending over the top of uncus; sacculus 1.5 times broader and ca. 4 times shorter than valva, inner margin straight, outer margin weakly curved, apex rounded, tip pointed, curved inwards, gap to the vincular process moderately large; vincular process large, slightly broader and as long as sacculus, inner margin strongly curved, apex rounded with pointed tip; posterior margin of vinculum with deep and broad v-shaped medial emargination; saccus narrow, tapered towards rounded apex, extending far beyond apex of pedunculus; phallus straight, apical arm narrow, caecum strongly inflated, 1/3 length of phallus.

Female genitalia (Fig. 26). Papilla analis subtriangular, sparsely covered with short hairs; apophyses posteriores ca. 4.5 times longer than segment VIII; sternite VIII longer than broad, subtrapezoidal, subgenital plates 1/3 width of sternite VIII, smooth, broadened anteriorly, inner margin with distinct fold; ventromedial depression subrectangular, divided by short triangular anteromedial incision into broad lobes, which extends beyond anterior margin of sternite VIII; apophyses anteriores shorter or as long as segment VIII; ductus bursae narrow in posterior portion, then evenly broadened towards pyriform corpus bursae, colliculum narrow, belt-shaped; signum situated in middle of corpus bursae, basal plate small, distal hook long and narrow, curved in distal one third, with a few teeth near the base.

Variation. Number of teeth at base of the signum varies from 3 to 5, and the apophyses anteriores vary in length.

Distribution.

China (Heilongjiang, Ningxia).

Biology.

Host plant unknown. Adults were collected in July at an altitude of 1100-1200 m.

Etymology.

The species name is the Latin adjective septentrionalis (northern), referring to the distribution of the species in the northern part of China.