Palumbina acinacea Lee et Li

Ga-Eun Lee 1, Houhun Li, Taeman Han & Haechul Park, 2018, A taxonomic review of the genus Palumbina Rondani, 1876 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Thiotrichinae) from China, with descriptions of twelve new species, Zootaxa 4414 (1), pp. 1-73 : 22-23

Palumbina acinacea Lee et Li , sp. nov.

( Figs 4 , 40 , 58, 58a , 77 , 98 , 117 )

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA, Hainan Province, Wuzhishan Nature Reserves (18.88°N, 109.65°E), 742 m, 4.vii.2014, leg. Peixin Cong, Linjie Liu and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE16052 . Paratypes. Hainan Province: 1 ♂, Jianfengling (18.73°N, 108.91°E), 940m, 4.vi.2007, leg. Zhiwei Zhang and Weichun Li, genitalia slide no. LGE16336 ; 1 ♀, Jianfengling Nature Reserves (18.74°N, 108.87°E), 770 m, Ledong County, 17.vii.2014, leg. Peixin Cong, Linjie Liu and Sha Hu, genitalia slide no. LGE16334, DNA voucher no. LGE-G458 ; 1 ♂, Limushan Forest Park (19.17°N, 109.73°E), 607 m, 25.vii.2014, leg. Peixin Cong, Linjie Liu and Sha Hu ; 1 ♂, Tianchi (18.73°N, 108.87°E), 787 m, Jianfengling, 16.vii.2015, leg. Qingyun Wang, Suran Li and Mengting Chen; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: 1 ♂, Shaoping Forest (22.06°N, 106.98°E), 280 m, Pingxiang, 2.iv.2013, leg. Xiaofei Yang, genitalia slide no. LGE16321, DNA voucher no. LGE-G065.

Description. Adult (Fig. 77). Wingspan 9.0̄1 1.5 mm. Head creamy white to light ochreous. Labial palpus creamy to light ochreous; in male, stout and slightly appressed, segment I with outer surface suffused with fuscous, segment II with hair pencil reaching subapex of III, segment III 1.5 times longer than segment II, fuscous and blunt at apex; in female, slender, segment II fuscous dorso-distally, segment III fuscous dorsally, as long as II, pointed at apex. Antenna with scape white to creamy, fuscous distally on posterior margin; flagellum black, dorsal 1/2 white to creamy, male cilia twice as long as width. Thorax and tegula yellowish brown. Forewing ground color yellowish brown to fuscous, with violet reflections, suffused with white scales before apex; markings white: antemedian fascia straight, slender, broadened at fold; distal patch at 2/3, usually small and rounded, reaching neither costa nor dorsum. Hindwing dark grey. Legs creamy white to silvery white; fore femur, tibia and tarsus black on outer surface; mid tarsus black on inner surface; hind femur black at base, hind tibia slightly suffused with black near tibial spurs, at middle and at apex on outer surface, mostly black on inner surface, hind tarsus black on inner surface.

Pregenital abdomen ( Fig. 40 ). In male, coremata abundant and long, about 1/2 length of abdomen; sternum VIII sub-rectangular, posterior margin slightly convex at middle. In female, segment VII sclerotized posteriorly, strongly connected to segment VIII, moderately concave on posterior margin.

Male genitalia ( Figs 58, 58a , 98). Uncus sub-quadrate, strongly sclerotized, protruded with medial groove ventrally, bearing spine-like setae along ridge, apex deeply concave at middle. Gnathos hook robust, curved upward, with furrow on dorsal side, appressed in lateral view, tapering abruptly from subapex to apex, sharply pointed at apex. Tegumen about five times longer than uncus, posteriorly set with tubercles beneath base of gnathos: tubercles long and slender, bulged basally, widened distally, rounded at apex ( Figs 58, 58a ); anterior margin of tegumen deeply concave. Valva blade-like, 1/2 width of uncus, covered with sparse hairs; gradually widening from base to basal 1/3, then tapering towards apex; distal 1/6 incurved, sharply pointed at apex. Anellus lobe narrow, rod-shaped, 2/3 length of valva. Vinculum broad, crescent-shaped. Saccus very slender and short, 1/6 length of anellus lobes. Juxta short, with long tuft at middle of inner margin. Aedeagus with basal 1/4 dilated, distal 3/4 curved downward, tapering toward pointed apex; slender interior sclerite arising from basal 1/4, nearly reaching apex.

Female genitalia (Fig. 117). Papillae anales simple. Apophyses anteriores 3/4 length of apophyses posteriores. Segment VIII strongly sclerotized, thickened on anterior margin; tergum VIII deeply concave on posterior margin, bearing a long spoon-shaped process arising from middle: the process widening toward apex, distal half broadly concave ventrally, emarginate at apex, exceeding posterior margin of segment VIII; sternum VIII shorter than tergum VIII, posterior margin broadly concave with short bumps at middle. Ostium bursae narrow, opening at posterior margin of sternum VIII. Ductus bursae narrow, posteriorly covered by sternum VIII; ductus seminalis arising from anterior 2/5. Corpus bursae ovate, as long as ductus bursae; signum situated at middle or anterior 1/3, basal plate rhombiform, with a hook-shaped process arising anteriorly.

Diagnosis. This new species can be recognized by the small and rounded distal patch of the forewing. The male genitalia are similar to those of P. nesoclera in having the broad sub-rectangular sternum VIII and the strongly sclerotized spiny uncus, but it can be distinguished from P. nesoclera by the appressed gnathos, the blade-like valva and the short juxta with a tuft. In the female genitalia, the signum has a hook-shaped process as in all the members of the guerinii -group and the macrodelta -group, but the tergumVIII is distinctively characterized by having a spoon-like process.

Distribution. China (Guangxi, Hainan).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin, acinaces (a scimitar), referring to the curved bladelike valva.

Variations. The distal patch on the forewing can vary in shape and coloration, and the markings on legs can be indistinct.

Figures

FIGURES 40̅46. Male sternum VIII of Palumbina spp. 40, P. acinacea sp. nov., slide no. LGE16321; 41, P. pylartis (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16315; 42, P. sineloba sp. nov., slide no. LGE16189; 43, P.spinevalva sp. nov., slide no. LGE16193; 44, P.triangularis sp. nov., slide no.LGE16263; 45, P.operaria (Meyrick), slide no.LGE16039; 46, P.diplobathra (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16054.(Scale bars = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 58̅64. Male tegumen structures of Palumbina spp. 58, P. acinacea sp. nov., slide no. LGE16321, 58a, enlarged view of tubercles; 59, P. pylartis (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16315; 60, P. sineloba sp. nov., slide no. LGE16333; 61, P. spinevalva sp. nov., slide no. LGE16332; 62, P. acerosa sp. nov., slide no. ZJL05472; 63, P. triangularis sp. nov., slide no. LGE16263;64, P. chelophora (Meyrick), slide no.LGE16087. (Scale bars = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 3, 4. Distribution of Chinese Palumbina spp. 3, the macrodelta-group: ●, P. macrodelta (Meyrick), ▲, P. atricha sp. nov., ♥, P. sigmoides sp. nov., unplaced spp.: ■, P. triangularis sp. nov., ♣, P. diplobathra (Meyrick); 4, the nesoclera- group:●, P.nesoclera (Meyrick), ♥, P.acinacea sp. nov., unplaced spp.: ■, P. acuticula sp. nov., ▲, P.spinevalva sp. nov., ♣, P. chelophora (Meyrick).

FIGURES 73-80. Adults of Palumbina spp. 73, P.atricha sp. nov., ♀, paratype; 74, P.sigmoides sp. nov., ♂, holotype; 75, P. sigmoides sp. nov., ♀, paratype;76, P.nesoclera(Meyrick), ♀; 77, P.acinacea sp. nov., ♂, holotype;78, P.pylartis (Meyrick), ♂; 79, P.sineloba sp. nov., ♂, holotype; 80, P.spinevalva sp. nov., ♂, holotype.(Scale bars = 2.0 mm).

FIGURES94-99.Male genitalia of Palumbinaspp.94, P.macrodelta(Meyrick), slideno.LGE16187,collected fromYunnan; 95, P. atricha sp. nov., slide no. LGE16298, holotype; 96, P. sigmoides sp. nov., slide no. LGE16045, holotype; 97, P. nesoclera (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16292; 98, P. acinacea sp. nov., slide no. LGE16321, paratype; 99, P. pylartis (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16315, AL, anellus lobe, MP, medial process, PJ, process of juxta.(Scale bars = 0.2 mm).

FIGURES 114-117. Female genitalia of Palumbina spp. 114, P. atricha sp. nov., slide no. LGE16341, paratype; 115, P. Sigmoides sp. nov., slide no. LGE16046, paratype, 115a, enlarged view of colliculum; 116, P. nesoclera (Meyrick), slide no. LGE16048;117, P.acinacea sp. nov., slide no. LGE16334, paratype.(Scale bars = 0.4 mm).