Protuliocnemis candida, Han & Galsworthy & Xue, 2012

Han, Hongxiang, Galsworthy, Anthony C. & Xue, Dayong, 2012, The Comibaenini of China (Geometridae: Geometrinae), with a review of the tribe, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165 (4), pp. 723-772 : 767-768

PROTULIOCNEMIS CANDIDA SP. NOV.

( FIGS 53 , 106 , 154 , 173 , 209 )

Protuliocnemis falcipennis: Han & Xue, 2011: 308 , pl. 15. 3, figures 212, 536, 808. (nec Yazaki, 1991)

Description: Antenna bipectinate in both male and female, outer rami longer than inner rami, rami in male longer than in female. Frons green at middle, upper and lower margin white. Labial palpus white mixed with brown, the third segment not elongate. Vertex white. Prothorax green, mesothorax and metathorax white. Abdomen with the first segment white, the second and third segments green, dorsal line white. Hind tibia with terminal extension of similar length to the first tarsus, bearing two pairs of spurs in both sexes.

Forewing length: ♂ 11–13 mm; ♀ 15 mm. Wings green. Forewing with apex not falcate; antemedial and postmedial lines white, not approaching costa, antemedial line connected with discal spot and postmedial line by white line; postmedial line much broader, sinuous anterior to M 3, broadened as a white patch near inner margin and connected to tornal patch, bordered by white outside between medial veins; white submarginal line bent inwards from apex to M 2 then oblique outwards to below M 3, continuing sinuously to blackish-brown tornal patch. Hindwing with a large reddish-brown apical patch, shading to blackish-brown towards the margin, tapering downwards, terminating at M 3; white postmedial line almost parallel to outer margin; white submarginal line sinuous; tornal patch whitish. Both wings with blackish-brown discal spot, that of forewing distinctly ringed by a white circle (not as distinct as in Pro. falcipennis ) and a little bigger than that of hindwing. Terminal line a series of black dots between veins. Fringes white mixed with brown. Underside much paler, posterior half of forewing and hindwing white; streaks same as on upperside.

Eighth abdominal segment in male with both tergite and sternite concave at middle, with two blunt lateral processes.

Male genitalia. Uncus slightly concave at middle. Socii long, tapering. Gnathos with median process sclerotized, long, and pointed. Valva narrow and long, simple, with a tiny central subapical tooth, and a long, slender basal process. Vinculum short, shallowly concave at middle. Aedeagus broad, with a blunt tooth.

Female genitalia. Antrum developed, funnelshaped, with a rounded diverticulum. Ductus bursae short. Corpus bursae small, oval, with a small bifurcate signum.

Diagnosis: The wing pattern of Pro. candida is similar to that of Pro. castalaria , but the apical patch on the hindwing is much more reddish and the postmedial line on the forewing is not as straight as in Pro. castalaria . The male genitalia are totally different from those of Pro. castalaria . They are similar to those of Pro. falcipennis in that the valva is simple and narrow with a long basal protrusion, the socii are developed and the uncus small. However, Pro. candida differs from Pro. falcipennis in the concavity at the middle of the uncus , and the two tiny blunt lateral protrusions, not triangular as in Pro. falcipennis . In the female genitalia, Pro. candida has a distinctive large diverticulum, but it is absent in Pro. falcipennis . In the wing pattern, Pro. candida differs from Pro. falcipennis in the following details: the hindwing apical patch is more reddish; the forewing apex is less distinctly falcate than in Pro. falcipennis ; the white line joining the antemedial and postmedial lines is present in Pro. candida but absent in Pro. falcipennis ; and the postmedial lines of these two species are differently shaped. In addition, the forewing discal spot is not distinctly circled with a white ring as in Pro. falcipennis .

Holotype, ♂, China: Yunnan Yongsheng , 20.vii.1978, coll. Shen Farong ( IZCAS, ex. KIZCAS) . Paratypes ( IZCAS): China: 2♂, Sichuan: Xichang , 29.vii.1980, coll. Zhang Baolin ; 1♂, Sichuan: Dukou , 22.viii.1980, coll. Zhang Baolin ; 1♂, same locality and collector, 15.vi.1981 ; 1♂ 1♀, Sichuan: Xichang, Lushan , 23.vii.1981, coll. Zhao Li , IZCAS slide no. Geom-00211; 3♂ 1♀, Guangxi: Longsheng , 13.vi.1980, coll. Song Shimei , IZCAS slide no. Geom- 00210; 1♂, Yunnan: Binchuan, Gudi , 2100 m, 16.vi.1980 ; 1♂, Yunnan: Lawu , 1800 m, 3.vi.1980 .

Distribution: China (Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan).

Etymology: The specific name is from the Latin word candidus, which means bright and shining.

Figures

Figures 27–54. Comibaenini moths. 27, Comibaena nigromacularia; 28, Comibaena subdelicata; 29, Comibaena procumbaria; 30, Comibaena subprocumbaria; 31, Comibaena tenuisaria; 32, Comibaena cenocraspis; 33, Comibaena hypolampes; 34, Comibaena latilinea; 35, Comibaena swanni; 36, Comibaena birectilinea sp. nov., holotype; 37, Microbaena pulchra minor; 38, Thetidia albocostaria; 39, Thetidia correspondens; 40, Thetidia atyche; 41, Thetidia chlorophyllaria, 42, holotype of Thetidia pekingensis; 43–44, Thetidia kansuensis, 43, from Gansu, 44, from Tibet; 45, Thetidia smaragdaria; 46, Proteuchloris neriaria; 47, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 48, Linguisaccus minor sp. nov., paratype; 49, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda sp. nov., holotype; 50, Argyrocosma inductaria; 51, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 52, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 53, Protuliocnemis candida sp. nov., paratype; 54, Protuliocnemis dissimilis sp. nov., paratype. Scale bar = 13 mm.

Figures 103–107. Male genitalia. 103, Argyrocosma inductaria; 104, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 105, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 106, Protuliocnemis candida; 107, Protuliocnemis dissimilis. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 132–155. Aedeagus. 132, Comibaena subdelicata; 133, Comibaena procumbaria; 134, Comibaena subprocumbaria; 135, Comibaena tenuisaria; 136, Comibaena cenocraspis; 137, Comibaena hypolampes; 138, Comibaena latilinea; 139, Comibaena swanni; 140, Comibaena birectilinea; 141, Microbaena pulchra; 142, Thetidia albocostaria; 143, Thetidia atyche; 144, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 145, Thetidia kansuensis; 146, Thetidia smaragdaria; 147, Proteuchloris neriaria; 148, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 149, Linguisaccus minor; 150, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 151, Argyrocosma inductaria; 152, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 153, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 154, Protuliocnemis candida; 155, Protuliocnemis dissimilis. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 156–175. The male eighth segment. In Figures 156–174, the tergite is on the left and the sternite is on the right. 156, Comibaena fuscidorsata; 157, Comibaena apicipicta; 158, Comibaena ornataria; 159, Comibaena auromaculata; 160, Comibaena tancrei; 161, Comibaena nigromacularia; 162, Comibaena procumbaria; 163, Comibaena tenuisaria; 164, Comibaena cenocraspis; 165, Comibaena latilinea; 166, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 167, Thetidia kansuensis; 168–170, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 171, Linguisaccus minor; 172, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 173, Protuliocnemis candida; 174, Protuliocnemis dissimilis; 175, tympanal organ of Pro. dissimilis. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figures 200–210. Female genitalia. 200, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 201, Thetidia smaragdaria; 202, Proteuchloris neriaria; 203, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 204, Linguisaccus minor; 205, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 206, Argyrocosma inductaria; 207, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 208, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 209, Protuliocnemis candida; 210, Protuliocnemis dissimilis. Scale bars = 1 mm.