Tineovertex gladiata, Huang, Guo-Hua, Hirowatari, Toshiya & Wang, Min, 2007

Huang, Guo-Hua, Hirowatari, Toshiya & Wang, Min, 2007, Taxonomic notes on the genus Tineovertex Moriuti (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Tineidae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 1637, pp. 37-46 : 40-42

Tineovertex gladiata sp. nov.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to T. melanochrysa , but can be distinguished by the following characters: the mesonotum and tegula are entirely black in T. gladiata , while the posterior region of the mesonotum and tegula are pale yellow in T. melanochrysa ; the aedeagus is cylindrical and entirely stout in T. gladiata , while it is basally stout and tapers apically in T. melanochrysa ; the signa are paired and sword-shaped in T. gladiata , while they are slender and indistinct in T. melanochrysa .

Description. Forewing length 5.6–6.1 mm in male, 6.5–6.9 mm in female; antenna length about 6.0 mm in male, about 7.0 mm in female ( Figs. 2A –B).

Male. Head. Vertex and frons densely covered with rough, erect, black scales. Antenna filiform, smooth, blackish brown, almost equal to length of forewing; scape smooth scaled. Compound eyes large. Maxillary palpus sparsely clothed with pale brown scales. Labial palpus with about 15 long, strong, black lateral and apical bristles on second segment.

Thorax. Dorsum including tegula smooth with dense black scales. Fore- and midleg extensively covered with dark brown scales; hindleg covered with pale brown scales; hind tibia bearing long pale brown hairs. Forewing elongate with apex rounded, about 3.6–4.0 × as long as wide including fringe (about 3.4–3.8 × as long as wide excluding fringe); ground color mostly creamy white, gold-yellow on apex and termen, costa with a broad irregular black streak from base to basal 4/5, dilated in middle where it reaches halfway across wing. A narrow, nearly straight black streak from dorsum beyond middle to apex, separating creamy-white and gold-yellow areas. Fringe short, black around apex, long, creamy white at termen; all veins present and free, R1 arising from 1/4 of discoidal cell; R4 and R5 approximated basally. Hindwing relatively elongate with pointed apex, 1.8–2.0 × as long as wide including fringe (3.1–3.3 × as long as wide excluding fringe); ground color brownish gray, semihyaline, with long pale brown fringe except basal 1/2 of costa; all veins present, free ( Fig.3).

Abdomen. Dorsum grayish brown, heavily irrorated with dark gray scales; venter with grayish; abdominal segment VIII with dense slender short gray scales covering genitalia. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 ) with uncus bilobed, with lobes widely separated, elongate triangular with dense, long bristles dorsally; apex narrow, pointed, gradually curved ventrally. Gnathos absent. Subscaphium poorly developed, membranous. Tegumen and vinculum fused into a very narrow ring. Juxta indistinct. Saccus elongate, slightly longer than valva, rodshaped, widened and flatted posteriorly. Valva simple, elongate-spatulate, entirely narrow with rounded apex, inner surface weakly sclerotized with dense long setae. Aedeagus nearly straight, cylindrical, entirely stout, about 1.2 x length of valva; apex slightly curved ventrally; vesica with cornuti consisting of mass of minute spines.

Female. Head and thorax: Essentially as described for male, except forewing with slightly greater length

Abdomen ( Fig. 5 ) with eighth tergum anteriorly flattened with a median keel, posteriorly narrowed and rounded with many short spines, eighth abdominal sternum semicircular in ventral aspect, with two triangular projections just ventrad of ostium; many short bristles around ostium. Ovipositor strongly sclerotized. Corethrogyne absent. Apophysis anterioris and apophysis posterioris long, thick. Papilla analis strongly sclerotized, flattened, pointed to form piercing apex with minute serrations laterally. Corpus bursae with a pair of large, sword-shaped signa.

Holotype male, China: Guangdong, Shaoguan, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Xiaohuangshan, 1300 m altitude, 11. VI. 2005, light trap, leg. G.H. Huang, L.S. Chen and M. Wang. Deposited in SCAU.

Paratypes. 2 males, same data as holotype. 1 male, 2 females, same data as holotype except Xiangsikeng, 1360 m, 12.VI.2005. 2 males, Nanling National Nature Reserve, 31.V.–6.VI.2006, light trap, leg. L.S. Chen. Paratypes deposited in OPU and The Natural History Museum, London, UK.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality, southern China.

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin gladiatus (= sword-like), referring to the sword-shaped signa of the female genitalia.

Remarks. The new species is considered to be most closely related to T. melanochrysa (Meyrick) , but distinguishable by the characters presented in the diagnosis.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Tineovertex gladiata sp. nov., holotype. A. Entire genitalia excluding aedeagus, lateral view. B. Dorsal view. C. Aedeagus, ventral view. D. Lateral view. E. Right valva, inner view.

FIGURE 5. Female genitalia of Tineovertex gladiata sp. nov., paratype. A. Papillae anales. B. 8 th to 10 th abdominal segments, dorsal view. C. Entire genitalia, lateral view. D. Ventral view.

FIGURE 2. A. Tineovertex gladiata sp. nov., holotype, male; B. Tineovertex gladiata sp. nov., paratype, female; C. Tineovertex antidroma (Meyrick, 1931), male.