Laetosphecia brideliana Kallies & Arita

Kallies, Axel, Arita, Yutaka, Owada, Mamoru & Wang, Min, 2014, Laetosphecia, a new genus of clearwing moths from south-eastern China, with a brief review of the Sesiini from China (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae), Zootaxa 3895 (4), pp. 581-589 : 584

Laetosphecia brideliana Kallies & Arita spec. nov.

( Figs 3, 4 , 8, 9 )

Material. Holotype. ♂, China, Guangdong Prov., Guangzhou, 26.IV.2011 ( SCAU). Paratypes. 1♀, same data as holotype; 4♂, same locality as holotype, 8.V.2014 (1♂) and 10.V.2014 (3♂) ( CAK, NSMT). All specimens emerged from Bridelia tomentosa .

Description. Male ( Fig. 3 ). Wingspan 29 mm; forewing length 13 mm; body length 15.5 mm. Most body parts black, markings lemon-yellow. Head: proboscis well-developed; labial palps with middle and apical segments white ventrally; frons greyish black, white laterally; pericephalic scales mixed with some white. Thorax: with few yellow scales at patagia laterally and at the base of tegula. Legs: fore coxa partly yellow; hind coxa completely yellow; fore and mid femurs partly yellow. Forewing: largely opaque, black brown, with remnant transparent areas basally, in the cells between M2 and Cu2, and in the lower part of cell M1–M2; with narrow lines of scales dividing the cells between M2-M3 and M3-Cu1. Hindwing: transparent. Abdomen: tergites 1 and 2 yellow laterally; tergite 3 narrow yellow proximally; tergites 4–7 yellow proximally and at the distal edges; sternites 4–7 basally yellow; anal tuft black.

Female ( Fig. 4 ). Wingspan 32.5 mm; forewing length 14 mm; body length 16 mm. Similar to male, but forewing almost completely opaque, in the distal part in place of transparent areas covered by semitransparent scales; tergites 1+2 with yellow spot sublaterally; tergite 3 with yellow band laterally along the base; tergite 4 basally with broad yellow band and with narrow distal band; tergite 5–6 with narrow basal and distal bands; tergite 7 with some yellow scales at base; sternite 5–7 with lemon-yellow band at base; anal tuft dark.

Genitalia ( Figs 8, 9 ). As per genus description; apex of valva very pronounced and pointed; saccus relatively long.

Diagnosis. Not similar to any other known species in Sesiini .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Laetosphecia species, adults. 1, 2. L. variegata (Walker, 1865) comb. nov., 1. Male, 29.5 mm wingspan (CAK). 2. Female, 30 mm wingspan (NSMT). 3 – 4. L. brideliana spec. nov., 3. Male (holotype), 29.5 mm wingspan (SCAU). 4. Female (paratype), 32.5 mm wingspan (NSMT). 5 – 6. L. leucozona (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov., syntypes. 5. Male, 30 mm wingspan. 6. Female, 32 mm wingspan (BMNH).

FIGURES 7 – 9. Laetosphecia species, genitalia. 7. L. variegata (Walker, 1865) Male (Gen. Prep. AK 735) (CAK). 8, 9. L. brideliana spec. nov., 8. Male (holotype, Gen. Prep. AK 736) (SCAU). 9. Female (paratype, Gen. Prep. AK 769) (NSMT).