Aquilargilla ceratophora, Cui & Xue & Jiang, 2018

Cui, Le, Xue, Dayong & Jiang, Nan, 2018, Aquilargilla gen. nov., a new genus of Sterrhinae from China with description of two new species (Lepidoptera, Geometridae), Zootaxa 4514 (3), pp. 431-437 : 433

Aquilargilla ceratophora sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2, 4–6 , 10 , 12 )

Description. Head. Antennae with dorsal side blackish grey, base diffused with white scales; sub-quadripectinate in male, pectinations about twice diameter of shaft covered with long cilia, V-shaped process arising from base of shaft with long cilia apically ( Fig. 12 ); filiform with very shortly cilia in female. Frons black on posterior part and becoming gradually pale anteriorly. Vertex pure white. Labial palpi black dorsally, yellowish grey ventrally, slightly extending beyond frons. Thorax. Patagia yellowish brown to grey. Tegulae covered with grey coloured scales. Hind tibia not dilated, without spurs in male and with two pairs of long spurs in female. Hind tarsus in male about three-quarters of hind tibia. Forewing with apex pointed and slightly falcate, outer margin straight; hind wing with apex rounded. Wings blackish grey or greyish brown with transverse lines narrow, wavy, black and indistinct. Forewing with costa deep-coloured. Discal spots short, bar-shaped, black and indistinct; postmedial lines forming a small acute protrusion on vein M 2; fringes greyish black on all wings.

Abdomen. Male 8 th tergite concave on posterior margin, with two sclerotized lateral spines ( Fig. 5 ). Male 8 th sternite strongly elongate, strongly concave on anterior margin, cerata stout, horn-like, connected to each other at base ( Fig. 6 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 ). Uncus and gnathos absent. Socii narrow and short, acute at apex. Tegumen flatted apically, with a pair of stout spine-like processes on inner margin. Valvula broad at basal part, narrow and digitiform at terminal part; sacculus with terminal half finger-like, sharply narrower than basal half and narrower than valvula, a short lateral process present at base of outer margin. Juxta quadrate and concave on posterior margin, with a pair of semicircular lateral lobes, covered with tiny spines on edge. Saccus developed and inflated and concave medially. Aedeagus strongly curved medially and sclerotized, anterior part broad, slightly pointed apically; cornutus a small spinulose patch.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 10 ). Papillae anales oval. Apophyses anteriores about two-thirds of apophyses posteriores in length. Lamella antevaginalis broad and wrinkled, weakly sclerotized; lamella postvaginalis not developed. Ostium strongly sclerotized. Colliculum developed. Ductus seminalis arising from posterior part of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae weakly sclerotized and narrow posteriorly, gradually broadened towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae larger and oval; signum a large drop-shaped patch of small scobinate sclerites, arranged symmetrically along longitudinal axis.

Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished from A. basifixa by the following characters: the cerata of the male 8 th sternite are stouter apically than in A. basifixa , and the distance between the cerata is shorter in A. basifixa ; in the male genitalia, the inner processes of the tegumen are single, short and stout, while A. basifixa has two pairs of inner processes of the tegumen, the posterior one is slender and the anterior is one small and rounded at tip; the aedeagus is more strongly curved than in A. basifixa ; in the female genitalia, the ostium is less sclerotized in A. basifixa .

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, CHINA: Fujian ( IZCAS): Wuyi Shan, Sangang , 700 m, 25–26.VII.2006, coll. Xie Juan (slide No. 3359) . Paratypes. Hubei ( IZCAS): 1 6, Xingshan, Longmenhe , 1300 m, 14.VI.1993, coll. Li Hongxing; 1 6, Shennongjia, Songluo, 920 m, 31.VIII.1981, coll. Han Yinheng; 2 6, Zigui, Jiulingtou, 100–150 m, 11–13.VI.1993, coll. Yao Jian; 1 6, Badong, Sanxia Linchang, 130 m, 26.VI.1993, coll. Yao Jian. Hunan ( IZCAS): 1 6 1♀, Hengyang, Nanyue Linchang, 4–9.X.1980, coll. Li Jutao (slide Nos 3362 & 3363). Fujian ( IZCAS): 2 6, Sangang, 20.VIII.1979, 3.VII.1982, coll. Song Shimei & Qi Shicheng; 1 6, Wuyi, 4.VII.1982, coll. Jiang Fan. Guangdong ( IZCAS): 3 6 1♀, Renhua, Danxia Shan, 130 m, 28–29.V.2013, coll. Cheng Rui. Fujian ( ZFMK): 2 6 2♀, Kuatun, 2300 m, 27. 40n. Br. 117. 40ö. L. 27.V.1938, 29.V.1938, 26.VI.1938, 22.VI.1946, J. Klapperich & H. Höne (Fukien) .

Distribution. China (Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong).

Etymology. The species is named on the basis of Greek word ceratophorus, 'horn bearing', which relates to the horn-like spurs on the posterior margin of the male 8 th sternite.

Figures

FIGURES 12. Male antennae of A. ceratophora. The red arrow shows the short branch on the ventral side of each segment of the male antennae.

FIGURES 1–9. Aquilargilla gen. nov. 1–3. Adult. 1. A. ceratophora, male, one areole, Fujian, China (holotype, IZCAS); 2. A. ceratophora, male, two areoles, Hunan, China (paratype, IZCAS); 3. A. basifixa, male, Sichuan, China, two areoles (holotype, IZCAS). Scale bar = 1 cm. 4–6. A. ceratophora, Fujian, China (holotype, IZCAS). 4. Male genitalia, P means the posterior pair of processes on inner margin of the tegumen; 5. Male 8 th tergite; 6. Male 8 th sternite; 7–9. A. basifixa, Gansu, China (paratype, IZCAS). 7. Male genitalia, P means the posterior pair of processes on inner margin of the tegumen, A means the anterior pair of processes on inner margin of the tegumen; 8. Male 8 th tergite; 9. Male 8 th sternite. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 10–11. Female genitalia of Aquilargilla gen. nov. 10. A. ceratophora, Hunan, China (paratype, IZCAS); 11. A. basifixa, Gansu, China (paratype, IZCAS). The red arrow shows the point of origin of the ductus seminalis. Scale bar = 1 mm.