Thisizima fasciaria, Yang, Linlin, Li, Houhun & Kendrick, Roger C., 2012

Yang, Linlin, Li, Houhun & Kendrick, Roger C., 2012, Taxonomic study of the genus Thisizima Walker, 1864 in China, with descriptions of two new species (Lepidoptera, Tineidae), ZooKeys 254, pp. 109-120 : 112-113

Thisizima fasciaria sp. n. Figs 1, 210−13

Type material.

CHINA, Holotype ♂, Fujian Province: Mt. Tianzhu (24°35'N, 117°55'E), Xiamen City, 220 m, 14.ix.2010, leg. Yinghui Sun & Jing Zhang (NKU).

Paratypes: 2 ♂, 15,19.viii.2010, leg. Bingbing Hu & Jing Zhang, same locality as holotype, genitalia slide No. YLL11172 (NKU). Hong Kong: 1 ♀, Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre (22°25'N, 114°06'E), 210 m, 20.iv.2007, leg. Houhun Li et al. (NKU), genitalia slide No. YLL11165; 1 ♂, Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, 210 m, 20.ix.2009, leg. Houhun Li et al. (NKU); 1 ♂, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (22°25'N, 114°07'E), 315−575 m, 26.ix.2009, leg. Houhun Li et al. (NKU); 1 ♀, Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, Shek Kong, N.T., UTM: 50Q KV 030833, 28.iv.1997, 125W MBF, leg. R.C. Kendrick, genitalia slide No. YLL11171 (KFBG); 1 ♂, Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, Shek Kong, N.T., UTM: 50Q KK 029832, alt. 200 m, 6.v.1998, 125 W MBF, leg. R.C. Kendrick (KFBG); 1 ♂, Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, Shek Kong, N.T., UTM: 50Q KK 029832, alt. 200 m, 2.iv.1999, 125 W MBF, leg. R.C. Kendrick (KFBG).

Description.

Imago (Figs 1, 2): Wingspan 13.0−15.0 mm in male, 17 mm in female. Vertex cupreous brown on posterior half, snow white on anterior half; frons snow white, with fine black scales on outer side before eyes. Antenna about 1.2 × length of forewing in male, and 0.75 × length in female including fringe; scape yellowish white above, brown mixed with black scales below, pecten with 10−15 black bristles; flagellum yellow, compressed broadly and flatly. Labial palpus snow white, first segment dark cupreous brown on outer surface, second segment cupreous brown on outer surface of basal half, with sparse black lateral bristles. Thorax and tegula black. Forewing index about 0.32; ground color bright white; a black triangular patch from costal margin to dorsum on basal 1/6; an oblique, black fascia from basal 1/3 to just before middle of dorsum, slightly narrowed medially, sinuate along both margins; a rectangular black patch from outer margin of cell to distal 1/6 of forewing, confluent with two black subtriangular patches from costa and termen before apex respectively, forming a broad Y-shaped pattern; two black costal spots between oblique fascia and Y-shaped pattern; termen and dorsum scattered with faint dark brown dots, dim in some specimens; fringe yellowish brown. Hindwing index 0.35; light grayish brown; fringe gray; frenulum with one stout bristle in male, one much slender and shorter bristle in female. Fore leg black; mid leg black, with snow white fine scales at apex of tibia, tarsus yellowish brown on ventral surface, with white at apex of each segment on dorsal surface, spurs dark brown; hind leg and spurs yellowish brown, apex of tibia and each segment of tarsus with white scales dorsally.

Male genitalia (Fig. 10). Vinculum convex anteriorly in arch, slightly convex at middle on posterior margin. Uncus sclerotized, trapezoidal, semicircularly concave at middle on posterior margin; uncus lobes short, setose. Valva rounded in basal half, horn-shaped and curved outwardly in distal half, setose on outer surface. Juxta small, subovate. Aedeagus slightly curved ventrad, with a pair of blade-shaped lateral sclerites connected by membrane dorsally and opened ventrally, apex sharp obliquely; cornutus absent.

Female genitalia (Fig. 11). Seventh tergite short, membranous except heavily sclerotized anteriorly; sternite slightly sclerotized, 0.2 × as long as broad, tapered posteriorly, produced to a slender, elongate plate at middle. Eighth tergite rectangular, with dense, minute spinules, with short spines along posterior margin; sternite rectangular, with dome-like membranous section medially, scattered with short spinules, sclerotized section with dense short spinules. Ostium at anterior 1/3 of seventh sternite, rounded. Antrum (Fig. 11a) heavily sclerotized, funnel-shaped, with a more sclerotized pouch anteriorly on ventral surface. Ductus bursae about 1.4 × length of corpus bursae, posterior 1/6 slender, anterior 5/6 broadened; inception of ductus seminalis at posterior 1/6 of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae elongate oval, with a broad ring-shaped, punctate signum at posterior 1/3 (Fig. 11b).

Diagnosis.

The bold, bicolored forewing pattern of the new species is diagnostic: ground color bright white with a triangular black patch at base, an oblique, black fascia near middle and a somewhat Y-shaped black patch near apex. There are four other species with bicolored forewing pattern: Thisizima antiphanes has a white basal band and an apical dot, Thisizima sedilis has a large rounded-triangular costal blotch, Thisizima ceratella has a broad irregular costal stripe broadly confluent with basal patch on anterior margin, and Thisizima subceratella sp. n.has a broad black costal blotch narrowly confluent with basal patch on anterior margin.

Biology.

The living habitat is shown in figures 12 and 13.

Distribution.

China (Fujian, Hong Kong).

Etymology.

This specific name is derived from the Latin fasciarius, meaning fascia, referring to the oblique, black fascia near middle of forewin g.