Microleon dianensis Liang, Wang & Solovyev, 2022

Liang, Jiamin, Solovyev, Alexey V. & Wang, Houshuai, 2022, Two new species of the genus Microleon (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) from China, Zootaxa 5175 (1), pp. 137-145 : 140

Microleon dianensis Liang, Wang & Solovyev sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 , 7 , 12 )

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to its congeners: M. longipalpis ( Fig. 6 ), M. decolatus ( Sasaki 2016: Figs 7–11 ), M. yoshimotoi ( Sasaki 2016: Figs 12 –16) and the next new species M. simingensis sp. nov. in external characters, but can be easily separated from the species presented above by the characters of male genitalia: in new species gnathos absent; left and right saccular processes are symmetrical, and the juxta carries a pair of long spiculate processes.

Description. Adult ( Figs 1–3 , 12 ). Male. Forewing length 9–11 mm. Antennae filiform, brown-yellow with cream-brown scales. Vertex covered densely with beige hairs. Labial palpus pale yellow, longer and slender, about 2–3 times as long as diameter of eyes, upward curved. Thorax with orange-brown scales. Forewing ground color brown-gray with V-shaped yellowish-orange basal area; an orange patch present near the apex; fringe scales brownish-gray. Wing venation: forewing with R 2, R 3 and R 4 stalked, R 5 arising from apical angle of discal cell, M 1 originates from the middle of outer margin of discal cell, M 2 almost parallel to M 3. Hindwing grayish brown, with a blackish area and reddish-orange stripes at anal angle; Rs and M 1 stalked basally, M 2 and M 3 almost parallel. Hind tibiae with four slender spurs, two in middle and two at the end of tibia. Abdomen brown-yellow dorsally, with beige bristles.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ). Uncus long tongue-shaped, with long hairs, gnathos absent. Valvae simple, covered with long hairs. Saccular processes symmetrical, each divided in two short branches. Juxta strongly sclerotized, with a pair of long spiculate processes. Aedeagus simple, straight, tube-shaped.

Female unknown.

Type materials. Holotype (in SCAU): ♂, Weixi County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , Yunnan Province, China, N27°10′38.60″ E99°17′13.38″, 20-VII-2018, leg. Shifang Mo & Zhipeng Miao. Paratypes (in SCAU): 2♂, same data as holotype .

Distribution. China (Yunnan Province).

Etymology. The species name is given after its type locality. Dian is the abbreviation of Yunnan Province.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Venation of Microleon dianensis sp. nov. male, paratype.

FIGURES 1–6. Adults. 1–3. Microleon dianensis sp. nov. 1, male, holotype; 2–3, males, paratypes. 4–5. M. simingensis sp. nov. 4, male, holotype; 5, female, paratype. 6, M. longipalpis, female. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURES 7–11. Genitalia of Microleon spp. 7, Microleon dianensis sp. nov., male, holotype; 8, M. longipaplis, male; 9, M. simingensis sp. nov., male, holotype; 10, ditto, male, paratype; 11, ditto, female, paratype.