Pseudohampsonella medogensis, Wu & Zhao & Han, 2022

Wu, Jun, Zhao, Ting-Ting & Han, Hui-Lin, 2022, A new species of the genus Pseudohampsonella Solovyev & Saldaitis (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) from Xizang Autonomous Region, China, Zootaxa 5138 (1), pp. 67-74 : 69-71

Pseudohampsonella medogensis sp. nov.

Figures 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11

Type-material. Holotype: male, China, Xizang Autonomous Region (= Tibet), Linzhi (= Nyingchi ) City , Motuo (= Medog ) County , Gedang Countryside , 25–30.V.2021, legs J. Wu & JJ. Fan, genit. prep. WuJ-562-1 with GenBank Accession No. OM 307230 , in NEFU.

Paratypes: 2 males, 1 female, same data as for holotype, genit. prep. WuJ-532-1 with GenBank Accession No. OM 307228 (male) , WuJ-533-2 with GenBank Accession No. OM 307229 (female) , all in NEFU.

Diagnosis. Externally, the new species (Figs 1, 2) is similar to P. bayizhena (Fig. 3) and P. hoenei (Fig. 4), but it can be separated by the following morphological characters (character states for related species are parenthesized): in P. medogensis sp. nov., the forewing, thorax, and abdomen are densely diffused with silvery scales (in P. bayizhena and P. hoenei are without silvery scales on the body); the forewing without distinct rounded whitish spots along the postmedial line (in P. bayizhena and P. hoenei , the postmedial line consists of rounded whitish spots).

The male genitalia of the new species (Figs 5, 6) are diagnostic. The new species differs from P. bayizhena (Fig. 7), P. hoenei (Fig. 8), and other congeners by the apex of uncus being blunt and the phallus strongly curved mesally; whereas in all congeners, the uncus is acute apically and the phallus is almost straight or only weakly curved.

In the female genitalia, P. medogensis sp. nov. (Fig. 9) is easily distinguished from the congeners with known female genitalia ( P. erlanga , P. argenta , and P. lii ) by the corpus bursae with a single star-shaped signum; whereas in P. erlanga and P. argenta , the corpus bursae has a small area of stellate signa and in P. lii the signum is absent.

Description. Adult (Figs 1, 2). Forewing length 11–12 mm, wingspan 25–26 mm in male; 14 mm and 28 mm in female.

Head and labial palpus pale brown; antenna brown, weakly serrate and somewhat flattened in male, filiform in female; proboscis absent.

Thorax silvery white mixed with brown scales. Forewing ground color brown to dark brown, suffused with silver; antemedial line zigzag-like, weakly defined dark brown embedded with silver; forewing without distinct rounded whitish spots along postmedial line; discal spot conspicuous, rounded, silver encircled with dark brown to black scales; postmedial line sinuous, dark brown, from approximately 3/4 of costal margin from wing base to tornus; posterior area of M 2 and terminal area greyish white but with diffuse dark brown scales near tornus; terminal line dark brown, mixed with silver scales; fringe along outer margin brown at base with an outer dark brown layer. Hindwing ground color brown; terminal line distinct, dark brown; fringe brown. Scales on legs pale brown; tibial spurs 0-2-4.

Abdomen brown, mixed with dark brown and silver scales dorsally; ventral side silvery white, black, and dark brown from anterior to terminal area, respectively.

Female similar in pattern except somewhat duller in coloration.

Male genitalia (Figs 5, 6). Uncus longer than valva, strongly sclerotized, deeply divided into a pair of pincerlike lobes; each lobe very slender, slightly waved, broad basally and blunt apically. Gnathos reduced, represented by a waved, strongly sclerotized process connecting two basal parts of uncus lobes. Valva nearly semicircular in shape proximally, bearing a strongly sclerotized process down-curved, apex pointed; distal portion of sacculus densely covered with long setae. Juxta faintly sclerotized, shield-shaped, with a deep medial incision. Phallus tube-shaped, tapering to apex, strongly curved medially.

Female genitalia (Fig. 9). Papillae anales flattened, ear-shaped, covered with dense setae, particularly dense in apical area; margins have a deep cleft subapically. Anterior apophysis robust, blunt apically; posterior apophysis long and slender, approximately twice longer than anterior apophysis. Vaginal plate strongly sclerotized, spinulate. Antrum swollen, strongly sclerotized, densely covered with spinules. Ductus bursae membranous, with two medial, arc-curved, slender, strongly sclerotized, longitudinal ribbons. Corpus bursae pear-shaped, with a single star-shaped signum.

Bionomics. The type series was collected in late May at altitudes of 2,120 m, closing to the subtropical mixed forest, with massive shrubs, ferns and patches of grassland growing in the ground cover layer of the forest (Fig. 10).

Distribution. Pseudohampsonella medogensis sp. nov. is currently known only from Motuo (= Medog) County of the Xizang Autonomous Region (= Tibet), China (Fig. 11).

Etymology. The new species is named after the Tibetan name of its type locality “Medog” County of Xizang Autonomous Region (= Tibet), China.