Psoricoptera minutignatha, Zheng & Li, 2021

Zheng, Meiling & Li, Houhun, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the genus Psoricoptera Stainton, 1854 (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae: Gelechiinae) from China, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4975 (2), pp. 253-272 : 265-266

Psoricoptera minutignatha sp. nov.

( Figs 11 , 21–22 , 36–36b )

Type material. CHINA: Holotype ♂, Yunnan Province: Nanla River (21.59°N, 101.58°E), Bubang Town , Mengla County, 652 m, 12.vii.2013, coll. Shurong Liu, Yuqi Wang and Kaijian Teng, genitalia slide No. ZML 19287 . Paratypes: Hainan Province: 2 ♂♂, Yaxing Village (19.02°N, 109.40°E), Nankai Town , Baisha County, 321 m, 21.vi.2015, coll. Peixin Cong, Wei Guan and Sha Hu, genitalia slide Nos. ZML 19321, ZML 19322 ; 1 ♂, Jianfengling (18.75°N, 108.87°E), Ledong County, 810 m, 14.vi.2018, coll. Ping Liu, Xia Bai and Shuai Yu, genitalia slide No. ZML 19320 .

Description. Adult ( Figs 21–22 ) wingspan 8.0–13.0 mm. Head light yellow to light grey, laterally edged with dark yellow scales tipped with yellowish brown. Labial palpus alternately blackish brown and yellowish brown except inner surface of second segment yellowish white; tuft above third segment yellowish brown, scales tipped with white. Antenna blackish brown, serrate and ciliate in male. Thorax and tegula covered with dark yellow scales tipped with blackish brown except basal half of tegula blackish brown. Forewing ground colour blackish brown suffused with yellowish brown and reddish brown scales evenly; basal fascia occupying about 1/4 length of wing, black; cell with a yellowish brown tuft at posterior angel; fold with two indistinct yellowish brown tufts sometimes; fringe grey intermixed with black scales tipped with white. Hindwing shining light grey, darker toward distal half of costa, termen and dorsum; fringe light grey. Legs blackish brown on fore and mid legs and outer surface of hindleg except fore coxa yellowish white, yellowish white on inner surface of hindleg; fore and mid legs with tibiae with three rounds of brick-red tufts respectively, scales tipped with white, tarsi with first, second and fifth tarsomeres ringed with brick-red apically; hindleg with all tarsomeres ringed with yellowish white apically.

Male genitalia ( Figs 11 , 36–36b ). Uncus nearly rectangle, posterior margin with three denticles of equidistance, sparsely setose; affiliated plates about 3/4 length of uncus, sub-triangular but with two sharp horn-shaped posterolateral processes respectively. Gnathos with middle process extremely short, drop-shaped, apex pointed. Valva narrowly band-like, with a sub-triangular process at basal 1/4 on inner margin, distal 1/4 dilated to rounded and setose apex. Sacculus about 1/8 length of valva, nearly quadrate. Juxta triangular. Saccus about half length of valva, long triangle, apex pointed or blunt. Phallus almost straight, basally with a short handle, basal half dilated to elliptical, distal half without microthorns, but with an irregular-shaped sclerite subapically.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized by the following unique characters in the male genitalia: the uncus with three denticles on posterior margin, affiliated plates about 3/4 length of uncus, the gnathos with middle process shortly drop-shaped and the sacculus quadrate.

Variation. Specimens from different places vary slightly in morphology. The holotype, which from Yunnan Province is larger than paratypes from Hainan Province in imaginal size ( Figs 21–22 ). In addition, variations also occur in the male genitalia: the holotype with the uncus with affiliated plates more sharper on posterior margin, and the saccus with apex blunt ( Fig. 36 ); on the contrary, the paratypes with the uncus with affiliated plates blunt on posterior margin, while the saccus with apex pointed ( Figs 36a–36b ).

Distribution. China (Hainan, Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific epithet of this species is derived from the Latin minutus, meaning small, and the Latin - gnathus, meaning gnathos, referring to the small gnathos in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 6–13. Male genitalia structure and abdominal segment VIII of Psoricoptera spp. 6, male genitalia of P. latignathosa, slide no. ZML19331; 7, P. latignathosa, enlarged view of microthorns on phallus, slide no. ZML19333; 8, P. speciosella, enlarged view of microthorns on vinculum, slide no. ZML19342; 9–12, affiliated plates: 9, P. curva sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19302; 10, P. proximikawabei sp. nov., paratype, slide no. ZML19299; 11, P. minutignatha sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19287; 12, P. speciosella, slide no. ZML19339; 13, abdominal segment VIII of P. speciosella, slide no. ZML19295. Scale bars: 6, 9, 12, 13 = 0.5 mm; 7, 8, 10, 11 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 17–22. Adult of Psoricoptera spp. 17, P. curva sp. nov., holotype, ♂; 18, P. latignathosa, ♀; 19–20, P. gibbosella, ♂; 21–22, P. minutignatha sp. nov.: 21, paratype, ♂, 22, holotype, ♂. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 36–38. Male genitalia of Psoricoptera spp. 36, P. minutignatha sp. nov., holotype, slide no. ZML19287, 36a–36b, showing variations in affiliated plate (36a) and saccus (36b), paratype, slide no. ZML19320; 37–38, P. proximikawabei sp. nov., paratypes, slide nos. ZML19299, SYW05489. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.