Synanthedon auritinctaoidis, Liang, Jia-Yuan & Hsu, Yu-Feng, 2019

Liang, Jia-Yuan & Hsu, Yu-Feng, 2019, Two new species of the tribe Synanthedonini (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae), with new hostplant associations from Taiwan, ZooKeys 861, pp. 81-90 : 82-84

Synanthedon auritinctaoidis sp. nov. Figs 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 , 9-11

Type material.

Holotype: ♂, HUALIEN: Ruisui, Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Area, 410 m, 18 Feb 2018, reared from Helicia formosana , emg. 8 Mar 2014, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NHMUK). Paratypes: 5♀, same locality and date as holotype, emg. 12−24 Mar 2014, J.Y. Liang Coll. (1♀ Gen. Prep. JYL-303) (NTNU); 1♀, same locality, 6 Feb 2016, reared from H. formosana , emg. 11 Mar 2016, HSUM 16B82M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (NTNU); 1♂, 4♀, NEW TAIPEI CITY: Shenkeng, Houshanyue, 470 m, 16 Nov 2014, reared from Prunus campanulata , emg. 27 Dec 2014−4 Jan 2015, HSUM 14L07M, J.Y. Liang Coll. (1♂ Gen. Prep. JYL-302) (2♀ Gen. Prep. JYL-271 and JYL-306) (NTNU).

Description.

Male ( Fig. 1 ): Antenna length 6.9−7.8 mm (n = 2); forewing length 8.4 −9.2 mm (n = 2); body length 10.7−12.1 mm (n = 2). Head: antenna black with blue-violet sheen; frons white; labial palpus black, yellow ventrally; vertex black with purplish sheen; pericephalic scales yellow with a few black scales dorsally. Thorax: patagia black with violet sheen; tegula black, bronzed-blue sheen with a yellow dorsal line; mesothorax black with blue sheen; metathorax yellow; thorax laterally yellow with a few black scales. Legs: fore coxa externally black, internally yellow; fore femur black, with violet sheen; fore tibia dark brown to black, with admixture of yellow scales distally; fore tarsus dorsally dark brown to black, ventrally entirely yellow; mid coxa and femur black, with violet sheen; mid tibia dark brown to black, base-ventrally with a large yellow spot, base of spurs yellow; spurs yellow with black distally; mid tarsus dorsally dark brown to black, with admixture of yellow scales distally, ventrally yellow; hind leg similar. Abdomen: black with blue sheen; tergites 2 and 6 with a narrow yellow stripe distally; tergite 4 with a broad yellow stripe; abdominal tuft black with bronzed-blue sheen, lateral margins with some yellow-orange scales. Forewing: basally black; costal margin dark brown to black; discal spot and veins within exterior transparent area dark brown to black; apical area dark brown with admixture of brown scales; discal spot broad; exterior transparent area large divided into four cells, level to M2 about 1.5 ×as broad as discal spot and 0.6 × as broad as apical area; posterior transparent area reaching discal spot; cilia dark brown. Hindwing: transparent; veins, discal spot and outer margin dark brown to black with bronzed sheen; discal spot small, cuneiform, reaching to vein M2; cilia dark brown, pale yellow anally.

Female ( Fig. 2 ): Antenna length 5.1−6.2mm (n = 9); forewing length 7.9−8.8 mm (n = 9); body length 8.5−10.8 mm (n = 9). Tergite 4 throughout yellow; anal tuft yellow laterally. Other characters identical to those of male.

Male genitalia (Gen. Prep. JYL-302, NTNU, Fig. 5 ): Tegumen-uncus complex broad; socii well-developed with scopula androconialis, long, about as short as tegumen-uncus complex; uncus with a small narrow wing ventrally; crista gnathi medialis broad, with distal margin divided in two narrow wings; crista gnathi lateralis consisting of a rather broad, subcordiform, distal part and a narrow, crescent-shaped, proximal part; valva elongated, trapeziform, slightly turned down ventro-caudally; crista sacculi well-developed, large, divided into two pocket-shaped parts; dorsal part larger and armed at distal margin with strong, short, slightly bifurcate distally setae; ventral part of crista sacculi narrow, without setae; saccus rounded basally; phallus thin, about 0.8 × as short as valva; vesica without cornuti.

Female genitalia (Gen. Prep. JYL-306, NTNU, Fig. 7 ): 8th tergite relatively large and broad with a few setae at distal margin; posterior apophysis long, about 2 × as long as anterior apophysis; ostium bursae opening near anterior margin of 8th sternite; antrum broad ring, well-sclerotized; ductus bursae narrow, long, membranous; corpus bursae membranous, ovoid, without signum.

Diagnosis.

Synanthedon auritinctaoidis sp. nov. is similar to S. auritincta (Wileman & South, 1918) in markings of body and wing, but may be distinguished by the following genitalia characters: saccus base rounded in S. auritinctaoidis , but emarginate in S. auritincta ; phallus without tooth in S. auritinctaoidis , but S. auritincta with a small, strong tooth ventro distally; ostium bursae opening near anterior margin of 8th sternite in S. auritinctaoidis , but middle of 8th sternite in S. auritincta ; antrum broad ring in S. auritinctaoidis , but funnel-shaped in S. auritincta .

Etymology.

This species is named auritinctaoidis , an adjective formed by adding the suffix -oides to auritincta , because of its superficial resemblance with S. auritincta (Wileman & South, 1918).

Biology.

The larva bores into burls of 5−20 cm in diameter on the trunk or branch of Helicia formosana Hemsl. ( Proteaceae ) ( Figs 9 , 11 ) or Prunus campanulata (Maxim.) Koidz. ( Rosaceae ) ( Fig. 10 ), and feeds on callus tissue around the hole, which is covered with silk, debris, and frass.

Distribution.

Known only from Taiwan.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Synanthedonini adults 1, 2 Synanthedon auritinctaoidis sp. nov. 1 ♂, holotype, Taiwan: Hualien (NHMUK). 2 ♀, paratype, Taiwan: Hualien (NTNU). 3, 4 Paranthrenella helvola sp. nov. 3 ♂, holotype, Taiwan: Nantou (NHMUK) 4 ♀, paratype, Taiwan: Nantou (NTNU). Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 5, 6. Male genitalia of Synanthedonini. 5 Synanthedon auritinctaoidis sp. nov. paratype (NTNU) 5 a distal part of phallus. 6 Paranthrenella helvola sp. nov. holotype (NHMUK) 6 a distal part of phallus. Scale bars: 1 mm; 0.1 mm (5 a, 6 a).

Figures 7, 8. Female genitalia of Synanthedonini. 7 Synanthedon auritinctaoidis Liang & Hsu, sp. nov. paratype (NTNU) 7 a antrum. 8 Paranthrenella helvola Liang & Hsu, sp. nov. paratype (NTNU) 8 a antrum. Scale bars: 1 mm; 0.1 mm (7 a, 8 a).

Figures 9 - 12. Biology. 9 Galls induced by infection of a Synanthedon auritinctaoidis. Caterpillar on burls of Helicia formosana (Hualien Prefecture, Ruisui Township, Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Area) 10 galls induced by infection of a S. auritinctaoidis caterpillar on burls of Prunus campanulata (New Taipei City, Shenkeng District, Houshanyue) 11 caterpillar of S. auritinctaoidis sp. nov. in burls of H. formosana (Hualien Prefecture, Ruisui Township, Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Area) 12 female adult of Paranthrenella helvola sp. nov. ovipositing on bark of Cinnamomum camphora (Taoyuan City, Fuxing District, Lian).