Theorica valuliae Pinkaew, 2019

Pinkaew, Nantasak & Muadsub, Sopita, 2019, Theorica valuliae Pinkaew, new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), the first record of the genus in Thailand, Zootaxa 4590 (4), pp. 487-494 : 488-492

Theorica valuliae Pinkaew , n. sp.

( Figs. 1 ¯13)

Diagnosis. The male of this species is most similar to that of Theorica secunda Kuznetsov in having a modified hindwing with a tube-like anal lobe separated from the anal margin at the base of the wing. The two species differ in the ground color of the forewing: grayish brown in T. secunda and pinkish red in T. valuliae . The male genitalia of T. valuliae are most similar to those of T. lamyra (Meyrick, 1911) , but the socii are covered with twisted setae in T. valuliae and straight setae in T. lamyra . The female genitalia of the new species is distinct from other species by having a very short ductus bursae with the corpus bursae reaching only slightly beyond the anterior margin of sternum VII. Moreover, the moth in resting posture has a distinct heart-shape and a dark brown V-shaped mark crossing both wings ( Fig. 2 ).

Description. Head ( Fig. 5 ): Lower frons white to yellowish white; upper frons light brown mixed with brown; vertex brown; labial palpus sinuate and porrect, with short basal segment, white mixed with yellowish white, second segment narrow at base and widened apically, light brown with dark brown spot basally, transverse brown stripe medially extending from dorsal margin to ventroapical brown patch, with grayish brown patch dorsoapically, third segment short, light brown. Antenna brown.

Thorax: Smooth scaled, brown mixed with dark brown, with blackish raised scale tufts posteriorly; hind tibia in male with hair pencil originating from base, yellowish brown. Forewing broadly triangular, length 6.0¯ 6.1 mm in male (n = 6) ( Fig. 3 ), 5.2¯ 5.3 mm in female (n = 3) ( Fig. 4 ); costa slightly sinuate, with strong curve before apex; strigulae well developed, pinkish red broken by blackish spots; termen round with brown, mixed with dark brown fringe scales; ground color pinkish red, brighter in female, basal patch large, gray, with large subtriangular, blackish patch, extending from dorsum to discal cell, with blackish longitudinal stripe below and parallel to costa; median fascia broken into blackish, irregular stripes and spots separated by gray scales, extending from costa to tornus; apically with narrow, irregular line extending obliquely from costa to R 4 then divided, one branch extending obliquely to termen between M 1 and M 2, the other extending downward to tornus; underside light gray with yellowish white marks along costa and termen, with light brown fringe scales. Hindwing in male rather small compared with forewing, subtriangular, brown, slightly paler basally, fringe scales grayish white with brown color at base, slightly paler from apex to rounded lobe in anal area, anal lobe separated from tube-like roll of anal margin by deep excavation ( Figs. 7 ¯8); underside light gray with white fringe scales; female hindwing broader than male, termen strongly sinuate, without anal lobe and tube-like roll at base.

Abdomen: Male genitalia ( Fig. 9 ) with tegumen moderately sclerotized, dorsal one-third slightly narrowed, shoulders rounded, with moderately dense scale sockets laterally, apodeme of muscle m4 forming moderately wide lobe; uncus subtriangular, membranous, apical one-third constricted laterally, rounded apically, with moderately dense scale sockets; socius large, membranous, fused to tegumen, with patch of dense twisted setae ( Fig. 10 ); gnathos a wide transverse band arising from mid-length of tegumen, weakly sclerotized basally, moderately sclerotized medially, dorsomedially with sclerotized process projecting upward; vinculum moderately sclerotized; juxta subtriangular, caulis rather short, anellus wide, cup-shaped at base of phallus; valva long and sinuate; sacculus with group of setal sockets basally, beyond basal opening with large, reticulated oval patch, with a dense setal cluster forming thorn-like projection from setose area on ventral margin adjacent to excavation of sacculus ( Fig. 11 ), ventral margin with long, narrow spiniform setae truncate apically; cucullus club-shaped, rounded apically, densely setose, with dense spines basoventrally; phallus long, narrow, parallel-sided, apical one-half slightly curved, apex strongly curved, without cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 12 ) with papillae anales densely setose; tergum VIII forming a narrow, sclerotized band; sternum VII weakly sclerotized, posterior margin deeply concave, with dense scale sockets along posterior margin; ostium distant from hind margin of sternum VII and close to lateral extensions of tergum VIII; sterigma weakly sclerotized medially, moderately sclerotized laterally, forming medial lobes with dense scale sockets, separated from rugose, lateral lobes by narrow, deep excavation ( Fig. 13 ); ductus bursae as long as corpus bursae; colliculum with two lateral sclerites; origin of ductus seminalis indistinct; corpus bursae weakly sclerotized, without signum.

Holotype. ♂, Thailand, Sa Kaeo Province, Pang Sida N. P. (Pangsida Waterfall), 13°05ˊ36˝N 102°12ˊ21˝E, ca. 165 m, 27 Apr 2017, N. Pinkaew, np10072 (genitalia slide NP3311). Deposited in KKIC.

Paratypes. Thailand: Prachinburi Province, Khao Yai N. P., 14°11ˊ02˝N 101°36ˊ19˝E, ca. 94 m, 15 Feb 2010, N. Pinkaew, np3437 (♂, genitalia slide NP1377) . Nakhon Nayok Province, Khao Yai N. P., 14°23ˊ56˝N 101°22ˊ16˝E, ca. 780 m, 9–12 Sep 2010, N. Pinkaew, np6747 (♀, genitalia slide NP3702) . Chanthaburi Province, Ang-et Com. For., 12°36ˊ04˝N 102°19ˊ50˝E, ca. 33 m, 22–23 Dec 2011, N. Pinkaew, np8737 (♂), np8738 (♂). Khao Khitchakut N. P., 12°51ˊ04˝N 102°12ˊ10˝E, ca. 98 m, 9–10 Apr 2013, N. Pinkaew, np5786 (♀, genitalia slide NP1958) . Trat Province, Trat Agroforestry Res. St. , 12°23ˊ43˝N 102°40ˊ32˝E, ca. 30 m, 17–18 Feb 2012, N. Pinkaew, np5235 (♂) . Sa Kaeo Province, Pang Sida N. P., 14°07ˊ37˝N 102°15ˊ30˝E, ca. 610 m, 20 Jun 2017, N. Pinkaew, np10431 (♀, genitalia slide NP3312, lost bursa) . Narathiwat Province, Hala-Bala W.S., 05°47ˊ49˝N 101°50ˊ03˝E, ca. 60 m, 23–29 Jan 2012, N. Pinkaew, np6621 (♂, genitalia slide NP2869). All specimens deposited in KKIC .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym dedicated to the late Associate Professor Valuli Rojanavongse, who served as the Master's degree advisor for the first author.

Distribution. Thailand. Specimens were collected in both natural forest (evergreen and dry evergreen forest) and reforest areas.

Remarks. Diakonoff (1966, 1973) included Theorica in his subtribe Lobesiae and mentioned that it was closely related to Podognatha Diakonoff, 1966 on the basis of the shape of the valva and the spines on the ventral margin of the valva in the male genitalia, both of which are somewhat similar to those of Lobesia Guenée, 1845 . Horak (2006) also mentioned that Theorica is related to Podognatha based on the shared peculiar modification of the male hindwing with a lobe between CuP and 1A+2A and the deep excavation and complex narrow anal lobe beyond 3A. However, Horak (2006) included Podognatha in the Zomaria -group because several derived characters of Theorica and Podognatha are shared with members of that group. Hence, the position of Theorica within Olethreutini is not entirely resolved.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Theorica valuliae, head (male holotype).

FIGURES 1–2. Living specimens of Theorica valuliae, adult on substrate. 1. Lateral view 2. Dorsal view.

FIGURES 3–4. Theorica valuliae, adult (scale bars = 2 mm). 3. Male (Holotype) 4. Female (Paratype).

FIGURES 7-8. Theorica valuliae, male hind wing. 7. Hind wing with scales (male holotype) 8. Hind wing without scales (paratype).

FIGURES 9-11. Morphological features of male genitalia of Theorica valuliae (holotype). 9. Genital capsule 10. Uncus and socii 11. Ventral process on ventral margin of valva.

FIGURES 12-13. Morphological features of female genitalia of Theorica valuliae (NP3702). 12. Genital capsule. 13. Sterigma and ostium bursae.