Macroscelesia perlucida Kallies & Arita

Kallies, Axel, Arita, Yutaka & Min, Wang, 2016, A new species and new records of Melittiini from China and Vietnam (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae), Zootaxa 4205 (2), pp. 162-170 : 166

Macroscelesia perlucida Kallies & Arita sp. nov.

( Figs 4, 7 , 10 )

Material examined. Holotype. ♂, Guangxi Prov., Jingxi county , 13./ 14.ix.2006, leg. Xiong Wei ( Figs 4, 7 , SCAU) . Paratypes. 1 ♂, same dates as holotype, gen. prep. AK744 ( Fig. 10 , CAK); 1 ♂, Vietnam, Bac Kan, Ba Be , 4.v.2006, leg. R. Matsumoto ( NSMT) .

Description. Head: antennae dark brown dorsally, yellow ventrally; labial palps yellow to white at the base, second segment with a mixture of long dark brown and white scales. Forewing: with discal spot relatively narrow, outer margin relatively straight, inner margin with a relatively short projection into the ATA; ETA relatively large, consisting of 6 transparent cells, cell between Cu1 and Cu2 transparent. Hindwing: with narrow outer margin. Legs: fore and mid legs creme ventrally; mid tibia with a mixture of white and ochre-yellow scales; hind legs with tibial tufts dorsally consisting of a mixture of dark brown and white and ochre yellow hair-like scales; hind tibia ventrally creme in basal half, dark in distal halt, laterally with ochre to yellow hair-like scales. Abdomen: dark brown dorsally, pale ochre to creme ventrally.

Male Genitalia ( Fig. 10 ). Typical for the genus. Valva long and narrow, with an apical tip, and few setae dorsally, ventral margin with a strong process; uncus bilobed; saccus long and narrow; phallus straight.

Diagnosis. M. perlucida belongs to the M. japona species group, of which several occur on the Asian mainland ( M. elaea ( Hampson, 1919) , M. formosana Arita & Gorbunov, 2002 , M. owadai Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 , M. sapaensis Kallies & Arita, 2004 , and M. vietnamica Arita & Gorbunov, 2000 ). It differs from all congeners that occur in the same region by the relatively large and round ETA that consists of 6 transparent cells and includes the cell between Cu1 and Cu2 (with 5 main transparent cells, cell between Cu1 and Cu2 opaque and sometimes a small transparent area between the bases of R4 and R 5 in the species compared), the relatively narrow discal spot with its straight outer margin (wider and with outer margin convex in the species compared), the ochre-yellow to reddish scales that are mixed into the hind tibial tuft (without ochre-yellow scales in the species compared) and the pale ochre to creme coloration of the ventral side of the abdomen and the basal half of the ventral side of the hind tibia (bright white in the species compared). M. perlucida differs from M. sapaensis and M. elaea by the wider apical area, with the area between R4 and R5 opaque (with a transparent cell between R4 and R 5 in M. sapaensis and M. elaea ), wider discal spot, the transparent cell Cu1-Cu2 (opaque in M. sapaensis and M. elaea ), the ochre and reddish scales in the hind tibia (lacking in M. sapaensis and M. elaea ). M. perlucida differs from M. owadai by the wider apical area, with the area between R4 and R5 opaque (with a transparent cell between R4 and R 5 in M. owadai ), the narrower discal spot, the transparent cell Cu1-Cu2 (opaque in M. owadai ), the ochre and reddish scales in the hind tibia (lacking in M. owadai ).

The male genitalia of M. perlucida differ from those of its congeners in details. The valva is longer and narrower than in the Japanese species of the M. japona group, including M. amamiana , M. okinawana and M. yaeyamana ; ventral process of the valva is narrower; uncus is bilobed; saccus is longer and narrower and not widening towards the tip (cf. Arita et al. 2016).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Melittiini from China. 1. Melittia proxima, ♀, Guangxi Prov. (SCAU). 2. Melittia fulvipes, ♂, Guangxi Prov. (SCAU). 3. Melittia inouei, ♂, Guangdong Prov. (CAK). 4. Macroscelesia perlucida sp. nov., holotype ♂, Guangxi Prov. (SCAU). 5. Macroscelesia vietnamica, ♂, Guangdong Prov. (CAK). 6. M. vietnamica, ♀, same locality (SCAU). 7. M. perlucida sp. nov., holotype ♂, ventral view (SCAU). 8. M. vietnamica, ♂, ventral view (SCAU).

FIGURES 9, 10. Male genitalia of Melittiini from China. 9. Melittia fulvipes (Gen. Prep. AK 740, SCAU). 10. Macroscelesia perlucida sp. nov., paratype (Gen. Prep. AK 744, SCAU).