Ziridava orchidensis Schmidt & Tautel, 2022

Schmidt, Olga & Tautel, Claude, 2022, Notes on the Indo-Australian genus Ziridava Walker (Lepidoptera: Geometridae Larentiinae), with description of two new species, Zootaxa 5100 (1), pp. 105-118 : 115

Ziridava orchidensis Schmidt & Tautel , sp. nov.

( Figs 16, 17, 18, 19 , 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 , 31 , 33 )

Type material. Holotype female, Taiwan (south), Lanyu Island , Weather Station, 22.038˚ N, 121.558˚ E, 306 m, LF, 6.v.2017, Mei-Yu Chen & Ulf Buchsbaum (currently deposited in SNSB-ZSM, will be transferred to Taiwan) . Paratypes: three males, six females, same data as holotype ; two males, same data as holotype but 7.v.2017 ; nine females, same data as holotype but 7.v.2017, or 18.x.2017, or 24.v.2018 ( SNSB-ZSM, two females will be transferred to Taiwan) .

Diagnosis. Forewings above pale straw-coloured with pale pinkish scales, with median band oblique, relatively narrow, brownish-grey, with a shallow medial projection outwards; hind wings with median band less distinct. Apex of abdomen pale ocherous-brownish, with dark brownish scales on the seventh segment dorsally. In the male genitalia, juxta with apical margin with two indistinct, shallow, apically rounded projections, with medial area narrowly and finer scobinate than in Z. mauriakra . In the female genitalia, corpus bursae globular, with indistinct long longitudinal folds laterally and a medium sized, drop-shaped zone of scobination on ventral side and distinct, roundly angled, wavy scobinate fold dorsally.

Description. Labial palpi speckled with blackish and ochreous-brown scales. Abdomen pale ochreous with pale peach-coloured scales, with brown scales at thorax and dark brownish dots on abdominal segments dorsally, with apex pale ochreous-brown with peach-coloured scales dorsally, especially pronounced in males, with whitish scales in females. Wing expanse 27–31 mm (n = 10). Forewings above ochreous with pale peach-coloured and greyish scales, with blackish scales speckled with pale ochreous at base of costa and several short, narrow, blackish streaks at costal margin medially, with median band rather well-defined, greyish, speckled with dark grey and peach-coloured scales, without a blotching, not edged with lines, with an indistinct, brown-greyish subterminal patch, without a discal dot; underneath patterned as the upper side, in males darker than in females, in both sexes with basal half of costal margin blackish, with broad pale ochreous streaks at costal margin medially, less distinct in males, with median band darker greyish medially, with a comma-shaped discal dot. Hind wings of the same colour as forewings but with less greyish scales, with a narrow band speckled with blackish and pale ochreous scales and a few brownish wavy lines at base, with median line not well pronounced, greyish, with an indistinct, narrow, pale ochreous postmedian band, with brownish dots along veins, with termen rounded, underneath coloured and patterned as forewings, in males darker than in females, with median band rather broad, composed of a narrow pale ochreous band edged with a thin greyish line inwardly and a greyish band outwardly, with a projecting tooth, with pale pinkish scales at costa. Eighth segment of abdomen in males presented in Fig. 31 .

Male genitalia ( Figs 25, 26, 27, 28 ). Labides consist of rather thin, L-shaped anterior arms connected to juxta laterally and thin, curved posterior arms with mostly membranous papillae, very weakly sclerotised ventrally, at base slightly broader than in Z. mauriakra , with a row of short thickened setae apically. Juxta with apical margin with two indistinct, shallow, apically rounded projections, with medial area narrowly and finer scobinate than in Z. mauriakra . Aedeagus vesica bears two medium-sized elongate-oval patches of rather stout spines which look similar to the patches of Z. mauriakra only if vesica not everted and resembling long chains of cornuti in specimens with everted vesica.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 29 ). Antrum similar to Z. xylinaria , broader and shorter than in Z. mauriakra , narrowing towards ductus bursae, with a narrow weakly sclerotised ring medially, membranous at ductus. Ductus bursae slightly broader than in Z. mauriakra , with a ring of weak sclerotisation at corpus bursae. Corpus bursae somewhat globular, mostly membranous, with indistinct long longitudinal folds laterally, with a medium sized drop-shaped zone of scobination on ventral side and distinct, roundly angled, wavy scobinate fold dorsally.

Distribution. Taiwan: Lanyu Island (probably endemic as it is not known from other localities). A view from the type locality is shown in Fig. 33 .

Etymology. The name refers to the type locality of the species, Lanyu Island, also known as Orchid Island.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Taiwan, Lanyu Island, Weather Station: Type locality of Ziridava orchidensis (Photo: courtesy of Mey-Yu Chen).

FIGURES 16–19. Ziridava orchidensis, sp. nov., adults: 16. Holotype female, above; 17. Holotype female, underside; 18. Paratype male, above; 19. Paratype male, underside.

FIGURES 25–29. Ziridava orchidensis, sp. nov., genitalia: 25. Paratype male, armature; 26. Paratype male, aedeagus, vesica not everted; 27. Paratype male, aedeagus, vesica everted; 28. Paratype male, labides and juxta; 29. Paratype female.

FIGURES 30–31. Ziridava spp., males, eighth abdominal segment: 30. Ziridava mauriakra, sp. nov.; 31. Ziridava orchidensis, sp. nov.