Microleon taiwanensis, Sohn & Shih & Wu, 2024

Sohn, Jae-Cheon, Shih, Li-Cheng & Wu, Shipher, 2024, Review of Microleon Butler, 1885 (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) from Taiwan with description of a new species based on morphology and DNA barcoding, Zootaxa 5403 (3), pp. 377-384 : 379-380

Microleon taiwanensis n. sp. ( Figs 4–6 , 9 )

Types. Holotype: male, “A55-20160614-115/ 2nd working station, Taimalee Res. Center/ 854m, Taitung County, Taiwan / L.C. Shih leg. ”, “ Genitalia slide/ SJC-1212/ ♂ J. C. Sohn ” [purple label], NMNS . Paratypes: 1♂, Hualien Co., Xiulin Township, Iron Wire Bridge Camp (24.167148N 121.325074E, alt. 1,950 m), 6 July 2023 (S Wu), NTM ; 1♂, Ilan Co., Tianwan (alt. 1050 m), 17. Apr. 2012 (S Wu), genitalia slide no. [ GSN] TFRI145453 , TFRI ; 1♂, Miaoli Co., Cholan Hydro Power Plant (alt. 621 m), 16 Aug. 2022 (LC Shih), [ GSN] RBC8930 , NMNS ; 1♂, Nantou Co., Benbu River (alt. 800 m), 26 Jun. 2011 (S Wu & WC Chang), [ GSN] TFRI157106 , TFRI ; 1♂, Nantou Co., Linxiao Temple , 12 Oct. 2016 (LC Shih), NMNS ; 1♂, Nantou Co., Ruei-Yan River Major Wildlife Habitat (alt. 2,184 m), 10 Sept. 2018 ( CH Wang et al.), NMNS ; 1♂, Nantou Co., Lienhuachih Landscape Platform (alt. 721 m), 25 Apr. 2020 ( XE Cai et al.), NMNS ; 1♂, Taichung, Wushinkeng (alt. 950 m), 2 Feb. 2012 (HH Lin), [ GSN] A32-20120222 - 043 , NMNS ; 1♂, Taipei Co., Wulai, Fushan (alt. 310 m), 15. Mar. 2013 (S Wu & WC Chang), [ GSN] TFRI176411 , TFRI .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to a congener, M. decolatus from Japan and Korea in the absence of the juxtal processes but differs from the latter in having the ventral process of sacculus shorter than the dorsal one.

Description. Habitus ( Figs 4–6 ) – Head: Vertex brownish white, intermixed with pale orange scales on occipital area; frons pale grayish brown. Labial palpus brownish white, intermixed with pale grayish brown and dark brown scales laterally; 2 nd segment 4× longer than 1 st; 3 rd segment 2/5 as long as 2 nd. Antenna 3/4 as long as forewing; scape pale orange, sparsely intermixed with dark brown scales dorsally; flagellomeres brownish gray. Thorax: Patagium pale orange, sparsely irrorated with purplish brown; tegula pale orange, irrorated with purplish brown basally; mesonotum pale orange, with purplish brown streak medially. Forewing length ca. 7.1 mm, purplish brown; costal area purplish brown on basal 3/4, pale orange, peppered with purplish brown on distal 1/4; basal area orange, irrorated with purplish brown; apical patch pale orange, intermixed with purplish brown scales; discal spot small, orange; dorsal patch at middle of dorsum subtriangular, brownish orange; cilia brownish gray, peppered with purplish brown. Hindwing dark brown, with orange spot, surrounded by black on tornal angle; cilia pale gray, with two lines of dark brown irroration. Foreleg with coxa purplish brown, peppered with pale orange; femur orange, intermixed with purplish brown scales; tibia purplish brown, peppered with pale orange laterally, pale orange mesally; tarsomere dark brown, with pale orange ring distally. Midleg with coxa pale orange, intermixed with purplish brown scales; femur purplish brown laterally, pale orange mesally; tibia purplish brown dorsally, pale orange ventrally; tarsomere dark purplish brown, with pale orange ring distally. Hindleg with coxa pale orange, intermixed with purplish brown scales; femur purplish brown dorsally, pale orange ventrally; tibia pale orange, with purplish brown band at distal 1/6; tarsomere dark purplish brown, with pale orange ring distally. Abdomen: Terga and sterna purplish brown, intermixed with pale orange scales. Male genitalia ( Fig. 9 ) – Uncus long tongue-shaped, upcurved at distal 1/3, with dense, long hairs laterally. Tegumen narrow, parallel-sided; gnathos broad, T-shaped, slightly emarginated and granulate on distal margin of medial plate, with lateral projections narrowly rounded on apex. Valva narrow, dilated in ear-shape and densely setose in distal half; costa slightly bulged at basal 2/5; sacculus broad, sparsely setose, extended to two processes distally, with left upper process 1/2 as long as right upper one, 1.5× longer than left lower process and right upper process 2× longer than right lower one. Vinculum small, U-shaped. Phallus of even width, slightly bent medially, with upcurved coecum; carina hastate; vesical with granulate area, without cornuti.

Distribution. Taiwan (endemic).

Etymology. This species is named after the country of the type locality.

Remarks. This species seems to be quite common in the Taiwanese fauna and possibly it has been confused with Microleon longipalpis in the country.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Adults of Microleon. 1–3. M. longipalpis Butler, 1885 (1. Holotype, NHMUK; 2. Type labels; 3. Male from Taiwan, TFRI_146905); 4–6. M. taiwanensis n. sp. (4. Holotype, NMNS; 5. Paratype, NMNS_20120222-043; 6. Live moth;). Scale bars = 5 mm.

FIGURES 7–9. Male genitalia of Microleon (a = phallus; b = right saccular processes; c = gnathos). 7. M. longipalpis Butler, 1885, SJC-1022; 8. M. longipalpis, TFRI146905; 9. M. taiwanensis n. sp., holotype (variations in paratypes: b1 & c1 – Taichung; b2 & c2 – Miaoli).