Lecithocera nullisigna, Yu & Wang, 2024

Yu, Shuai & Wang, Shuxia, 2024, The genus Lecithocera (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) from China, with descriptions of twenty-one new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 924, pp. 1-74 : 25-26

Lecithocera nullisigna sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2E4037C4-C14F-4F8C-8820-50497946FE01

Figs 4A , 8B , 13A , 17B , 20C

Diagnosis

The new species is similar to L. leytensis Park & Mey, 2016 and L. insulana Park & Mey, 2016 in the male genitalia. It can be distinguished by the forewing with a dark brown tornal streak and the veins M 2 and M 3 stalked; in L. leytensis and L. insulana , the forewing has no tornal streak and the veins M 2 and M 3 are separated ( Park & Mey 2016: 349, figs 1‒2).

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin “ null -” and “ signum ”, referring to the corpus bursae without signum in the female genitalia.

Type material

Holotype

CHINA – Yunnan Province • ♂; Gongshan County, Pukawang Village ; 27º50′ N, 98º19′ E; 1335 m a.s.l.; 11 Jun. 2017; K.J. Teng et al. leg.; slide no. YS19467 ; NKU.

Paratypes (10 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀)

CHINA – Yunnan Province • 10 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype except 5–12 June 2017; slide nos YS18176 ♂, YS18177 ♀, YS19468 ♀; NKU .

Description

ADULT ( Figs 4A , 8B ). Wingspan 15.0–16.0 mm. Head pale orange, tinged with yellowish brown.Antenna pale orange; flagellum ringed with dark brown. Labial palpus with second palpomere pale orange, mixed with dark brown scales on outer surface, roughly scaled ventrally; third palpomere pale orange dorsally, dark brown ventrally, shorter than second palpomere. Thorax and tegula pale orange, tinged with dark brown. Forewing with costal margin slightly arched, apex blunt, termen oblique; ground colour pale brownish yellow, with scattered dark brown scales, becoming denser distally; basal streak dark brown, distinct at base; markings blackish brown: discal stigma rounded; discocellular stigma larger, rounded; tornal streak obliquely diffused to discocellular stigma anteriorly; fringe pale yellowish brown, basal line pale orange; R 3 close to R 4+5 at base, R 4 and R 5 stalked for about half the length of R 5, M 2 and M 3 stalked for about ⅓ the length of M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 arising from same point. Hindwing pale grey; fringe pale yellowish brown, basal line orange white; M 3 and CuA 1 stalked for about half length.

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 13A ). Uncus nearly heart-shaped, semicircularly concave on posterior margin; caudal lobe thumbed, rounded and setose apically. Gnathos with basal plate trapezoidal, arched outward on posterior margin; median process wide at base, narrowed to basal 3/5, distal 2/5 slender to pointed apex, curved ventrad. Valva broad basally, narrowed to cucullus; cucullus about half length of valva, slightly widened to before oblique blunt apex, shallowly concave on costal margin, setose on ventral half, with a row of bullet-shaped setae along distal half of ventral margin; costal bar narrow, arched basally; sacculus broad in basal ⅔, narrowed from distal ⅓ to cucullus. Vinculum broad; saccus not developed, with rounded anterior margin. Juxta widened anteriorly, trapezoidally concave on posterior margin, with short digitiform process at middle on anterior margin; posterior lobe narrow taenioid, extending outward. Aedeagus as long as valva, tubular, gently curved, without dorsal denticle, with numerous granules in vesica; cornutus a large plate about ⅔ length of aedeagus, apically with tooth.

SEVENTH ABDOMINAL STERNITE ( Fig. 17B ). Anterior margin subtriangularly produced at middle; anterolateral rib heavily sclerotized, thin except slightly wide at base, reaching posterior margin of sixth abdominal sternite; posterolateral lobe small, weakly sclerotized, horn-shaped.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 20C ). Eighth abdominal sternite arched on posterior margin. Apophyses posteriores about 1.5 times as long as apophyses anteriores.Antrum weakly sclerotized, wider than long, spiculose. Ductus bursae about 1.5 times as long as corpus bursae, broad, slightly narrower than corpus bursae; ductus seminalis arising from about posterior 2/5 of ductus bursae, relatively narrow, dilated subbasally and forming a rounded sac. Corpus bursae ovate; signum absent.

Distribution

China (Yunnan).

Figures

Fig. 4. Adults of species of Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, 1853 (NKU), dorsal view. A. L. nullisigna sp. nov., holotype, male. B. L. orbiculata Park, 2010, male. C. L. parviflava sp. nov., holotype, male. D. L. parvispinea sp. nov., holotype, male. E. L. sichuanensis sp. nov., holotype, male. F. L. rubigona Park, 2006, male. Scale bars =2.0 mm.

Fig. 8. Wing venations of species of Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, 1853, all paratypes (NKU). A. L. medogensis sp. nov., male, slide no. YS19067. B. L. nullisigna sp. nov., female, slide no. YS19177. C. L. parvispinea sp. nov., male, slide no. YS20001.D. L. sichuanensis sp. nov., male, slide no. YS19027. Scale bars=2.0 mm.

Fig. 13. Male genitalia of species of Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, 1853 (NKU). A. L. nullisigna sp. nov., holotype, slide no. YS19467. B. L. orbiculata Park, 2010, slide no. LSR13465. C. L. parviflava sp. nov., holotype, slide no. YS19645. D. L. parvispinea sp. nov., paratype, slide no. LSR11259. E. L. sichuanensis sp. nov., holotype, slide no. YS19028. F. L. rubigona Park, 2006, slide no. YS19753. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 17. Male seventh abdominal sternite of species of Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, 1853 (NKU). A. L. neosticta Meyrick, 1918, slide no. LSR13344.B. L. nullisigna sp. nov., holotype, slide no.YS19467. C. L. orbiculata Park, 2010, slide no. LSR13465. D. L. parviflava sp. nov., holotype, slide no. YS19645. E. L. parvispinea sp. nov., paratype, slide no. LSR11259. F. L. sichuanensis sp. nov., holotype, slide no. YS19028. G. L. rubigona Park, 2006, slide no. YS19753. H. L. serratiloba sp. nov., paratype, slide no. LSR14024. I. L. tenuextrema sp. nov., holotype, slide no. LSR13405.J. L. tumicuculla sp. nov., paratype, slide no. YS18085. K. L. yunnanensis sp. nov., paratype, slide no. YS19616. Scale bars =0.5 mm.

Fig. 20. Female genitalia of species of Lecithocera Herrich-Schäffer, 1853, all paratypes (NKU). A. L. medogensis sp. nov., slide no. YS19703. B. L. neosticta Meyrick, 1918, slide no. YS19581. C. L. nullisigna sp. nov., slide no. YS19468. D. L. orbiculata Park, 2010, slide no. ZMR10278. E. L. sichuanensis sp. nov., slide no. YS19585. F. L. serratiloba sp. nov., slide no. LSR13351. Scale bars =0.5 mm.