Neopseustis moxiensis Chen & Owada

Chen, Liusheng, Owada, Mamoru, Wang, Min & Long, Yang, 2009, The genus Neopseustis (Lepidoptera: Neopseustidae) from China, with description of one new species, Zootaxa 2089, pp. 10-18 : 11-12

Neopseustis moxiensis Chen & Owada , sp. nov.

( Figs. 3, 4 , 11 )

Forewing length 8–9 mm, wing expanse 19–20 mm.

Head: Vertex and frons pale fuscous. Antennae brownish fuscous, underside of scape light brown. Maxillary palpi light brown to yellow brown. Labial palpi yellow brown.

Thorax: Dorsum brownish fuscous; venter pale brown. Legs yellow brown, without conspicuous ring on tibia. Forewings uniformly brownish, mottled with various shades of fuscous, with 3 or 4 brown spots of dark fuscous along costa to apex, which become gradually smaller from apex to base. Basal half of wing brownish fuscous, and with a sparse scattering of inconspicuous silvery white scales along veins; distal half fuscous, mottled with irregular brownish fuscous spots touch outer margin; nearly every vein apex with a brownish fuscous spot from Sc2 to CuP. Hindwings uniformly fuscous, less mottled with some inconspicuous brownish fuscous spots along the edge, particularly at apex of vein.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 ): A large, stout uncinate gnathos arising between socii and projecting ventrally. Tegumenal lobes thick and compressed, clavate. Valvae with a rather slender uncinate process apically. Lateroposterior process of anellus slender, with tidy spine from middle to apex, slightly curved inward, surpassing apex of uncus. Vinculum with a broad, compressed basal lobe.

Type Data: Holotype, male, Moxi Town, Luding County, Sichuan Province, China. Altitude 2800m, 2- VIII-2004, Min WANG and Liusheng CHEN leg. Paratypes: 1 male, 2 females, same data as holotype. Deposited in the Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.

Bionomics. The moths were attracted by a light trap at one and a half hours after the twilight.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Etymology: The species is named for the locality: Moxi Town, Lu Ding County, Sichuan Province, China.

Diagnosis: The new species can be easy distinguished from the others by the unique wing maculation and the color of both wings with uniform color fuscous; also by the male genitalia with stout, straight tegumenal lobes, and valva with a rather long and slender uncinate process apically.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 10. Adults of Neopseustis spp. 3, N. moxiensis sp. nov., male; 4, N. moxiensis sp. nov., female; 5, N. meyricki Hering, male; 6, N. meyricki Hering, female; 7, N. fangjingshana Yang, male; 8, N. fangjingshana Yang, male resting posture; 9, N. bicornuta Davis, male; 10, N. sinensis Davis, male. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURES 11 – 16. Male genitalia of Neopseustis spp. 11, N. moxiensis sp. nov.; 12, N. meyricki Hering; 13, N. fanjingshana Yang; 14, N. bicornuta Davis; 15, N. sinensis Davis; 16, Lateroposterior process of anellus of N. meyricki Hering.