Neostatherotis Oku, 1974

Luo, Jiuyang, Fei, Yao & Yu, Haili, 2015, First record of the genus Neostatherotis Oku from China, with the descriptions of four new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), Zootaxa 3941 (2), pp. 247-254 : 247-248

Neostatherotis Oku, 1974

Neostatherotis Oku, 1974: 12 .

Type species: Neostatherotis nipponica Oku, 1974 , by original designation.

Description. Thorax: Forewing with costa expanded between base and Sc, apex blunt, termen oblique, gradually rounded toward tornus; strigulae three and four forming a striking white marking between costa and cell (except N. sparsula , sp. nov.). Hindwing with cubital pecten present, without scent scales, or underside covered with black scent scales between dorsal fold and dorsum ( N. sparsula , sp. nov., N. psilata , sp. nov.). Hind tibia normally scaled, with a hair pencil in male. Forewing with all veins separate; R3, R4, and R5 approximated basally, R5 nearer to R4 than to M1 at base, CuA2 sinuate. Hindwing with Rs and M1 approximated in basal 1/3, M2 approximated to M3 basally, M3 and CuA1 connate.

Abdomen: Male genitalia with uncus not developed. Socius small, fused with tegumen or drooping. Gnathos a narrow, weakly sclerotized band. Valva simple, without spine clusters, neck distinctly or slightly medially; sacculus spined sparsely; cucullus with dense spines. Phallus without cornuti. Female genitalia with sterigma small, narrow and simple. Ductus bursae membranous, long. Corpus bursae ovoid. Signa two, unequal in size, a large plate with a broad and protruding ridge medially, more or less flower petal-shaped.

Distribution. East Asia, Southeast Asia.

Remarks. In the original description of Neostatherotis, Oku (1974) stated “This genus maybe related to Statherotis Meyrick and Proschistis Meyrick among the known genera of Olethreutinae.” Razowski (1989) considered Neostatherotis closest to Neopotamia Diakonoff, 1973 and concluded that the shape of the signum was an autapomorphy for the genus. In the present study, we found that the signa of Neostatherotis were similar to those of Neopotamia , and the signum showed a variety of shapes: horseshoe-shaped in N. nipponica , more or less flower petal-like in N. angustata , and complicated plates in N. breviuscula . Therefore, the shape of the signum is not an autapomorphy for the genus, and the genus is undoubtedly a member of Neopotamiae. We also found that most species of Neostatherotis (except N. angustata , sp. nov.) possessed a peculiar character of the adults: the forewing is distinctly expanded between the base of the wing and the point where Sc meets the costa, and this characters state has not been found in other members of Olethreutini .