Charitoprepes Warren, 1896

Huang, Shi-Qi & Du, Xi-Cui, 2023, Revision of the genus Charitoprepes Warren (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), with the description of a new species from China, ZooKeys 1149, pp. 171-179 : 171

Charitoprepes Warren, 1896

Charitoprepes Warren, 1896: 136. Type species: Charitoprepes lubricosa Warren, 1896, by original designation.

Diagnosis.

This genus is distinguished by the greyish-brown body and wings; the forewing with an elongated, elliptical, black patch at the apex. This genus can be distinguished from Heterocnephes by its labial palpi bent and upturned normally, the corpus bursae with two thin, band-like signa present or absent. In Heterocnephes , however, the second segment of labial palpi is inflated and nearly oblong, along with its third segment protruded forward ( Wang 1980), the corpus bursae has two round signa, and the valva is broader than that of Charitoprepes .

Generic characteristics.

Adult. Body and wings greyish brown. Frons rounded. Antenna filiform, with sparse cilia ventrally. Labial palpi bent and upturned. Maxillary palpi filiform. Forewing with orbicular and discoidal stigma present, an elongated, elliptical, black patch along costa at apex; length of cell approximately half of wing; discocellulars arcuately incurved; RS1 very close to RS2+S3; RS2 anastomosed with RS3 approximately three-fifths beyond cell; M2, M3 and CuA1 originating from posterior angle of the cell and uniformly spaced at base. Hindwing with length of cell half of wing; discocellulars strongly, arcuately incurved; Rs anastomosed with Sc+R at long distance; M1 and Rs shortly stalked at base beyond cell; M2, M3 and CuA1 originating from posterior angle of cell (Fig. 1A, B ). Legs shiny white. Middle tibia with distal inner spur approximately twice length of outer spur; hind tibia with inner proximal spur approximately triple length of outer proximal spur, and inner distal spur approximately twice length of outer distal spur. Tympanal organs with fornix tympani surface projecting from the tympanic frame. Praecinctorium strongly bifid (Fig. 1C ).

Male genitalia. Uncus long and thin, with the distal part swollen and covered with minute setae. Valva broad. Fibula spine-like and downcurved. Sacculus sclerotized, with an apical triangular process overlapping with the fibula. Saccus broad and rounded, tapered terminally. Cornutus present and diverse.

Female genitalia. Apophyses anteriores as long as apophyses posteriores, or longer. Ductus bursae varies from short and broad to long and thin. Corpus bursae elliptical or oval. A pair of thin, band-like signa present or absent.

Distribution.

China, India, Japan, South Korea (Fig. 2 ).

Remarks.

According to Kim et al. (2014), this genus can be identified by an elongated, elliptical, black patch at apex of forewing and dark brown, discoidal stigma on the hindwing. In C. aciculata sp. nov., however, the discoidal stigma on the hindwing is absent. Therefore, the morphological characteristics of Charitoprepes have been revised in this study, with supplementary wing venation and genitalia characteristics.

Figures

Figure 1. Wing venation and tympanal organs of Charitoprepes A, C C. lubricosa B C. aciculata sp. nov. Upper is forewing, lower is hindwing. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C).

Figure 2. Distribution of Charitoprepes spp. (C. lubricosa: orange triangles; C. apicipicta: green triangles; C. aciculata sp. nov.: blue triangles).