Zebraodes Heppner & Bae

Heppner, John B. & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2017, Zebraodes, new genus, with a new species from Vietnam (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Archipini), Zootaxa 4236 (2), pp. 392-400 : 393-396

Zebraodes Heppner & Bae , new genus

( Figs. 1–18)

Type-species: Zebraodes lucidalis Heppner & Bae , new species.

Diagnosis. The single species of the new genus has a brightly patterned forewing resembling some Ceracini , but features of the genitalia are most similar to those of Archipini , notably the strongly convex phallus and strong uncus in the male genitalia. Also, females of most Ceracini have four or more acanthi in the frenulum, whereas Zebraodes has three, typical of Archipini . The absence of a signum in the female genitalia is unusual for the tribe.

Description. Head: Distinctly small compared to thorax and body; vertex and frons relatively smooth, with erect scales only posteriorly toward the cervical margin; labial palpus upcurved; haustellum reduced; antenna ventrally bisetose in males; ocellus absent; chaetosema ( Fig. 14) posterodorsad of eye; patagia with large plate-like scales.

Thorax: Robust, with prominent tegulae, with smooth and appressed scales; legs of typical length for body size, without prominent tibial tufts. Wing expanse 20.8–24.0 mm (n = 9) in male, 27.8 mm (n = 1) in female. Forewing ( Fig. 15) elongate-triangular, with abrupt rounded apex and tornus, moderately straight termen; all veins present, with cell to 2/3 of wing, Sc to 2/3 on costal margin, R1–R4 evenly spaced, R4 extending to costa near apex, R5 to termen just below apex, M1–M3 equally spaced to termen, CuA1 from end of cell and nearly approximate to base of M3 and curved dorsally to termen, CuA2 from midway point of cell and to tornus close to CuA1 at termen, CuP present from tornus for 1/5 of wing length and then weak to base of wing near cubitus and curved to CuA2, A1+2 to near tornus and with long basal fork (1/4 of wing length), and A3 minute and indistinct at wing base. Hindwing ( Fig. 15) subovate-rectangular, with acutely rounded apex and widely rounded tornus and anal margin, with cell to 3/5 of wing, Sc+R1 long and to near apex, Rs to apex and approximate at end of cell with M1, M2 with abrupt bend at cell end, M3 direct from cubitus and stalked with CuA1 nearly from end of cell, cubitus curved along cell border and with CuA2 from 3/5 cell length, CuP at tornus and to midwing and then faintly straight to base, A1 convex to dorsal tornal margin, A2 separate and only slightly convex from base to anal margin, and A3 indistinct at base; a small anal pecten, cubital pecten absent. Male frenulum with one acanthus, female with three.

Abdomen ( Fig. 16 d–e): Average in size compared to body and wing size, without coremata; pregenital plates (fig. 16e) in male simple. Male genitalia ( Figs. 16–17) with tegumen strongly sclerotized, with lateral bulge at base of gnathos arms and widened to double width at valval junctions; uncus strong, elongate, with bulbous apex; gnathos in form of fused, recurved arms, with rounded, slender, spatulate apex; vinculum widened to valval bases, convex, with short, subtriangular saccus; transtilla a wide, strongly sclerotized convex and flattened band, with a dorsal carina, and with lateral appendages extending dorso-posteriorly as long as valvae, slightly twisted; valva triangular, with short setose sacculus and elongated, slender saccular process with a blunt rounded apex, curved and twisted dorsad, with costal margin concave to base, and with a small basal setose pulvinus near saccular base; juxta a rounded and flattened plate with a dorsal V-notch; anellus fused with phallus as posterior arm-like appendage; phallus ( Figs. 16 a, 17a) strongly convex, with short phallobase and distad bulbous vesica and tiny dorsal thorns; cornutus a slender, long spine; ductus ejaculatorius short to bulbous vesica. Female genitalia ( Fig. 18) with ovipositor short (subequal to length of sternite 8th), with very large flattened and setose papillae anales; apophyses subequal in length, with posterior pair with very enlarged widened base; lamella postvaginalis strongly sclerotized as a band of even length, with an internal apodeme perpendicular to lamella; sterigma ovate-convex anteriorly as a rounded ridge, open posteriorly as thin membrane merged with ostial margin; ostium a simple rounded opening with a ventral carinate undulated ridge, then slightly bulbous to entrance of ductus bursae; ductus bursae short, nearly as wide as ostium, then gradually merged with bursa; ductus seminalis from posterior side of bursa; corpus bursae elongate-ovoid, with small elongated and bulbous accessory bursa dorsally near anterior end; signum absent.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the zebra-like appearance of the adult forewings.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from northern Vietnam.

Discussion. As noted previously, Zebraodes is anomalous among Archipini and superficially similar to some Ceracini , particularly in its forewing maculation and its small head. The wing venation conforms well to Archipini , with the hindwing convergences of Rs to M1 and M2–M3 to CuA1 ( Horak 1998). The lack of an ocellus also supports assignment of the genus to Archipini ; i.e., some archipines lack an ocellus, whereas all known Ceracini have a large ocellus. Likewise, the female has a frenulum with three acanthi, typical of Archipini , rather than the normal number of 4 acanthi for Ceracini females ( Monsalve et al. 2011). The nearest relative of Zebraodes may be Terthreutis Meyrick , another Asian genus with rounded forewings and some resemblance in the maculation and male genitalia ( Razowski 1987). However, no other archipine genus appears to have a secondary bursa like that of female Zebraodes . Unfortunately, most studies on Archipini have dealt primarily with northern genera and very few have evaluated some of the more unusual tropical genera (Dombrowski & Sperling 2013, Jinbo 2000, Razowski 1987).

The adults of Zebraodes also resemble some Brachodidae (Phycodinae) , and the moths were first thought to be brachodids until they were examined more closely. Most Ceracini and Brachodidae are active diurnally ( Heppner 2004, 2010; Heppner & Bae 2010, Kallies 2004), but it is not known if this is case in Zebraodes , as adult behavior was not recorded; all specimens were taken at lights.