Psychidarbela blancoi Yakovlev & Hulsbosch, 2023

Yakovlev, Roman V., Hulsbosch, Ramon & Zolotuhin, Vadim V., 2023, Revision of the family Metarbelidae (Lepidoptera) of the Oriental Region. XI. Genus Psychidarbela Roepke, 1938, Ecologica Montenegrina 65, pp. 51-59 : 56-57

Psychidarbela blancoi Yakovlev & Hulsbosch , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F0C6867C-DD2A-465E-A2CE-8429E7CCB5D9

Figs 5‒6 , 15 , 17

Material examined. Holotype, female, Philippinen, Mindanao, Prov. Simangani, Cotabato, Mt. Busa, near Kainba [sic! – Kaimba, 5°25'8" N / 125°25'36" E], 700 m, vi.1998, leg. Bal (MWM, Genitalpräparat Heterocera MWM: 26647) . Paratype, 1 female, Philipinen, Negros, Prov. Negros Occidental, Mt. Kanlaon , 600‒800 m, W route via Mambucal, January 1998, primary forest, ex coll. Dr. Ronald Brechlin (MWM, Genitalpräparat Heterocera MWM: 9517) .

Description. Female. Length of fore wing 15‒18 mm. Antenna short (about 1/4 of fore wing in length), bipectinate, setae 3 times longer than antenna stem in diameter. Thorax and abdomen densely covered with brown scales. Fore wing brown, pattern poorly expressed: series of hardly noticeable dark-brown spots postdiscally, poorly expressed thin wavy dark-brown lines submarginally, fringe brown. Hind wing brown, without pattern, fringe brown.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales lobe-like, wide; apophyses posteriores short, tapered; apophyses anteriores thin, short, one third longer than apophyses posteriores; ostium slit-like; ductus bursae long, wide; ductus seminalis narrow, passing from ductus bursae in basal third; bursa bag-like without signa.

Male unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from the known species of the genus by the dark spots on the fore wing postdiscally and in the poorly expressed wavy pattern on the fore wing submarginally.

Etymology. Francisco Manuel Blanco (1778‒1845) was a Spanish friar and botanist. Towards the end of his life, he became the delegate of his order in Manila, traveling throughout the archipelago. He is the author of one of the first comprehensive flora of the Philippines, Flora de Filipinas. Según el sistema de Linneo (Flora of the Philippines according to the system of Linnaeus).

Distribution. Philippines (Mindanao and Negros Islands).

Figures

Figure 17. Geographical distribution of Psychidarbela.

Figures 1‒9. Adult specimens of Psychidarbela: 1. P. kalshoveni, male, paratype (NBCL); 2. P. kalshoveni, female, allotype (NBCL); 3. P. lehmanni, male, holotype (RHE); 4. P. lehmanni, female, paratype (MWM); 5. P. blancoi, female, holotype (MWM); 6. P. blancoi, female, paratype (MWM); 7. P. pellucida, male, holotype, from Nonaka 2021 (UMTU); 8. P. pellucida, female, Laos (RYB); 9. P. pellucida, female, Thailand (RYB).

Figures 13‒16. Female genitalia of Psychidarbela: 13. P. kalshoveni, paratype (NBCL); 14. P. lehmanni, paratype (MWM); 15. P. blancoi, holotype (MWM); 16. P. pellucida, Laos (RYB).