Promalactis laetusella Kim, 2017

Kim, Sora, Heppner, John B. & Park, Kyu-Tek, 2017, Eight new species of the genus Promalactis (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) from Indonesia, with a checklist of the genus, Journal of Natural History 51 (29 - 30), pp. 1671-1695 : 1687-1688

Promalactis laetusella Kim , sp. nov.

Diagnosis

This species is distinguished from congeners by the fore wing with three different ground colours and the marking pattern having a very large triangular costal patch and a white marginal line along termen.

Description

Adult ( Figures 2f , 3f ). Head. Frons dark brown. Vertex white basally tinged with dark brown, with dark brown occiput. Antenna with scape white, tinged with dark brown apically, as long as diameter of eye; flagellum white and dark brown alternately. Labial palpus with brown first segment and basal second segment, gradually darker to apex of latter; third segment entirely dark brown except white apically, shorter than second segment. Thorax: Thorax and tegula dark brown. Wingspan 11.0– 11.5 mm. Fore wing ground colour brownish yellow in median and apical parts, mixed with reddish brown before antemedial band and beyond medial band; three white bands obviously developed and one long white line present from apex to near tornus along termen: subbasal band oblique, nearly straight; antemedial band slightly oblique, with nearly straight outer margin and irregular inner margin, from one-quarter of costal margin to one-third posterior margin; medial band broad, slightly oblique, traversed from almost one-half of costal margin to onehalf of posterior margin; costal patch at three-quarters, large, triangular, lower corner reaching halfway across wing, followed by large black suffusion; apical patch small; white marginal line along termen well developed, edged with black scales; fringes brownish yellow at apical and outer margin, latter one tinged with greyish dark brown. Hind wing ground colour dark brown; fringes of hind wing greyish dark brown. Leg: hind leg greyish dark brown dorsally; tarsus dark brown, except white at basal fifth, fourth and second segments, at medial third and first segments.

Male unknown.

Female genitalia ( Figure 5b, 5 ba). Apophyses posteriores about 1.5 times length of apophyses anteriores; terminal tips of former somewhat flattened. Lamella postvaginalis largely developed and sclerotized, setose caudally. Lamella antevaginalis, incised centrally on the caudal margin. Antrum short. Ductus bursae heavily swelling, gradually narrowed to corpus bursae, wrinkled laterally, bearing several tiny spines posteriorly on the inner margin. Corpus bursae ovate without signum.

Holotype

Female. Indonesia, Sumatra U., 7 km, southeast Parapat , 1400 m, 30 August 1992, J.B. Heppner & E.W. Diehl, gen. slide no. No. 9305/ S. Kim.

Distribution

Indonesia (Sumatra: North).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Latin laetus (= colourful) plus the Latin suffix – ella, referring to its colourful wing pattern.

Figures

Figure 2. Adult of Promalactis. (a) Promalactis brevivalva; (b) Promalactis diazomatis sp. nov.; (c) Promalactis diehli; (d) Promalactis hamatella sp. nov.; (e) Promalactis ingenticula sp. nov.; (f) Promalactis laetusella sp. nov.; (g) Promalactis latifundus sp. nov.; (h) Promalactis merangirella; (i) Promalactis minutispina sp. nov.; (j) Promalactis mooatana sp. nov.; (k) Promalactis nataliae; (l) Promalactis roesleri; (m) Promalactis sumatrana; (n) Promalactis trigonilancis sp. nov.

Figure 3. Wing pattern of Promalactis. (a) Promalactis brevivalva; (b) Promalactis diazomatis sp. nov.; (c) Promalactis diehli; (d) Promalactis hamatella sp. nov.; (e) Promalactis ingenticula sp. nov.; (f) Promalactis laetusella sp. nov.; (g) Promalactis latifundus sp. nov.; (h) Promalactis merangirella; (i) Promalactis minutispina sp. nov.; (j) Promalactis mooatana sp. nov.; (k) Promalactis nataliae; (l) Promalactis roesleri; (m) Promalactis sumatrana; (n) Promalactis trigonilancis sp. nov.

Figure 5. Female genitalia of Promalactis. (a) Promalactis diehli; (aa) signa of P. diehli; (b) Promalactis laetusella sp. nov.; (ba) tiny spines in ductus bursae of P. laetusella; (c) Promalactis latifundus sp. nov.; (ca) tiny spines in ductus seminalis of P. latifundus; (d) Promalactis minutispina sp. nov.; (da) spines in ductus bursae of P. minutispina; (e) Promalactis sumatrana; (ea) lamella postvaginalis of P. sumatrana; (eb) singum of P. sumatrana; (f) Promalactis trigonilancis sp. nov., (fa) signa of P. trigonilancis; scale bar, 0.5 mm.