Ourapteryx motuoensis Cheng & Zhu, 2024

Cheng, Rui, Jiang, Nan, Zhu, Chaodong, Xu, Yongqiang & Han, Hongxiang, 2024, Eleven new species of the genus Ourapteryx Leach, 1814 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from China, Zoological Systematics 49 (2), pp. 158-174 : 168-173

Ourapteryx motuoensis Cheng & Zhu , sp. nov. ( Figs 16–17 , 36 , 50 )

Description. Head. Antennae filiform in both sexes, blackish brown, with basal part white. Frons yellowish brown. Labial palpus lighter than frons. Vertex white.

Thorax. Dorsal and ventral sides of thorax white. Legs white; black dots present on tibia of fore- and median legs, and first tarsus of hind leg; innersides of femora and tibia of foreleg blackish brown. Forewing length: male 27–33 mm; female 33–39 mm. Forewing with outer margin almost straight, slightly wavy. Hind wing with a long tail process, about 4–5 mm, shoulder distinct. Forewing with costa decorated with black lines in various length and density, some black lines extending to lower margin of cell; blackish brown antemedial and postmedial lines wide, oblique outwards, unevenly scattered with yellowish brown scales on lines, former close to latter on anal margin than on costa, latter slightly concave near anal margin; discal spot blackish brown, a narrow yellowish brown band present at center; terminal area of males a very wide blackish brown band, tapering towards anal angle, interrupted by white background below anal fold; terminal area of females decorated with uneven blackish brown striations. Hind wing with discal spot indistinct; medial line lighter, slanting outward from upper angle of cell, inserting into wide greyish brown submarginal band between veins CuA 1 and CuA 2, submarginal band usually with yellowish brown tone, extending to anal angle at CuA 1; vein 2A blackish brown, end diffused with blackish brown scales on both sides; tail with two spots at base, anterior one oval, orange, bordered with blackish brown, with distal margin narrower, posterior spot black and elongate. Terminal lines on both wings black; fringes mostly orange with tip greyish brown, fringes on anal angle of both wings white. Streaks on underside same as that of upperside but lacking yellowish brown tone; in female, lower part of antemedial and postmedial lines on forewing and medial line on hind wing almost disappear. Forewing with R 1 and R 2 coincident, anastomosing shortly with Sc.

Abdomen. Abdomen white with setal comb on third sternite.

Male genitalia. Uncus tapering, with pointed apex, basal width more than three fifths of length. Gnathos with median process short tongue-like, spinose. Valva simple, rounded apically, decorated with dense subapical setal patch near center; costa straight; sacculus almost parallel with costa, ventral margin convex near apex. Furca developed on right side, distal half tapering and usually gently curved, tip slightly swollen. Saccus short and broad. Aedeagus slender; vesica with a long and narrow sclerotized plate, densely covered with numerous short spines.

Female genitalia. Lamella postvaginalis and lamella antevaginalisl semicircle, latter smaller than former. Colliculum short and broad. Ductus bursae stout, slightly longer than corpus bursae, sclerotized laterally. Corpus bursae globular, bearing a signum centrally; signum small, rounded with marginal spines, disc large and rounded.

Diagnosis. On the wing pattern, the new species is similar to dark type of O. latimarginaria Leech, 1897 ( Figs 18 , 37 , 51 ) and O. taiwana Wileman, 1910 ( Figs 19 , 38 , 52 ), for the males possess wide terminal band on the forewing. Compared to O. latimarginaria , the antemedial and postmedial lines of O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu , sp. nov. are broader. In addition, O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu , sp. nov. is tinged with rather yellowish brown than cinerous in O. taiwana . The male genitalia can be differentiated from O. taiwana by the much shorter furca. Compared to O. latimarginaria , the furca of O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu , sp. nov. is less curved. The aedeagus of O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu , sp. nov. is longer and slenderer than that of O. latimarginaria . In the female genitalia, the number of the marginal spines of the signum is less than that of O. latimarginaria and O. taiwana .

Etymology. The specific name is named after the type locality of the holotype.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, China, Xizang ( IZCAS): Mêdog , 80k, 2118 m, 24–25.VIII.2006, coll. Songyun LANG , Geom-02841. Paratypes. China: Xizang ( IZCAS) : 22♂, same locality, same collector ; 2♂, Bomi, Tangmai , 2079 m, 29– 30.VIII.2006, same collector ; 7♂, Bomi, Zhamo , 2751 m, 26–28.VIII.2006, same collector ; 11♂ 4♀, Mêdog , 80k, 2073 m, 15.IX.2020, coll. Chunlan XIAN ; 1♀, Bomi, Getong , 3050 m, 2.IX.1982, coll. Yinheng HAN ; 1♂, Bomi, Yi’ong , 2300 m, 24.VII.1983, same collector ; 1♂, Nyingchi, Shang Zayü , 1960 m, 21–23.VIII.2005, coll. Xuejian WANG ; 5♂, Bomi, Pêlung , 2115 m, 1–2.IX.2005, same collector ; 1♂, Bomi, Tangmai , 2100 m, 29.VIII.2005, same collector .

Distribution. China (Xizang).

Funding This study was supported by grants from the survey of Wildlife Resources in Key Areas of Xizang (ZL202203601), the National Nature Science Foundation of China (32170464), Biological Resources Programme of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KFJ-BRP-017-45), the National Science & Technology Fundamental Resources Investigation Program of China (2019FY101800), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) (2019QZKK0501), and the base line survey on diversity of pollinating insects in Qomolangma National Nature Reserve.

Acknowledgements We sincerely thank Prof. Dayong XUE (IZCAS) for his kind assistance. We sincerely thank Dr. Dieter STÜNING (ZFMK) for his great help for our work and Dr. Marianne ESPELANG (ZFMK) for allowing the examination of material under her curation. We cordially thank Dr. Axel HAUSMANN, Dr Ulf BUCHSBAUM and Ms Meiyu CHEN (ZSM) for their kind help during their examination for material. We express our sincere thanks to Sir Anthony Galsworthy, and the Trustees and staff of NHMUK for allowing the examination of the material under their curation. We are grateful to all collectors whose contributions made our work possible.

Figures

Figures 16–19. Adults of Ourapteryx. 16–17. O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu, sp. nov. 16. holotype; 17. paratype, female. 18. O. latimarginaria Leech, 1897. 19. O. taiwana Wileman, 1910. Scale bar=1.0cm.

Figures 36–44. Male and female genitalia of Ourapteryx. 36. O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu, sp. nov., holotype. 37. O. latimarginaria Leech, 1897. 38. O. taiwana Wileman, 1910. 39. O. curta Jiang & Han, sp. nov. 40. O. triangulata Cheng & Han, sp. nov. 41. O. cawarongensis Cheng & Jiang, sp. nov. 42. O. arcuata Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov. 43. O. longiacutata Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov. 44. O. karsholti Inoue, 1993. Scale bars=1.0 mm.

Figures 45–52. Female genitalia of Ourapteryx. 45. O. linzhiensis Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov. 46. O. incurvata Cheng & Jiang, sp. nov. 47. O. concava Cheng & Han, sp. nov. 48. O. alba Cheng & Han, sp. nov. 49. O. pseudebuleata Inoue, 1995. 50. O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu, sp. nov. 51. O. latimarginaria Leech, 1897. 52. O. taiwana Wileman, 1910. Scale bars=1.0 mm.