Porcellanola sikkima Joshi, Singh & László, 2020

Joshi, Rahul, Singh, Navneet, László, Gyula M. & Kuni, Nikhil, 2020, First record of the genus Porcellanola László, Ronkay & Witt, 2006 (Lepidoptera Nolidae, Nolinae) from India with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4810 (1), pp. 110-116 : 111-112

Porcellanola sikkima Joshi, Singh & László sp. nov.

( Figs. 1, 2 , 7–11 )

Type Material. Holotype. Male, INDIA, East Sikkim, Rumtek , N 27°18.297’, E88°34.194’, 1293 m, 09.x.2019, leg. N. Kuni, (Slide: Nol.—7 (RJ)), coll. NZCZSI/ GPRC . Paratype, 1 male, INDIA, East Sikkim, Rumtek , N 27°18.297’, E 88°34.194’, 1293 m, 10.x.2019, leg. N. Kuni (Slide:Nol.—7a (RJ)), coll. NZCZSI/ GPRC .

Diagnosis. The new species collected recently in Sikkim is supposedly an allopatric sister species of P. gaofengensis Hu, Wang & Han, 2014 ( Fig. 3 ) described from Yunnan, China. Though the external differences between the two species are negligible but P. sikkima , sp. nov. differs significantly from its sister species in certain characters of the male genitalia as follows: the new species has in comparison with those characters of P. gaofengensis (Figs. 12,13) considerably shorter basal part of uncus, much narrower tegumen, significantly thinner harpe erected closer to the ventral margin of valva than in the related species, in addition, somewhat longer sacculus and wider vinculum. The most conspicuous difference between the two species is expressed by the configuration of fultura inferior (juxta): the new species has wider and shorter triangular plate of juxta with significantly longer, but basally much narrower pair of strongly dentate triangular crests projecting ventrally, erecting in the medio-lateral part of the plate of juxta, while those crests of P. gaofengensis are shorter, but running along the whole length of lateral margins of the juxta reaching from its proximal end to its apex. The aedeagus of P. sikkima is longer with somewhat shorter dentation of carinal plate in comparison with that of P. gaofengensis .

Description. Length of forewing 8mm. Head snowy white, palpus labialis short, porrect, blackish; antennae filiform, with fine lateral fasciation, basal quarter snowy white, apical three-quarter greyish brown. Thorax pale grayish white; abdomen brown with grayish white striation along distal margin of segments. Forewing ground color porcelain white; subterminal area pale rusty brown with a whitish small quadrangular patch subapically; costal margin with large, blackish triangular basal and an even larger, medial patch both suffused with metallic-blue scales; subbasal, basal and antemedial lines deleted; medial line fine, blackish brown, present only in the costal third, forming the inner leg of the costal triangular patch; postmedial line fine with a short, broader section at costa, blackish brown, rather s-shaped; subterminal line wavy, interrupted, its costal section dilated, forming a blackish quadrangular patch; terminal line diffuse, rusty brown; cilia pale grey, chequered with dark brown. Hindwing uniformly greyish; veins slightly highlighted with darker scales; cilia long, pale grey.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 7–11 ). Uncus short and slim, apically pointed, slightly dilated basally then gradually tapered, connected to tegumen by a very short, medially laced stem; tegumen narrow, medium short; scaphium relatively long, straight, weakly sclerotized; fultura inferior (juxta) isosceles triangular, apically rounded, with a pair of parallel, heavily dentate, triangular, medio-lateral lobes directed ventrad, not reaching juxta apex; vinculum very thin, short, broad U-shaped; valva medium long, basal third strongly sclerotized, tapered ventrad, then suddenly dilated, apically broadly rounded, costal margin evenly arcuate, narrowly sclerotized, apical area densely setose; sacculus heavily sclerotized, rather elongate, tube-like, harpe short and narrow, gently curved medially, pointing ventrad, apically rounded, transtilla narrow, ribbon-like. Aedeagus tubular, medium long, slightly curved medially, caecum penis relatively short, broadly rounded, carina heavily sclerotized with short, but sharp dentation running along the dorsal margin of distal half of aedeagus; vesica without cornuti.

Female unknown.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the state of Sikkim from where the species is collected for the first time.

Distribution. The species is known from its type locality (Rumtek, Sikkim) only.

Figures

FIGURES 1– 6. Porcellanola spp., Adults. 1, P. sikkima sp. nov., Holotype, male, East Sikkim, Rumtek (NZCZSI/GPRC) (FW length: 8mm); 2, P. sikkima sp. nov., Paratype male, East Sikkim, Rumtek (NZCZSI/GPRC) (FW length: 8mm); 3, P. gaofengensis, male, China, North Yuennan (ZFMK); 4, P. sukhothai, Male, East Sikkim, Rumtek (NZCZSI/GPRC)(FW length: 7mm); 5, P. sukhothai, female, East Sikkim, Rumtek (NZCZSI/GPRC)(FW length: 7mm); 6, P. langtangi, Male, East Sikkim, Rumtek (NZCZSI/GPRC)(FW length: 6mm).

FIGURES 7– 13. Porcellanola spp., Male genitalia. 7,8, P. sikkima sp. nov., Holotype male, (vesica not everted) Slide- Nol.—7 (RJ); 9,10,11, P. sikkima sp. nov., Paratype male, Slide- Nol.—7a (RJ); 12,13, P. gaofengensis, male, China, North Yuennan Slide-LGN 2017.