Meleonoma scalprata, Yin & Zhi & Cai, 2019

Yin, Aihui, Zhi, Yan & Cai, Yanpeng, 2019, Three new species of Meleonoma Meyrick from Yunnan, China (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Xyloryctidae), ZooKeys 904, pp. 23-33 : 23

Meleonoma scalprata sp. nov. Figs 3 , 5 , 6

Material examined.

Holotype: China • ♂; Yunnan Province, Puer City, Lianhua Village; alt. 1300 m, 20 May 2018; Yan Zhi leg.; YAH19069. Paratype: 1 ♀, same collection data as for preceding; YAH19070.

Diagnosis.

This new species belongs to the lineage comprising M. foliiformis , M. malacobyrsa and M. plicata . The new species can be easily distinguished from the others by the following combination of characters: forewing with basal half mixed with blackish brown speckles; both dorsal and ventral margins of valva smooth, without any process; dorsal margin of sacculus with an inconspicuous beak-shaped process at end; phallus with one rodlike sclerite originating from middle and extending to apex.

Description.

Head: vertex pale gray, mixed with yellow bilaterally, front pale yellowish gray; labial palpus long and recurved, extending well beyond vertex, with smooth scales, yellow, segment 1 mixed with blackish brown on outer surface, segment 2 blackish brown distally and extending vaguely to middle of ventral margin; segment 3 about half length of segment 2; antenna with scape blackish brown on dorsal surface and yellow on ventral surface, with flagellum ringed, alternately blackish brown and yellow, except almost pure yellow on ventral surface of about basal half flagellomeres; scales of proboscis pale yellow.

Thorax: tegula yellow, very sparsely mixed with blackish brown laterally; mesonotum yellow, mixed with blackish brown and more strongly so on posterior half; legs whitish yellow, tibiae and tarsi scattered with blackish brown speckles on outside. Forewing (Fig. 3 ): length 5.4-5.6 mm (N = 2), about 3.3 × as long as wide, yellow, basal half mixed with blackish brown speckles; a narrow blackish brown fascia extending from basal 3/5 of costa obliquely to slightly before tornus, slightly wider anteriorly; cell with two very dim black dots, one set at end, other at middle of fold; apex forming a somewhat narrow triangular patch, blackish brown, mixed with yellow along apex and termen; other yellow parts sparsely scattered with blackish brown scales; cilia yellow except grayish brown on tornus; ventral surface dark yellowish brown. Hindwing (Fig. 3 ): translucent grayish brown, gradually darkening towards apex; cilia grayish brown.

Male genitalia (Fig. 5 ): uncus with base short, dilated bilaterally into inverted T-shape, with other part quite long and slender, rodlike, apex acute; gnathos mostly membranous, with lateral arms slightly curved, a bit more sclerotized in basal half than distal half; tegumen nearly inverted V-shaped, lateral arms gradually narrowed to apex, posterior margin slightly concave at middle, anterior margin relatively shallowly concave into parenthesis-shape; valva somewhat in shape of table knife, gradually widening to basal 1/4 from a narrow base, with ventral margin arcuate in distal 1/5 into rounded apex, median surface densely covered with long hairs; costa strongly sclerotized, nearly straight, scattered with long hairs; transtilla covered with rows of long hairs, protruded forward medially, distal portion rounded; sacculus broad, nearly triangular, with basal half of dorsal margin joined with valva, dorsal margin with an inconspicuous beak-shaped process at end, ventral margin slightly more sclerotized, with a very shallow arcuate emargination from about middle to distal 1/4, with long hairs covering median portion and as well as central area of sacculus; saccus funnel-shaped, narrowly rounded at apex; juxta widely U-shaped; phallus moderately sclerotized, nearly cylindrical in shape, narrower in basal 1/3, with one rodlike sclerite originating from middle and extending to apex.

Female genitalia (Fig. 6 ): papillae anales large and broad, setose; apophyses posterioris about 3 times length of apophysis anteriores; eighth tergum entirely sclerotized; eighth sternite with granules posteriorly, posterior margin narrowly concave at middle, forming two semiovate plates with long setae; lamella antevaginalis moderately sclerotized, capital M-shaped; ductus bursae entirely membranous; ductus seminalis originating from about middle of ductus bursae; corpus bursae large, ovate, entirely membranous; signum machete-shaped, with one extra small spine on each side near base.

Biology.

Nothing is known about the larva. The adults were collected at night in May.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Southwest China: Yunnan Province).

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective scalpratus (knife-shaped), referring to the machete-shaped signum in female genitalia.

Figures

Figures 1 - 3. Meleonoma species, morphology 1 adult of M. plicata sp. nov., holotype, male (gen. slide no. YAH 19068) 2 adult of M. taeniata sp. nov., holotype, male (gen. slide no. YAH 19071) 3 adult of M. scalprata sp. nov., paratype, female (gen. slide no. YAH 19070). Scale bars: 2.50 mm.

Figures 4 - 7. Meleonoma species, morphology 4 male genitalia of M. plicata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19068) 5 male genitalia of M. scalprata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19069) 6 female genitalia of M. scalprata sp. nov., paratype (gen. slide no. YAH 19070) 7 male genitalia of M. taeniata sp. nov., holotype, phallus illustrated separately (gen. slide no. YAH 19071). Scale bars: 0.25 mm.