Ophthalmitis brevispina Jiang, Xue & Han

Jiang, Nan, Xue, Dayong & Han, Hongxiang, 2011, A review of Ophthalmitis Fletcher, 1979 in China, with descriptions of four new species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 2735, pp. 1-22 : 16-17

Ophthalmitis brevispina Jiang, Xue & Han sp. nov.

Figs. 35–38 , 54 , 66 , 78 , 89 , 100

Ophthalmitis cordularia Han & Xue, 2005 ; in Yang, Insect fauna Middle-West Qinling Range-South Mountains Gansu: 621. (part) (nec Swinhoe, 1893)

Description. Head. Antenna about 2/5 length of forewing, bipectinate, tapering, length of longest ramus about five times diameter of antennal shaft. Frons greyish white, rounded, not protruding, with pair of blackish brown dots medially. Labial palpus blackish brown, extending slightly beyond frons, second segment with greyish white hairlike scales. Vertex greyish green. Thorax. Dorsum greyish green. Patagium, tegula greyish green, blackish brown distally. Pair of black spots absent from mesonotum. Posterior margin of metanotum black. Hind tibia with two pairs of spurs in male, not dilated, without hair-pencil. Forewing: Length: male 26–27 mm; female 35 mm. Forewing outer margin of forewing weakly protruded, that of hindwing rounded. Wings greyish green, markings blackish brown to black. Patterns of forewing: costa diffused with short longitudinal flecks; antemedial, medial, postmedial, submarginal lines forming four black patches on costa; antemedial, medial lines indistinct, almost invisible; postmedial line serrate, only appearing as black serrations on veins, broadened to large black patch at inner margin; submarginal line appearing as series of small triangular patches between veins, distinct on costa, between M1 and M3, nearly continuous from CuA2 to inner margin; blackish brown patch outside submarginal line between M1 and M3; terminal line series of short strips between veins; fringes greyish white mixed with greyish green, darker between veins; discal spot small, stellate, pale-centered, blackish brown ring, very narrow. Hindwing: with broad band between medial line, outer margin of discal spot black, very solid, distinct; postmedial line serrate, only appearing as black serrations on veins; discal spot smaller than that of forewing, black ring sometimes mixed with band; submarginal line more continuous than that of forewing; terminal line, fringes similar to those of forewing. Venter greyish white; transverse lines greyish brown; terminal band narrow, not reaching outer margin except between M1 and M3 of forewing, interrupted between M3 and CuA2 on both wings, between Rs and M1 on hindwing; discal spot large, distinct, with the pale centre almost invisible; costa of forewing pale yellowish brown, diffused with dark flecks. Abdomen. Pairs of black dorsal spots on first to sixth abdominal segments. Spots on first abdominal segment small, on second to sixth segments relatively large, closer together. First abdominal segment pale grey, other segments yellowish green. Setal patch absent on third sternite of male abdomen. Eighth sternite of male abdomen with tapered cleft, apical processes weakly sclerotized, not pointed. Male genitalia. Uncus rounded apically, length equal to basal width, with pair of very short lateral processes. Gnathos with median process rounded terminally, equal to length of uncus. Valva blunt apically, about three times as long as basal width; costa sclerotized, weakly angled dorsally medially, expanded, bearing large area of long setae terminally; sacculus straight; dorsal margin of sacculus weak and short, almost absent at basal half, without serrate margin, ended with spinous process distally, extending to base of ampulla; ampulla triangular, spinulose. Saccus semicircular, about three-fifths length of basal width, with longitudinal arris medially, apically. Juxta sub-quadrate, anterior margin concaved medially, longer than the basal width. Coremata developed. Aedeagus with pair of sclerotized tiny spines posteriorly. Cornuti absent from vesica. Female genitalia. Ovipositor not strongly sclerotized, covered with dense hairs. Lamella postvaginalis strongly sclerotized, curved posteriorly, with three lobes below, wrinkled anteriorly. Ductus bursae about three-fourths length of corpus bursae, weakly sclerotized posteriorly; colliculum short. Corpus bursae rounded, membranous; signum large, round, with twenty-three marginal spines, many radially distributed small, central teeth.

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to O. cordularia , but in O. brevispina the discal spots on both wings are smaller and the cleft of eight sternite of the male is tapered, whereas it is rounded in O. cordularia . In the male genitalia of O. brevispina , the median process of the gnathos is much thicker; the harpe is weak and narrow, the basal half is almost absent but present and strong in O. cordularia , the terminal process of the dorsal margin of the sacculus is much shorter in the present species. The ampulla is also differently shaped and less spinulose than in O. cordularia . In the female genitalia, the central teeth of the signum are smaller.

Material examined. Holotype, ɗ, CHINA: Gansu: Wenxian, Qiujiaba, 2250–2350 m, 29.VI.1998, coll. Zhang Xuezhong. Paratypes, 1Ψ, Gansu: Tianshui, VI.1990 ( IZCAS); 1ɗ, Beijing: Mentougou, Liyuanling, 22.VI.2001, coll. Xue Dayong ( IZCAS).

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin prefix brevi - and the word spinus, which means short and spinous, and refers to the apical processes of the dorsal margin of the sacculus.

Distribution. China (Beijing, Gansu).

Remarks. The number of marginal spines on the signum has not been quantified exactly, because we have only one female specimen of the species. This number is likely to vary intraspecifically.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 44. Adults of Ophthalmitis, habitus. 31 – 34. O. longiprocessa sp. nov. 31, male, holotype, upperside; 32, male, holotype, underside; 33, female, paratype, upperside; 34, female, paratype, underside; 35 – 38. O. brevispina sp. nov. 35, male, holotype, upperside; 36, male, holotype, underside; 37, female, paratype, upperside; 38, female, paratype, underside. 39 – 42. O. tumefacta sp. nov. 39, male, holotype, upperside; 40, male, holotype, underside; 41, female, paratype, upperside; 42, female, paratype, underside. 43 – 44. O. xanthypochlora. 43, male, upperside; 44, male, underside. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 51 – 56. Male genitalia of Ophthalmitis. 51, O. siniherbida; 52, O. cordularia; 53, O. longiprocessa sp. nov.; 54, O. brevispina sp. nov.; 55, O. tumefacta sp. nov.; 56, O. xanthypochlora. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 57 – 68. Aedeagus of Ophthalmitis. 57, O. albosignaria albosignaria; 58, O. pertusaria; 59, O. sinensium; 60, O. dissita sp. nov.; 61, O. irrorataria; 62, O. herbidaria; 63, O. siniherbida; 64, O. cordularia; 65, O. longiprocessa sp. nov.; 66, O. brevispina sp. nov.; 67, O. tumefacta sp. nov.; 68, O. xanthypochlora. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 69 – 80. Sternite 8 of male abdomen of Ophthalmitis. 69, O. albosignaria albosignaria; 70, O. pertusaria; 71, O. sinensium; 72, O. dissita sp. nov.; 73, O. irrorataria; 74, O. herbidaria; 75, O. siniherbida; 76, O. cordularia; 77, O. longiprocessa sp. nov.; 78, O. brevispina sp. nov.; 79, O. tumefacta sp. nov.; 80, O. xanthypochlora. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 81 – 90. Female genitalia of Ophthalmitis. 81, O. albosignaria albosignaria; 82, O. pertusaria; 83, O. sinensium; 84, O. irrorataria; 85, O. herbidaria; 86, O. siniherbida; 87, O. cordularia; 88, O. longiprocessa sp. nov.; 89, O. brevispina sp. nov.; 90, O. tumefacta sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.