Nemophora latilobula, Liao & Hirowatari & Yagi & Wang & Wang & Huang, 2023

Liao, Cheng-Qing, Hirowatari, Toshiya, Yagi, Sadahisa, Wang, Min, Wang, Xing & Huang, Guo-Hua, 2023, The fauna of the family Adelidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Adeloidea) from China, Zootaxa 5348 (1), pp. 1-152 : 49-50

(50) Nemophora optima ( Butler, 1878)

(Plates VI-2, XVI-6)

Adela optima Butler, 1878: 62 , pl. 40, fig. 6 (TL: Japan, Yokohama; BMNH).

Nemotois optima: Meyrick 1912a: 9 ; Meyrick 1912b: 7; Matsumura 1932: 126.

Nemophora optima: Kuroko 1961a: 49 , pl. 5; Moriuti 1982: 1: 55, 2: pl. 1, fig. 34; Hirowatari 2005a: 327, fig. 1M (Ryukyus, Japan); Hirowatari 2013: 107, fig. 3-08-11,12 ( Japan).

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from other Nemophora species by the 5–6 black-margined silver-gray transverse stripes forming three lines at the basal 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 of the forewing. In addition, this species has unique morphological characters as follows: the apex of the uncus is curved ventrally; the valva has a distinct broad apex; the anterior part of the suspensorium is at the same level as the posterior margin of the vinculum in ventral view; and the vesica of aedeagus has a pair of slender cornuti dorsolaterally.

Specimen examined. [ Sichuan] 1♁, Hongshi Park, Gonggashan National Nature Reserve , Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , 2016.VI.26, J.Y. Qiu & H. Xu leg. ( HUNAU) .

Distribution. China (new record: Sichuan); Japan.

Remarks. This species has been reported from many areas in Japan, but it is still very rare because few specimens have been collected. In this paper, this species was reported as a newly recorded species in China. Kuroko (1961) described the forewing pattern and male and female genitalia, and Hirowatari (2005a) also reported this species in the Ryukyus, Japan. For biological information, it can be determined that the adults fly at dusk and the female oviposit in the flower buds of Ligustrum japonicum Thunb. (Olaeaceae) ( Sasaki et al. 2017).

One DNA barcode of N. optima from Japan is generated and this sequence is closest to a sequence of an unidentified Nemophora species (LCQ065, pairwise distances: 0.054).

3.12 Nemophora fluorites species group

Diagnosis. This species group can be distinguished by the following characters: the forewing base has some basal longitudinal striae; a pair of black-margined leaden transverse fasciae are approximated at the middle to form an X-shaped mark at the postdiscal area; the subapical area of the forewing is uniformly yellow, at most scattered with some black scales; and the suspensorium is large, far beyond the posterior margin of the vinculum.

Remarks. This species group consists of four species, two of which are described as new species, namely N. latilobula sp. nov. and N. longispina sp. nov., in this paper. Among them, the distribution range of N. fluorites is the widest, from the west to Assam in India and the east to Taiwan in China. N. tanakai overlapped with the former in large areas of the distribution range. According to Hirowatari (2007) and collection by the authors here, these two species occur sympatrically to a great extent. N. latilobula sp. nov. is very restricted in distribution, whereas it is relatively widespread in N. longispina sp. nov. including central China. In terms of morphological features, the two new species seem to be different from the former two, especially the obvious small eyes in male and the unique male genitalia. For example, N. latilobula sp. nov. has distinctly rounded and broad valva, and N. longispina sp. nov. presents some extremely slender and developed spines in the apical part of the aedeagus dorsally, which may be their special autapomorphies. However, we still treated these two new species as members of the fluorites group because of the obvious basal longitudinal striae and X-shaped central fasciae of the forewing.

Key to species of the fluorites group based on external morphology

1 Pair of forewing central fasciae connected in middle; male eyes extremely large, eye size index more than 4..... N. fluorites

- Pair of forewing central fasciae not connected in middle; male eyes relatively small or very small, eye size index less than 3.................................................................................................... 2

2 Subapical yellow area of forewing with distinctly wide black frame; male eyes relatively large, eye size index about 2.6................................................................................................. N. tanakai

- Subapical yellow area of forewing without distinct frame; male eyes very small, eye size index less than 0.6............. 3

3 Forewing obviously narrow with about 3.7 times as long as width; subapical yellow area almost without black scales......................................................................................... .. N. latilobula sp. nov.

- Forewing obviously broad with about 3.2 times as long as width; subapical yellow area scattered with a vast of black scales................................................................................... N. longispina sp. nov.

Key to species of the fluorites group based on male genitalia

1 Valva obviously rounded with blunt apex; vinculum narrowly tapered with pointed apex; aedeagus slender and straight........................................................................................ N. latilobula sp. nov.

- Valva typically triangular with pointed apex; vinculum broad and rounded; aedeagus relatively short and stout, basal part curved dorsally........................................................................................2

2 Uncus quadrate, posterior part extremely curved to the inside ventrally; aedeagus with large spines apically................................................................................................. N. longispina sp. nov.

- Uncus triangular, posterior part slightly oblique ventrally; aedeagus without large spines apically...................... 3

3 Posterior margin of vinculum with a circular membranous window area medially.......................... .. N. fluorites

- Posterior margin of vinculum without a circular membranous window area................................. N. tanakai