Nemophora longiuga Sun & Li, 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 : 55

(56) Nemophora longiuga Sun & Li, 2023

(Plates VII-2, XVII-6, XXVII-1)

Nemophora longiuga Sun & Li, 2023: 487 , figs. 2, 3, 8, 11 (TL: China, Sichuan, Wenchuan ; NKU).

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to N. longissima but can be distinguished by the following characters: the relatively short forewing with a length of about 3.6 × width, but distinctly slender with ca. 4.2 × width in N. longissima ; the apical part of aedeagus has some developed big spines dorsally, but one long and slender keel in N. longissima ; and the valva is bilobate, but simple in N. longissima .

Description. Male. Forewing 4.6–5.0 mm; wing expanse 10.0– 10.8 mm.

Head with raised yellow to brown hairs; face with smooth brown scales. Eyes small, widely separated dorsally; eye size index about 0.58. Labial palpus moderate in length, with yellow to brown hairs; galeae covered with brown scales laterally. Antenna smooth, basal 1/3 dark brown; apical part silvery white; 16.2–18.8 mm, 3.5–3.7 times as long as forewing. Legs brown to dark brown; hind tibia brownish, covered with long light brown hairs. Tegula and thorax (dorsum) dark brown with purple metallic luster. Forewing yellow to brown with light golden luster; base to basal 2/5 with three longitudinal black-margined fascia at costal, median and dorsal area, respectively; a pair of black-margined bluish-leaden transverse fasciae present at postdiscal area, but the outer fascia separated at middle by yellowish scales which continue from yellowish transverse band between the fasciae forming long radial marking subapically; apical part black with golden metallic luster at outer margin; vein R 4 stalked with R 3 at basal 1/6. Hindwing dark brown; Rs stalked with M 1 at middle. Abdomen dark brown to black.

Female. Forewing 4.2–4.3 mm; wingspan 9.0– 9.5 mm. Eye size index about 0.53. Antenna 1.3–1.4 times as long as forewing, entirely slender.

Male genitalia. Uncus relatively long, with a weak median keel. Vinculum moderate in length, about 3.3 times as long as valva. Valvae triangular, ventral base completely fused; costa split and extending a nearly rectangular lobe basally; sacculus basally slightly swollen, covered with dense hairs; suspensorium triangular, anterior part distinct beyond posterior margin of vinculum. Transtilla slightly narrow in middle part; median process very long and pointed. Aedeagus stout and straight; apical 1/4 with a patch of big spines and a distinctly large spine dorsally; manica with a patch of minute spines and a long keel dorsally. Juxta arrow-shaped; arrow-head shovel-like.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor pointed, with two distinct teeth ventroposteriorly. Apophyses posteriores and anteriores of subequal in length, relatively slender, 2.2 times as long as the 7th tergite. Vestibulum relatively large; vestibular lamella well-developed, subquadrate in ventral view. Bursa copulatrix short, membranous.

Specimens examined. [Sichuan] 6♁ 4♀, Longchi (900 m), Dujiangyan City, 2017.VI.14–16, G.H. Huang & M. Wang leg. (HUNAU); 1♁, Longchi (900 m), Dujiangyan City, 2017.VI.15, G.H. Huang & M. Wang leg. ; 2♁ 1♀, Shimian County (2,050 m), Ya’an City , 2016.VII.10, T.T. Yu leg. ; 7♁, Xilingxueshan (1,320 m), Dayi County, Chengdu City, 1996.VIII.3–7, Y. Watanabe leg. ( HUNAU, ELKU) .

Distribution. China (Sichuan).

Remarks. This species is endemic to partial areas of Sichuan province, China, but we consider that it should have a larger distribution range in medium and high elevation mountains based on its known distribution and altitude information.

One DNA barcode of N. longiuga is generated and this sequence is closest to N. fluorites (pairwise distances: 0.049).