Nemophora bispina, 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 : 54-55

(55) Nemophora bifasciatella Issikii, 1930

(Plates VII-1, XVII-5, XXVI-3)

Nemophora bifasciatella Issiki, 1930: 431 (TL: Japan, Kawamata, Totigiken [= Kanto, Kinuonsen]; USNM): Issiki 1957: 13, pl. 2, fig. 32; Okano 1959: 277, pl. 183, fig. 17; Moriuti 1982: 55, pl. 1, fig. 36, pl. 236, fig. 1; Hirowatari 1995: 96, figs. 1–4, 9C, 10, 13E –G (review); Hirowatari 2013: 107, figs. 3-08-18,19,20; Sakagami 2022: 688, figs. 1–2.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished by the outer bluish-leaden transverse central fascia consecutive and apical yellow scales areas that are nearly round or oval. Additionally, the vinculum of the male genitalia is relatively slender, about 3.2 × as long as the valva.

Specimens examined. [Hunan] 2♀, Hongliansi, Daweishan, Liuyang City, 2018.VII.8–9, H. Xu & J.Y. Qiu leg.; 1♁, Mt.Tianpingshan, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City , 2018. VII.22–31, C.Q. Liao & S.Y. Liu leg. ; 3♁ 5♀, Mt. Tianpingshan, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City , 2019.VII.27–VIII.13, C.Q. Liao, M. Deng, B. Chen & S.J. Yi leg. ; 1♁, Mt. Tianpingshan, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City , 2020.VI.29, C.Q. Liao leg. ; 2♁ 1♀, Mt. Tianpingshan, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City , 2020.VII.16–20, C.Q. Liao & M. Deng leg. ; [Guangxi] 5♁, Damingshan (1,370 m), Nanning City , 1996.VIII.7, Y. Watanabe leg. ; [Sichuan] 2♁, Moxi Town, Luding County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , 2009.VII.20, G.H. Huang leg. ; 10♁, Yajiang County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , 2009.VII.22, G.H. Huang leg. ; 1♁, Gaoersishan Mt., Yajiang County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture , 2004.VII.5, M. Wang & L.S. Chen leg. ( HUNAU) .

Distribution. China (new record: Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan); Japan.

Remarks. This species ha been reported in the mountainous areas of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan (Issiki,1952; Okano 1959; Moriuti 1982; Hirowatari 1995, 2013), and has recently reported in China here and seems to have a wider distribution.

Hirowatari (1995) noted that the male adults may be swarming in the evening twilight above the flowers of Hydrangea paniculata (Hydrangeaceae) and considered that the plant may be utilized as a nectar resource and oviposition because of some females were also obtained from the flowers. Recently, Sakagami (2022) reported its oviposition behavior in the ovaries of Hydrangea serrata in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The first author (C.Q. Liao) also collected some male and female adults from Hydrangea sp. but did not observe oviposition behavior. More observations and rearing information are needed to verify the larval host in China.

Two DNA barcodes of N. bifasciatella specimens are generated and their sequences show no differences. These sequences are closest to N. bispina sp. nov., with a pairwise distances of 0.066.