Nemophora hunanensis Liao, Hirowatari & 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 : 34

(32) Nemophora hunanensis Liao, Hirowatari & Huang , sp. nov.

(Plates III-5, XIV-5)

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C1878949-1EBA-4ED8-B874-A5B99D60611B

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to N. purpurata sp. nov. but can be distinguished by the following characters: the transverse central fascia of the forewing is approximately equal in width and slightly narrow at the posterior margin; the valva of male genitalia is distinctly broad, with truncated apex and nearly straight lateral bases; the median process has a distinct wide base that is approximately equal to the length of the median process; and the anterior part of suspensorium is far beyond the posterior margin of the vinculum.

Description. Male. Forewing about 7.4 mm; wing expanse about 16.0 mm.

Vertex covered with brownish to brownish-red hairs; face with dark brown scales medially and brownish hairs around compound eyes. Eyes small, far away to each other dorsally; eye size index about 1.2. Labial palpus moderate in length, covered with brownish scales and hairs; galeae with yellow scales laterally. Antenna slender, about 22.5 mm, 3.0 × forewing length; scape brown with purple metallic luster; basal 1/6 black and most remaining apical segments light brown. Legs dark brown, with bronze metallic luster; base of tarsi brownish yellow; hind tibiae with brown to black long hairs. Thoracic dorsum and tegula brownish to dark brown, with bronze metallic luster. Forewing lanceolate, relatively broad, length about 2.7 × width; ground color dark brown to black, with blight purple metallic luster; basal 1/3 with an orange transverse fascia bordered on both sides by black bands, slightly wider at middle and narrowest at posterior margin; outer area not far away central fascia with an inconspicuous black transverse band; disc of apical area with bright purple metallic luster, scattered with numerous black scales; cilia dark brown to black with purple metallic luster. Hindwing and cilia dark brown to black, costal area slightly light color. Abdomen dark brown to black.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia. Uncus semicircle, not beyond apex of valva, with weak median keel. Vinculum relatively slender, about 2.9 × as long as valva; posterior margin distinctly arched posteriorly. Valva nearly trapezoidal in ventral and lateral views, with broad truncated apex; inner margins straight, lateral margins obviously protruded basally; sacculus expanding and forming angular process at middle part, basal part slightly swollen ventrally and nearly half fused basally; suspensorium nearly quadrate anteriorly and expanding posteriorly, anterior part far beyond posterior margin of vinculum in ventral view. Transtilla approximately equal in width; median process long and pointed, with distinct wide base which is approximately equal the length of median process. Aedeagus slender; basal 1/5 curved dorsally; apical lobe concaved ventrally and with irregular serrations at periphery; vesica with two rows of microtrichia dorsolaterally. Juxta arrow-shaped; arrow-head broad, lateral arms slender.

Holotype. [Hunan] ♁, Wuyunjie Village, Wuyunjie National Nature Reserve, Taoyuan County, Changde City , 2020.VI.3-9, C.Q. Liao leg. ( HUNAU).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality of this species, Hunan Province, China.

Distribution. China (Hunan).

Remarks. We have collected two specimens from Wuyunjie National Nature Reserve and preserved respective molecular material (see Table 1). Due to the losing of the specimen from Zhushan Village, this species was described based on a single male specimen from Wuyunjie Village of Wuyunjie National Nature Reserve.

Two DNA barcodes for N. hunanensis sp. nov. are generated, and their sequences show no differences. This species is closest to N. purpurata sp. nov. (pairwise distances: 0.025 –0.028). The phylogenetic tree also shows that these two species (four specimens) formed a monophyletic clade, with a strong bootstrap value (98%).