Nemophora badagongshana 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 : 26-27

(21) Nemophora badagongshana Liao, Hirowatari & Huang , sp. nov.

(Plates II-7, XIII-5, XXII-2)

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CEA796AC-BB9B-45AB-8815-0D81FCDD08B7

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to N. aurifera but can be distinguished by the relatively large eyes (eye size index about 3.8); the short vinculum (about 2.1 × as long as valva); and the anterior part of suspensorium at the same level as the posterior margin of the vinculum in ventral view.

Description. Male. Forewing about 9.2 mm; wing expanse about 18.5 mm.

Vertex covered with brownish to brownish-red hairs; face with dark brown scales medially and brownish hairs around compound eyes. Eyes large, close to each other dorsally; eye size index about 3.8. Labial palpus relatively long, covered with brownish to dark brown scales and hairs; galeae with yellow scales laterally. Antenna slender, about 24.5 mm, 2.7 × forewing length; scape brown with purple metallic luster; basal 1/6 black and most remaining apical segments light brown. Legs black with brownish inner surface; each base of middle and hind tarsi yellow; hind tibiae with brown to dark brown long hairs. Thoracic dorsum yellow to brown and tegula black, both with bronze metallic luster. Forewing lanceolate, ground color dark brown to black, with purple metallic luster; middle part with a yellow transverse fascia, approximately equal in width but slightly narrow at posterior margin; subapical area scattered with a lot of yellow scales; cilia dark brown to black with bronze metallic luster. Hindwing and cilia dark brown to black, costal area slightly light color. Abdomen dark brown to black.

Female. Forewing about 8.7 mm, wing expanse about 18.0 mm. Eyes small, eye size index ca. 0.58. Antenna short, about 11.6 mm, ca. 1.3 × forewing length; basal half stout with thickened black scales except inner surface near head with purple sacles; apical half slender and smooth, gray white. Others similar to male.

Male genitalia. Uncus semicircle, slightly beyond apex of valva, with weak median keel. Vinculum relatively short, about 2.1 × as long as valva; posterior margin near straight. Valva nearly trapezoidal in ventral and lateral views, with pointed apex; inner margins slightly concaved, lateral margins almost straight with obviously process basally; sacculus expanding at base and forming arcuate process with dense long hairs, basal part slightly swollen ventrally and nearly half fused basally; suspensorium nearly quadrate anteriorly and expanding posteriorly, anterior part at same level with posterior margin of vinculum in ventral view. Transtilla approximately equal in width; median process moderate and pointed, with distinct wide base which is approximately equal the length of median process. Aedeagus slender; apical 2/5 curved dorsally; apical lobe concaved ventrally and expanded a slender lateral lobe; vesica with two rows of microtrichia dorsolaterally. Juxta arrow-shaped; arrow-head broad, lateral arms slender.

Holotype. [Hunan] ♁, Mt. Tianpingshan, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City , 2021.V.1–2, C.Q. Liao leg. ( HUNAU).

Paratypes. [Hunan] 1♁ 2♀, same data as holotype ; 2♀, Huangliantai Village, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve , Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City, 2021.IV.30, C.Q. Liao leg. ( HUNAU) .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Badagongshan National Nature Reserve.

Distribution. China (Hunan).

Remarks. This species usually occurs in late April to May.

A DNA barcode of one N. badagongshana sp. nov. specimen is generated. This species was closest to two unidentificated German Nemophora species (GMGMK882, GMGMK898), with 4.6% pairwise distances. The phylogenetic tree shows N. badagongshana sp. nov. and N. aurifera appeared to be as monophyletic with a moderate bootstrap value (68%).