Nemophora bispina 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 : 74-75

(95) Nemophora bispina Liao, Hirowatari & Huang , sp. nov.

(Plates VIII-11, XX-3)

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:974E69FF-BD21-49ED-8749-EE742E7E2EEA

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to N. violellus ( Stainton, 1851) based on the dominant eyes and uniformly brown to black ground color of forewing. But it can be distinguished by the following characters: 1) basal 1/7 of the antenna black and apical part black and white alternating; 2) dark brown to black hairs mixed with some whitish on vertex; 3) valva narrow and triangular, with small digitate process on each lateral base; 4) vinculum relatively long, about 3.4 × as long as valva; and 5) phallus with a pair of long sclerotized spines apically.

Description. Male. Forewing about 7.2 mm; wing expanse about 15.3 mm.

Head covered with raised dark brown to black hairs, mixed with some whitish hairs on vertex. Eyes very large, widely separated to each other dorsally; eye size index about 6.5. Labial palpus very long, ca. 1.9 × vertical eye diameter, covered with long black hairs mixed with some relative shorter whitish hairs. Galeae long, covered with dark brown scales laterally at base. Antenna slender, 17.2–18.8 mm, about 2.6 × forewing length; basal 1/7 with black and rough scales, apical part smooth, black and white alternating. Thorax dark brown with metallic golden luster. Legs dark brown to black; tarsi with white ring at each base. Forewing lanceolate, length about 3.1 times of width; ground color dark brown to black uniformly, with metallic golden and purple luster, especially apical part; cilia black with purple luster; vein R 3 separated with R 4. Hindwing dark brown, apical part black; cilia dark brown; vein Rs stalked with M 1 at basal 1/3. Abdomen dark brown to black with black.

Male genitalia. Uncus arched with a blunt median keel. Vinculum long and slender, about 3.4 × as long as valva. Valva narrow triangular in ventral view, with slightly pointed apex; each base with a dominant process laterally; sacculus completely fused to each other medially; suspensorium rounded, anterior part far beyond posterior margin of vinculum in ventral view. Transtilla narrow in median parts and broad in lateral parts; median process slender and pointed. Aedeagus long and straight, approximately 0.94 × vinculum length; apical 1/4 of manica with a pair of long sclerotized spines dorsolaterally. Juxta arrow-shaped; arrow-head wide, with widely rounded tip and wide short lateral arms.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype. [Hunan] 1♁, Mangshan National Nature Reserve, Yizhang County, Chenzhou City , 2020.V.10, C.Q. Liao & M. Deng leg. ( HUNAU).

Paratype. [Guangdong] 1♁, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Shaoguan City , 2006.V.31–VI.6, L.S. Chen leg. ( HUNAU) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin bi- (double) and spina (spine), referring to the two large spines of the phallus.

Distribution. China (Hunan, Guangdong).

Remarks. This species seems to belong to the fasciella species group because of the similar appearances, such as rather large eyes, long and densely hairy labial palpi, and uniform ground color of forewing. But the unique pair of long sclerotized spines of the phallus show a peculiar status of this species. Thus, we have temporarily designated this new species as an incertae sedis species which is close to the fasciella species group.

One DNA barcode of N. bispina sp. nov. is generated, and this sequence is closest to two N. fasciella specimens both with 0.048 of pairwise distances.