Urodeta jurateae, Sruoga & Rocienė, 2018

Sruoga, Virginijus & Rocienė, Agnė, 2018, Three new species of Elachistidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) from India, Zootaxa 4394 (4), pp. 575-585 : 578-581

Urodeta jurateae , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 7–15 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, India, Uttarakhand, Dehradun district, Rishikesh , 30°07’40.01”N 78°19’03.9”E, 450 m, 22.viii.2010, V. Sruoga leg. Gen . prep. VS471 (LEU). Paratype: 1 ♀, same label as holotype. Gen. prep. VS470 (LEU).

Diagnosis. Urodeta jurateae is a small, pale-coloured species. In wing pattern and male genitalia, the new species is comparable to U. cuSpidiS Sruoga & De Prins, 2011, known from Cameroon. However, U. jurateae can be distinguished most easily by a group of large cornuti instead of a single one as in U. cuSpidiS. The strongly sclerotized paired plate on the dorsal wall in the female genitalia is very distinctive and separates U. jurateae from all other Urodeta species.

Male ( Figs. 7–8 ). Forewing length 2.9 mm; wingspan 6.5 mm (n=1). Head: Frons creamy white, some scales with greyish brown tips; vertex and neck tuft creamy white, some scales with greyish brown tips; labial palpus short and straight, about 0.5 times as long as width of head, greyish brown above, creamy white below; scape broader than flagellum, covered with creamy white scales with greyish brown tips, without pecten; flagellum pale brown, without clear annulations. Thorax, tegula and forewing strongly mottled with scales basally creamy white and distally greyish brown; two blurred blackish brown spots transversally arranged just before middle of wing; fringe creamy white. Hindwing and its fringe brownish grey.

Female. Forewing length 2.9 mm; wingspan 6.5 mm (n=1). Similar to male, but flagellum thinner.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 9–13 ). Uncus short, posterior margin weakly sclerotized. Basal arms of gnathos weakly sclerotized, spinose knob of gnathos small, slightly ovate. Valva short and broad; costa straight; ventral margin of sacculus convex, distally strongly concave, forming sharp angle when meeting cucullus; cucullus narrow and short, apex with small upcurved spine; inner processes of valva fused apically, weakly sclerotized, with few thin setae. Ventral shield of juxta with strongly sclerotized median ridge, juxta lobes twice as long as wide, with few short setae near apex. Vinculum U-shaped, narrow, strongly sclerotized. Phallus fused to juxta, longer than valva, slightly bent, gradually tapered towards pointed apex, which is s-shaped in lateral view; insertion of ductus ejaculatorius dorsally directed; caecum small; paired dorsal carina palmate; vesica with about 15 large cornuti of varying size.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 14–15 ). Papillae anales short, with scattered long setae; posteriorly with zone of very short setae mixed with longer ones. Apophyses posteriores very short. Tergum 8 very short, not sclerotized, apophyses anteriores weakly sclerotized except their apices, extending from central part of segment and spreading apart laterad. Ostium bursae situated in membrane between sterna 7 and 8, dorsal wall with large strongly sclerotized paired plate. Antrum short, broader than deep, weakly sclerotized, with minute internal spines, posterior margin convex, gradually tapered anteriorly. Colliculum slightly longer than antrum, not sclerotized, with dense internal spines. Ductus bursae about 3.5 times longer than width of sclerotised plate on dorsal wall, membranous, without internal spines. Corpus bursae without signum or internal spines.

Biology. Unknown.

Flight period. Based on the specimens available, adults fly at the end of August.

Distribution. So far this species is known only from northern India ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology. The species is named after Jurate De Prins, who has made significant contributions to our knowledge of the genus Urodeta .

Remarks. The head in the holotype is somewhat rubbed. The paratype is in poor condition; the forewings and head are somewhat rubbed. Therefore the description of external characters is approximate.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Elachistinae species in India. A, Elachista antipetra Meyrick, 1922, E. heteroplaca Meyrick, 1934, E. strepens Meyrick, 1922, E. leucosyrma Meyrick, 1932, E. stichospora Meyrick, 1932; B, E. caelebs Meyrick, 1933, Haplophylax paraphanes Meyrick, 1932; C, Elachista endobela Meyrick, 1926, E. quadrata Meyrick, 1932; D, E. brachyplectra Meyrick, 1921, E. spiculifera Meyrick, 1922; E, E. confirmata Meyrick, 1931; F, E. nearcha Meyrick, 1910; G, E. arcuata, sp. nov., Urodeta jurateae, sp. nov., U. pectena, sp. nov.

FIGURES 7–10. Urodeta jurateae sp. nov., holotype. 7, adult male. Scale bar 1 mm; 8, head, latero-frontal view; 9, male genitalia, lateral view; 10, same, ventral view.In glycerol before permanent mounting in Euparal.

FIGURES11–13. Male genitalia of Urodetajurateae sp. nov., holotype.11, general view; 12, gnathos; 13,cornuti. Gen.prep. VS471. Scale bar 0.1 mm.

FIGURES14–15. Female genitalia of Urodetajurateae sp. nov., paratype.14, caudal part; 15, ductus and corpus bursae.Gen. prep.VS470.Scale bar 0.1 mm.