Neochloroglyphica Han & Skou, 2019

Han, Hongxiang, Skou, Peder & Cheng, Rui, 2019, Neochloroglyphica, a new genus of Geometrinae from China (Lepidoptera, Geometridae), with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4571 (1), pp. 99-110 : 104-105

Neochloroglyphica Han & Skou , gen. nov.

Type species. Neochloroglyphica perbella Han & Skou , sp. nov.

Gender feminine.

Description. Head. Antennae shortly bipectinate, filiform at apex in male, filiform in female. Frons flattened, width similar to diameter of compound eyes. Labial palpus short, just extending beyond frons. Proboscis well developed. Chaetosemata small, with a few long setae. Vertex rough-scaled.

Thorax. Foreleg with well-developed epiphysis; tibial spurs absent. Midleg with one pair of terminal tibial spurs. Hind tibia with two pairs of spurs in both sexes, dilated in male with hair-pencil and a short terminal extension.

Wing shape. Apex of forewing blunt, that of hind wing rounded; outer margin of forewing slightly curved, that of hind wing forming a distinct protrusion at end of M 3 ( Figs 4, 5 ).

Venation ( Fig. 3): Frenulum developed. Forewing: R 1 free; R 2-5 arising before upper angle of cell; M 1 free; base of M 2 close to M 1, M 3 and CuA 1 separate; discocellulars deeply incurved between veins M 2 and M 3. Hind wing: Sc+R 1 close to upper vein of cell at one point near base; Rs and M 1 free, M 3 and CuA 1 separate; discocellulars deeply incurved between veins M 2 and M 3.

Male genitalia ( Figs 7 , 12 ). Uncus shortly digitiform, blunt terminally. Socii very long, expanded inwards at middle, narrow at base and tapering posteriorly. Gnathos with lateral arms longer than socii, medial process long, slender and pointed. Valva with middle part expanded, tip pointed with a tiny tooth; costal base with a stout hooked process, tip spinose; subventral margin strongly sclerotized at middle, appearing as a sclerotized ridge, with three or four tiny teeth posteriorly. Transtilla as a pair of slightly sclerotized processes. Juxta as a rounded sclerite, not developed. Saccus small, protruding. Coremata present, very weak. Aedeagus slender, posterior half sclerotized laterally, with a pointed tooth at tip.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 18 ). Ovipositor lobes sclerotized and smooth, not papillate. Apophyses posteriores about five times the length of apophyses anteriores. Lamella postvaginalis an irregular sclerotized region. Antrum developed. Ductus bursae short, wrinkled, broadened at middle. Corpus bursae large, rounded; signum a tiny process.

Etymology. The generic name references the close relation to the genus Chloroglyphica .

Diagnosis. On the wing pattern, Neochloroglyphica is most similar to the genus Neohipparchus Inoue. The transverse lines are much slenderer than in most species of Neohipparchus (such as N. vallata Butler , N. vervactoraria Oberthür , N. verjucodumnaria Oberthür and N. maculata Warren ), and lack the brown shading of the antemedial and postmedial lines. Compared to the type species of Neohipparchus , N. vallata Butler , the hind wing fringes of Neochloroglyphica only bear one brown tuft, whereas vallata has two. In the male genitalia, Neochloroglyphica is characterized within the Neohipparchini by the presence of a small spine on the tip of the valva. Neochloroglyphica has a small uncus, developed socii, and comparatively simple valvae. Compared to the type species of Neohipparchus ( Fig. 9 ), the uncus of Neochloroglyphica is quite small, but it is as large as the socii in N. vallata ; the costa lacks a spinose cluster but bears a hooked process; the ventral margin of the valva bears a sclerotized ridge and spines, which are lacking in N. vallata ; the lateral arms of the gnathos of Neochloroglyphica are much longer than those of N. vallata ; the male eighth tergite has two small hooked lateral processes in Neochloroglyphica , while N. vallata has three developed processes; sternite 8 in the male is deeply concave and Vshaped in Neochloroglyphica , but unmodified in N. vallata . Neochloroglyphica also can be distinguished from Chloroglyphica variegata (Butler) ( Fig. 8 ) and Chlororithra Butler ( Fig. 10 ) by the small uncus, different costal base and ventral margin. Neochloroglyphica shares a modified eighth segment with Chloroglyphica glaucochrista Prout and Chlororithra , but can be differentiated by the following differences: the eighth tergite is shallowly curved in the very broad middle part and bears two lateral processes in Neochloroglyphica ( Fig. 15 ), but two triangular processes are present in Chloroglyphica glaucochrista ( Fig. 16 ) and are curved in a semicircular curve in Chlororithra fea ( Fig. 17 ); the eighth sternite of Neochloroglyphica is less developed than in Chloroglyphica glaucochrista . In the female genitalia, Neochloroglyphica can be differentiated by the presence of the developed antrum.

Figures

FIGURES 4–10. FIGURES 4–5. Neochloroglyphica perbella gen. nov., sp. nov. 4, male, holotype, ZFMK; 5, female, paratype, IZCAS; 1.5x life size. FIGURE 6. Gongziding, Deqin, Yunnan, one type-locality of Neochloroglyphica perbella. FIGURES 7–10. Male genitalia of the Neohipparchini species. 7, Neochloroglyphica perbella, paratype; 8, Chloroglyphica variegata (Butler); 9, Neohipparchus vallata (Butler); 10, Chlororithra fea Butler. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 11–17. Male genitalia, aedeagus and the eighth segment of the Neohipparchini species. 11, Chloroglyphica glaucochrista glaucochrista (Prout); 12, Neochloroglyphica perbella, paratype; 13, Chloroglyphica glaucochrista glaucochrista (Prout), 14, Neohipparchus vallata (Butler); 15, Neochloroglyphica perbella, paratype; 16, Chloroglyphica glaucochrista glaucochrista (Prout); 17, Chlororithra fea Butler. Scale bars =1mm.

FIGURES 18–26. Female genitalia of the Neohipparchini species. 18, Neochloroglyphica perbella, paratype, scale bar = 1mm; 19, Chloroglyphica variegata (Butler); 20, Chloroglyphica glaucochrista glaucochrista (Prout); 21, Neohipparchus vallata (Butler); 22, Neohipparchus hypoleuca (Hampson), 23, Chlororithra fea Butler, 24, Mixochlora vittata (Moore), 25. Loxochila kina (Swinhoe), 26. Geometra glaucaria Ménétriés.