Lethe sisii Lang & Monastyrskii

Lang, Song-Yun & Monastyrskii, Alexander L., 2016, Description of two new species of the Lethe manzorum - group (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) from China, Zootaxa 4103 (5), pp. 453-462 : 454-455

Lethe sisii Lang & Monastyrskii sp. nov.

(Figs: 7, 8, 17, 18, 25c, 27)

Lethe manzora [sic]: Chou, 1994. Monographia Rhopalocerorum Sinensium, vol. 1, p. 342, figs. 5 ♂ upperside/underside (Jiangxi).

Lethe monilifera: Wang & Zhao, 2000 . Lep. China 5, Satyridae , p. 52, figs. ♂(Sichuan Tianquan), ♂ (underside).

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Sichuan, Ebian, Heizhugou, 1800–2000 m, 16.VII.2014, leg. S-y. Lang (LSY); Paratypes: 13 ♂♂, same locality and habitats as holotype, 16–18.VII.2014, legs. Yi Lang & S-y. Lang (LSY); 1 ♂, CHINA: Sichuan, Qingcheng-shan, 12.VII.1991, leg. Hao Huang (HH); 1 ♂, CHINA: [Chongqing], ginfu [Nanchuan, Mt. Jifoshan], 1400 m, JUL 17 1932, leg. Wang ( CMNH); 1 ♀, CHINA: ditto, 1600 m, JUL 31 1932, leg. Wang ( CMNH); 1 ♀, CHINA: Chongqing, Simian-shan, Dawopu, 1000 m, 7.VII.2015, leg. Si-yao Huang (HSY); 1 ♂, CHINA: Gansu, Kangxian, Qinghe, 1200 m, 30.VI.2015, leg. Zi-hao Liu (LZH); 2 ♀♀, CHINA: Shaanxi, Fengxian, Xiaonan-gou, 1500 m, 3–4 VIII.2015, leg. Si-yao Huang (HSY); 1 ♀, CHINA: Hubei, Wufeng, Houhe, VIII.2013, leg. Hao Huang (HH).

Description. ♂ Forewing length: 29.5–31 mm. Forewing strongly elongated towards the apex. Upperside: ground color greyish brown; forewing postdiscal band with the paler outer border vestigial; forewing yellow subapical spots in cells M1 and M2 present; forewing with a weak and slender orange marginal line; hindwing postdiscal spots with the yellowish iris narrower and separated from each other by veins. Underside: ground color pale brown with markings similar to those of L. manzorum ; reddish fasciae and bars narrow.

Male genitalia. (Figs: 17, 18, 25c) Uncus: very long and strongly bent downwards. Gnathos: base normal in width, then gradually tapering towards the end; it is bent downwards near the base, and bent upwards near the apex. Valva: apical part elongated distally as a tongue-shaped lobe; apex more or less rounded; dorsal edge weakly humped in apical half; central part of ventral edge angular.

♀ Forewing length: 33–34 mm. Similar to male. Upperside: forewing postdiscal band with well visible outer yellowish border which is vestigial in male. Underside: the same as in male.

Diagnosis. L. sisii may be distinguished from L. manzorum by the combination of the following characters: a) upper surface of forewing with paler outer markings of postdiscal band vestigial, but prominent in L. manzorum ; b) upper surface of hindwing with series of yellow ringed submarginal slender spots separated from each other; these spots somewhat wider and confluent in L. manzorum ; c) under surface of both wings with reddish fasciae and bars much narrower than in L. manzorum (e.g. width of hindwing postdiscal fasciae in space 3: 0.9–1.0 mm in this new species, 1.5–1.6 mm in manzorum ); d) uncus longer than that in L. manzorum ; e) gnathos bent downwards near the base, whereas it is bent upwards in L. manzorum ; f) apical part of valva much more elongated than that in L. manzorum .

Etymology. The specific name sisii is named after Mr. Si Si from Chengdu, a good friend of the first author.

Distribution. China (Sichuan, Chongqing, SE Gansu, S. Shaanxi, Hubei, Jiangxi).