Aroriella, Ahmad & Yakovlev & Joshi & Müller & Singh, 2024

Ahmad, Jalil, Yakovlev, Roman V., Joshi, Rahul, Müller, Günter C. & Singh, Navneet, 2024, A new genus and two new species of Cossidae (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea) from India and Pakistan, Zootaxa 5538 (5), pp. 473-478 : 474

Genus Aroriella gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7D24263C-53B3-44C6-A7EC-F9267A337C30

Type species: Aroriella gobardhani sp. nov.

Description. Male. Medium-sized moths. Antenna with tiny denticles (slightly shorter than the antenna stem in diameter). Forewing light-grey with fine dark wavy pattern, hindwing light-grey without pattern.

Male genitalia. Uncus relatively short, with a wide semicircular apex; gnathos arms of medium size; gnathos well structured, apically covered with tiny spikes; valva of complicated configuration, cup-like, apically membranous, mid costal process bifurcated into a proximal, smaller process and a distal larger process, the latter is in form of semicircular transverse plate and almost attached to the inner surface of valva; transtilla process of medium length, apically acute; juxta with developed lateral processes; saccus semicircular, robust; phallus approximately equal to the valva in length, vesica aperture slit-like, in dorso-apical position, about half of the phallus in vesica without cornuti.

Female unknown.

Diagnosis. Externally (in the light-grey wings without a brown pattern) the new genus is most closely similar to the genus Neurocossus Yakovlev, 2011 (type species: Paracossus khmer Yakovlev, 2004 , by original designation) from which it differs in the following characters:

—The specimens of Neurocossus have more or less expressed dark dots along the forewing veins (in the new genus, the forewing has poorly developed pattern of strokes);

—The relatively flat valva (in the new genus, the valva is cup-like);

—The costal side of the valva is almost smooth (in the new genus, the valva is of a complicated shape, see the species descriptions below);

—The small saccus (the saccus in the new genus is robust).

In the complicated structure of the valva, the new genus is also closely similar to Pygmeocossus Yakovlev, 2005 (type species: Pygmeocossus tonga Yakovlev, 2005 , by original designation) from which it differs in the following characters:

—The specimens of Pygmeocossus have the forewing with a modified pattern (in the new genus, there is a simple pattern of lines)

—The apical end of valva is split (in the new genus, the apex of the valva is completely membranous);

—The transtilla process is very long (almost equal to valva in length), thin, almost straight (in the new genus, the transtilla process is curved, short, relatively thick).

Distribution. The genus is so far known from Bihar ( India) and Sindh Province ( Pakistan).

Composition. Two species described herein.

Etymology. The generic name is taken from the name of Dr. G.S. Arora, a retired scientist of the Zoological Survey of India, who did extensive work on Indian Cossidae .