Herpetogramma brachyacantha Wan, Lu & Du

Lu, Xiao-Qiang, Wan, Ji-Ping & Du, Xi-Cui, 2019, Three new species of Herpetogramma Lederer (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) from China, ZooKeys 865, pp. 67-85 : 75-77

Herpetogramma brachyacantha Wan, Lu & Du sp. nov. Figs 9 , 10 , 26-30

Type material.

Holotype. ♂, pinned, with genitalia in a separate slide. China, Sichuan: Anzihe Nature Reserve, 30°N, 1312 m, 15.VII.2016, leg. Ji-Ping Wan, genitalia slide no.: WJP17421. Paratype. China: Sichuan: 69 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Anzihe Nature Reserve, 1312 m, 11-16.VII.2016, leg. Ji-Ping Wan; 1 ♀, Anzihe Nature Reserve, 1690 m, 5.VIII.2015, leg. Xi-Cui Du; 21 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀, Ya’an, Baoxing, Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, 2180 m, 1-3.VIII.2016, leg. Ji-Ping Wan; 4 ♂♂, Yingjing, Longcanggou, 1610 m, 18-20.VI.2016, leg. Jian-Yue Qiu; 3 ♀♀, Mabian, Yonghong, 1500 m, 23.VII.2004, leg. Ying-Dang Ren (NKU); 1 ♂, Tianquan, Xiaorenyan 1042 m, 9.VII.2012, leg. Jing-Wei Li. Genitalia slide no.: DXC06542, WJP17368, WJP17369, WJP17373, WJP17375, WJP17376, WJP17377, WJP17378, WJP17379, WJP17387, WJP17388, WJP17425.

Diagnosis.

The species is similar to H. longispina sp. nov. and H. magna (Butler). It can be distinguished from them by its wing pattern, which is not as distinct as those of the latter two species. In the male genitalia, its uncus is thinner than that of H. longispina and thicker than that of H. magna ; its cornuti are the shortest, ca. 1/9 of the length of the phallus, while in the latter two species, they are ca. 1/4 of the phallus length. In the female genitalia, the corpus bursae are slightly narrowed posteriorly and the boundary is distinct between ductus bursae and corpus bursae in this species and H. magna , while the corpus bursae is sharply narrowed posteriorly and the boundary is indistinct between the ductus bursae and corpus bursae in H. longispina .

Description

Adult ( Figs 9 , 10 ). Forewing length 13.5-15.5 mm (wingspan 31.0-35.0 mm). Frons rounded. Vertex with erect dark brown scales. Antenna brown, male antenna with ventral cilia ca. half as long as diameter of flagellomere. Labial palpus obliquely upturned, basal 2/3 white and distal 1/3 fuscous. Thorax and abdomen dark brown dorsally, silvery white ventrally. Legs silvery white, fore tibia brown distally. Wings brown tinged with faint yellow, lines and spots dark brown and slightly indistinct in female. Forewing with orbicular spot and reniform discoidal spot, faint yellow between orbicular spot and discoidal spot. Antemedial line indistinct, postmedial line from 2/3 of costa, straight to M1, excurved and pointedly serrated from M1 to CuA2, then sharply incurved, and nearly vertical to inner margin below posterior angle of cell, adjoined by a serrated light-yellow line outside. Hindwing with pattern of postmedial line similar to forewing, discoidal spot reniform. Cilia of wings brown, white along anal angle of hindwing.

Male genitalia

( Figs 26-28 ). Uncus basiconic, distal 1/3 bearing dorsal setae, apex slightly blunt. Valva elongate lingulate, densely ciliated and bearing a lamellate basal projection ( Fig. 27 ). Juxta cupped, with posterior margin concave and protruding posterolaterally. Saccus subtriangular, short and broad, pointed distally. Phallus cylindrical; a cluster of short spinose cornuti gathered to subfusiform, ca. 1/9 length of phallus ( Fig. 28 ).

Male genitalia

( Figs 29 , 30 ). Apophysis anterioris ca. twice length of apophysis posterioris. Ductus bursae short, ca. 1/3 length of corpus bursae; colliculum near base of ductus bursae. Boundary distinct between ductus bursae and corpus bursae. Corpus bursae nearly pear-shaped, slightly narrowed posteriorly, with shallow depression at basal 1/3. Signum nearly square, near to depression on corpus bursae, slightly depressed along diagonal axis ( Fig. 30 ).

Etymology.

The specific name, brachyacantha , is derived from the Greek words brachys (meaning ‘short’), ake (meaning ‘thorn’) and anthos (meaning ‘flower’), in reference to a cluster of short spinose cornuti in male genitalia.

Distribution.

China (Sichuan).

Figures

Figures 3 - 12. Habitus of Herpetogramma species 3, 4 H. biconvexa sp. nov. 3 male, holotype 4 female, paratype 5, 6 H. rudis 5 male 6 female 7, 8 H. longispina sp. nov. 7 male, holotype 8 female, paratype 9, 10 H. brachyacantha sp. nov. 9 male, holotype 10 female, paratype 11, 12 H. magna 11 male 12 female.

Figures 21 - 35. Genitalia of Herpetogramma species. 21 - 25 H. longispina sp. nov.: 21 - 23 male, holotype, genitalia slide no. WJP 17418 24, 25 female, paratype, genitalia slide no. WJP 17370 26 - 30 H. brachyacantha sp. nov.: 26 - 28 male, holotype, genitalia slide no. WJP 17421 29, 30 female, paratype, genitalia slide no. WJP 17379 31 - 35 H. magna: 31 - 33 male, genitalia slide no. WJP 17423 34, 35 female, genitalia slide no. WJP 17416 22, 27, 32 lamellate protuberance on base of valva 23, 28, 33 cornuti in male genitalia 25, 30, 35 signum of female genitalia.