Telethera declivimarginata, Zheng & Qi & Li, 2020

Zheng, Meiling, Qi, Mujie & Li, Houhun, 2020, A study on Roeslerstammiidae (Lepidoptera) in the Insect Collection of Nankai University (NKU), with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4728 (3), pp. 372-380 : 377-379

Telethera declivimarginata sp. nov.

( Figs 5–6 , 10 , 15 )

Type material. CHINA: Holotype ♂, Yunnan Province: Xiaoheishan Nature Reserves (24.52°N, 98.84°E), Longling County, 1974 m, 28.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai, genitalia slide No. ZML 18432.

Paratypes: Yunnan Province: 1 ♂, 27.vii.2015, genitalia slide No. ZML 17010 , other data same as holotype ; 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Nankang Management Station (24.82°N, 98.78°E), Baoshan City, 2009 m, 16–17.vii.2015, leg. Kaijian Teng and Xia Bai, genitalia slide Nos. ZML 17005 ♀, ZML 17006 ♂.

Description. Adult ( Figs 5–6 ) wingspan 13.0–14.0 mm.

Head vertex densely covered with black hairs mottled with white to faint yellow. Frons shining dark-grey. Each compound eye partially divided by a triangle scaled projection on posterior margin. Labial palpus slightly upcurved, second and third segments equal length, both dark brown, sometimes speckled with white scales on inner surface, each segment equipped with pale yellow scales apically. Antenna filiform, longer than forewing; dorsal surface ocherous; ventral surface: scape inflated, pale yellow, pecten black; flagellum greyish-white (sometimes slightly serrated), male possesses dense short ciliae.

Thorax dark brown, with two white spots sinuating at forefront of lateral margins respectively, middle 1/2 decorated with two wedge-shaped yellowish-brown markings laterally. Tegula dark brown. Forewing lanceolate, dark brown, shining with dark-purple luster, dorsum with basal 3/10 white, edged with black outline, distal 7/10 pale yellowish brown, lying three triangle white spots next to each other; fringe blackish-grey. Hindwing and fringe pale grey. Fore and mid legs with coxae and femora dark brown, tibias dark brown on dorsal surface, yellowish-brown on ventral surface, foreleg with basal two segments of tarsus dark brown dorsally and yellowish-white ventrally, ringed with pale yellow at tip of each segment, third and fourth segments yellowish-white, fifth segment dark brown, midleg with tarsus dark brown dorsally and yellowish-brown ventrally, each segment ringed with a white ring apically; hindleg with coxa and femur yellowish-white, tibia pale grey on outer surface, yellowish-white on inner surface, equipped with pale yellow long hairs ventrally, tarsus dark brown, ringed with pale yellow each segment basally.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 10 ). Uncus trapezoidal, posterior margin deeply concaved, forming two acute lobes along with sparse setae laterally. Gnathos comprises two slender arms located at base of uncus laterally and meet each other apically. Tegumen with both sides parallel, caudal edge arched. Valva with costa straight; basal 2/3 of ventral margin parallel to costa, distal 1/3 gently concaved and oblique toward costa; termen nearly straight, setose. Saccus stout, long ellipse, about 1/3 length of valva. Aedeagus slender and straight, a little longer than valva, with basal part gently inflated, cornuti thread-like, situated apically.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 15 ). Papillae anales triangle, setose. Apophyses anteriores almost as long as apophyses posteriores. Eighth tergite rectangle; eighth sternite with anterior margin semicicularly convex at middle forming an arc outline, posterior margin slightly sclerotized and concave at middle. Ostium bursae transverse oval, close to posterior margin of eighth sternite.Antrum narrow, rectangle, as long as eighth sternite, posterior margin gently concave. Ductus bursae slender, 2× length of corpus bursae, distal 1/3 widened and equipped with numerous denticles. Corpus bursae pyriform, about 3× length of apophyses anteriores. Signum sclerotized, shaped irregularly along with a transverse ridge medially, placed posteriorly.

Diagnosis. This species resembles Telethera blepharacma in the male genitalia, but can be separated by the gnathos without broad plate distally, the valva with distal 1/3 of ventral margin oblique toward costa in the male genitalia. In T. blepharacma , the gnathos is provided with a plate-formed apex, and the ventral margin of valva completely straight in the male genitalia.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin prefix declivi -, meaning declivitous, and the Latin marginatus, meaning margin, referring to the declivitous ventral margin of valva.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Adults of Agriothera and Telethera species. 1, A. elaeocarpophaga, ♂; 2, A. issikii, ♀; 3, A. microtricha sp. nov., paratype, ♀; 4, A. quadrativalva sp. nov., holotype, ♂; 5, T. declivimarginata sp. nov., paratype, ♀; 6, Head of T. declivimarginata sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (Scale bars: 1–5 = 2.0 mm; 6 = 0.3 mm).

FIGURES 7–10. Male genitalia of Agriothera and Telethera species. 7, A. elaeocarpophaga, slide No. ZML17201; 8, A. issikii, slide No. ZML17017; 9, A. quadrativalva sp. nov., paratype, slide No. ZML17008; 10, T. declivimarginata sp. nov., paratype, slide No. ZML17010 (Scale bars = 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 11–15. Female genitalia of Agriothera and Telethera species. 11, A. elaeocarpophaga, slide No. ZML17020; 12, A. microtricha sp. nov., holotype, slide No. ZML17018; 13, A. quadrativalva sp. nov., paratype, slide No. ZML17378; 14, A. issikii, slide No. ZML17007; 15, T. declivimarginata sp. nov., paratype, slide No. ZML17005 (Scale bars = 0.5 mm).