Parastenolechia Kanazawa, 1985

Liu, Linjie & Li, Houhun, 2016, Taxonomic review of the genus Parastenolechia Kanazawa (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae, Litini) from Mainland China, with descriptions of six new species, Zootaxa 4178 (1) : -

Parastenolechia Kanazawa, 1985

Parastenolechia Kanazawa, 1985: 6 . Type species: Parastenolechia asymmetrica Kanazawa, 1985 , by original designation. Laris Omelko, 1988: 152 . Type species: Laris collucata Omelko, 1988 , by original designation.

Tutor Omelko, 1988: 131 . Type species: Tutor acclivis Omelko, 1988 , by original designation.

Origo Omelko, 1988: 156 . Type species: Telphusa argobathra Meyrick, 1935 , by original designation.

Generic characters. Head smoothly scaled. Ocellus absent. Proboscis well-developed. Labial palpus with second segment slightly shorter than or as long as third segment, fluffy apically in some species. Antenna filiform, slightly serrate distally, about 3/5 length of forewing, shorter and thicker in male than in female. Forewing ground color usually whitish, with black or blackish brown markings often overlaid with raised scales, in some species with distinct plical, tornal, discal and discocellular spots ( Fig. 1 ), or with large sub-basal patch extending obliquely from costa across fold, sometimes diffused to dorsum (P. t r ap e z i a sp. nov.). Hindwing narrower than forewing, costa slightly sinuate, termen moderately concave beneath apex, apex acute. Venations ( Fig. 2 ): Forewing with Sc to 1/2 of costa, R2 and R3 nearly parallel, R4 and R5 stalked, M1 from upper angle of cell, M2 and M3 from lower angle of cell, CuA1 and CuP absent, CuA2 indistinct, 1A+2A furcate basally, cell open; hindwing with Sc+R1 beyond middle of costa, Rs reaching before apex, M1 absent, M2 from above lower angle, M3 from lower angle of cell, M3 and CuA1 separate.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 3–4 ). Eighth tergum reduced and indistinct, or extremely small; eighth sternum welldeveloped. Uncus broad, posterior margin straight, round, or slightly concave mesially. Gnathos relatively small, with heavily sclerotized anteromedian process, in some species protruded anterolaterally; lateral arms developed, narrowly banded. Tegumen roundly or triangularly projected posteriorly, bifurcate anteriorly. Glandiductor symmetrical or asymmetrical, arising from base of valva ( Ponomarenko 2008), extremely slender, curved, dilated basally, often longer than tegumen-uncus complex. Valva relatively broad, with two apical lobes of varied length: outer lobe often dilated distally, bearing several setae; inner lobe with distal part tightly connected with posterolateral corner of vinculum, usually shorter than outer lobe. Juxta well-developed, separated entirely or just distally. Vinculum inverted triangular or somewhat funnel-shaped; saccus not distinctly separated from vinculum, anterior end tightly fused with ventroproximal portion of aedeagus. Aedeagus shorter than tegumen, curved, more or less truncate distally; cornutus absent.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 5 ). Apophyses anteriores strong, sometimes curved slightly; apophyses posteriores slender, more than two times length of apophyses anteriores. Ostium bursae with well-developed lateral lobes. Ductus bursae with a sclerite anterior to ostium. Signum with a pair of heavily sclerotized sharp spines produced from its anterolateral corner, or in some species arising from middle of lateral side.

Diagnosis. Parastenolechia is similar to Stenolechiodes Elsner, 1996 and Stenolechia Meyrick, 1894 in the forewing by having more or less raised scales and similar pattern, and in the genital characters. Parastenolechia can be distinguished from Stenolechiodes by the absence of CuA 1 in the forewing and M 1 in the hindwing, and the single signum in the female genitalia; in Stenolechiodes , CuA1 of the forewing and M1 of the hindwing are present, and the signum is absent in the female genitalia. Parastenolechia can be separated from Stenolechia by the forewing with M2 and M3 separated, and the single signum in the female genitalia; in Stenolechia M2 and M3 of the forewing are fused, and the female genitalia have paired signa. Moreover, the valva are asymmetrical in some Parastenolechia species and the gnathos has a heavily sclerotized anteromedian process; in Stenolechiodes and Stenolechia , the valva are symmetrical and the gnathos does not have a median process.

Host plant. Fagaceae : Quercus spp. ( Huemer & Karsholt 1999).

Distribution. China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Turkey, Russia, Europe.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Morphology of Parastenolechia spp. 1. Wing markings of P. arciformis sp. nov., holotype, male; 2. Venation of P. albicaptella, male, slide No. LLJ 15113 W (Scale bars = 1.0 mm).

FIGURES 3 – 5. Morphology of Parastenolechia spp. 3. Male genitalia of P. medispina sp. nov., holotype, slide No. LLJ 15043; 4. Eighth sternum of P. semielliptica sp. nov., holotype, slide No. LLJ 15054; 5. Female genitalia of P. trapezia sp. nov., paratype, slide No. LLJ 15049 (Scale bars = 0.3 mm).