Scrobipalpa triangulella, Li, Houhun & Bidzilya, Oleksiy, 2019

Li, Houhun & Bidzilya, Oleksiy, 2019, New species and new records of the genus Scrobipalpa Janse (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from China, ZooKeys 840, pp. 101-131 : 101

Scrobipalpa triangulella sp. n. Figs 1, 15, 25

Type material.

CHINA: Holotype ♀, Botanical Garden, Mt. Liupan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 1900 m, 30.vi.2007, coll. Xinpu Wang (gen. slide no. L14034) (NKU). Paratypes: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype (gen. slide nos. L07026♂, L14009♀); 1 ♀, Mt. Liupan, Ningxia, 1700 m, 1.vii.2008, coll. Shulian Hao and Zhiwei Zhang; 1 ♀, Mt. Liupan, Ningxia, 2050 m, 7.vii.2008, coll. Shulian Hao and Zhiwei Zhang; 2 ♂, Mt. Xinglong, Yuzhong County, Gansu Province, 2120, 2130 m, 2, 30.vii.1993, coll. Houhun Li (gen. slide nos. L14031, L13041); 1 ♀, Huoditang, Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, 1620 m, 4.vii.1990, coll. Jinfu Li (gen. slide no. L06062).

Diagnosis.

The new species is well defined externally by the presence of a distinct black triangular subcostal spot. S. caryocoloides Povolný, 1977 has a more uniform brown forewing, a smaller and less distinct triangular costal spot and brown rather than light grey ground colour of the forewing. The male genitalia resemble those of S. peteri Bidzilya, 2009, but the uncus is broader, the valva is longer and the sacculus is shorter and narrower. The female genitalia resemble those of S. lutea Povolný, 1977, S. pseudolutea Piskunov, 1990 and S. candicans ( Povolný, 1996) (see Povolný 2002, Pl. 76, figs 799, 800, 803), but can be recognized by the presence of teeth on the basal plate of the signum.

Description.

Adult (Fig. 1). Wingspan 12.0-14.0 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae light grey to black, frons nearly white, labial palpus up-curved, covered with white tipped black scales, segment 2 with brush of modified scales underside, inner and upper surface white, segment 3 ca. 1.5 times narrower and slightly shorter than segment 2, acute, antennal scape almost black, other antennal segments black with white basal belts; forewing light grey, black narrow oblique fascia form base to middle width, second black fascia from 1/3 of costal margin to 2/3 width, black triangular spot at 1/2-3/4 length of costal margin and to half width, apex mottled with black, black spot in fold, paired black point in cell, subapical facia light grey, cilia grey, black-tipped; hindwing grey.

Male genitalia (Fig. 15). Uncus twice as long as broad, rounded posteriorly; gnathos short, weakly curved; tegumen broad, anteromedial emargination deep, broadly rounded; valva narrow, of equal width, weakly curved, pointed apically, extending to the top of uncus; sacculus ca. 1/5 length of valva and slightly narrower than valva at base, with pointed inwardly curved tip, fused with vincular processes in all length except for distal 1/4-1/5, gap to vincular process small; vincular process broader and as long as sacculus, apex rounded with outwardly curved tip; posterior margin of vinculum with deep v-shaped medial emargination; saccus broad at base, then parallel-sided, apex knob-shaped, extending far beyond top of pedunculus; phallus of moderate width, straight, apical arm narrow, sinuous, caecum weakly inflated, slightly shorter than half length of phallus.

Variation. Uncus and saccus vary in width.

Female genitalia (Fig. 25). Papilla analis sub-ovate, sparsely covered with hairs; apophyses posteriores five times longer than segment VIII; sternite VIII weakly sclerotized, subgenital plates 1/3 width of segment VIII, parallel-sided, with a few folds along medial margin; ventromedial depression smooth, subrectangular posteriorly, trapezoid anteriorly, divided by triangular anteromedial emargination into paired lobes that extending slightly beyond anterior margin of sternite VIII; apophyses anteriores longer than segment VIII, straight; ductus bursae broad, of moderate width, colliculum narrow, ring-shaped; corpus bursae elongated, subovate, slightly shorter than ductus bursae; base of signum large with one big and a few very small teeth, distal hook narrow, weakly curved.

Distribution.

China (Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi).

Biology.

Host plant unknown. Adults were collected from late June to late July at altitudes from 1600 to 2200 m.

Etymology.

The species is named after the characteristic triangular costal spot on the forewing.

Remarks.

This species was erroneously associated with the female of S. caryocoloides ( Bidzilya and Li 2010: 12, fig. 31). We found two females from the same locality that match well externally with the male (gen. slide L07026) figured in above cited paper and differ from the female of S. caryocoloides (see Povolný 2002: pl. 76, fig. 798; Park and Ponomarenko 2006: fig. 46; Bidzilya and Li 2010: 21, fig. 50). Therefore, neither male nor female in the present series are conspecific with S. caryocoloides and actually represent both sexes of a new species that is described here.