Charitoprepes aciculata, Huang & Du, 2023

Huang, Shi-Qi & Du, Xi-Cui, 2023, Revision of the genus Charitoprepes Warren (Lepidoptera, Crambidae), with the description of a new species from China, ZooKeys 1149, pp. 171-179 : 171

Charitoprepes aciculata sp. nov.

Figs 1B , 3D , 4E, F

Type material.

Holotype. ♂, pinned, with genitalia on a separate slide, China, Hainan Prov., Wuzhi Mountain, 18°54.60'N, 109°40.81'E, 745 m elev., 27 March 2021, Yao Shen leg., genitalia slide no. HSQ22162. Paratypes. China, Hainan Prov., 3 ♂♂, other same data as holotype, paratype genitalia slide no. HSQ22164 ♂, paratype wing slide no. HSQ22004, HSQ22005; 1 ♀, Jianfengling Nature Reserve, 963 m elev., 24 June 2020, Ruo-Nan Xu & You Zeng leg.; 4 ♀♀, Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, Shijie Reserve Station, 383 m elev., 26 March 2021, Yao Shen leg., paratype genitalia slide no. HSQ22168 ♀, HSQ22169 ♀; Yunnan Prov., 1 ♂, Xishuangbanan Dai Autonomous Prefecture, 840 m elev., 23 May 2015, Man-Fei Tao leg., paratype genitalia slide no. HSQ22170.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to C. lubricosa and C. apicipicta in appearance, but it can be differentiated by its darker body and wings, as well as the absence of the discoidal stigma on the hindwing, which is conspicuous in C. lubricosa and C. apicipicta . The wing venation of this species is somewhat different from that of C. lubricosa . The forewing of the latter has the RS4 slightly curved and close to RS2+S3 at the base, while the RS4 is straight and distant from RS2+S3 in this new species (Fig. 1A, B ). Furthermore, the stalk length of M1 and Rs of the hindwing in this new species is longer than that of C. lubricosa . It also can be distinguished by the slender and extremely elongated phallus accompanied by an elongated, bent, needle-like cornutus; the elongated ductus bursae has a sclerotized longitudinal line approximately four-fifths of its length, and the corpus bursae is much shorter than the ductus bursae and has no signa. In C. lubricosa and C. apicipicta , the phallus is stout, and the former has a spicate cornutus and the latter has two fusiform cornuti; the ductus bursae has no longitudinal line, and the corpus bursae bears a pair of thin, band-like signa in these two species. The corpus bursae is much longer than the ductus bursae in C. lubricosa , and is almost as long as the ductus bursae in C. apicipicta .

Description.

Adult (Fig. 3D ). Body and wings dark brown, greyish. Forewing length 11.0-13.0 mm, wingspan 21.0-26.0 mm. Frons greyish brown, white laterally; vertex brown. Antenna brown, scape white ventrally. Labial palpi with first segment white, second and third segments dark brown. Maxillary palpi white, dark brown near apex. Patagium, tegula, and thorax dark brown. Fore and hind wings with terminal area pale grey. Forewing with orbicular and discoidal stigma black, sometimes indistinct; an elongated elliptical black patch at apex; a black line along terminal margin, discontinuous. Hindwing with a black line along terminal margin, discoidal stigma absent. Cilia brown, with a white basal line. Legs shiny white, epiphysis orange-yellow. Abdomen dark brown, pale grey ventrally.

Male genitalia (Fig. 4E ). Uncus long and thin, with the distal swollen and covered with minute setae, apex obtuse rounded and slightly concaved at middle. Valva oval, with sparse setae. Fibula thick, hooked apically. Saccus broad, strongly sclerotized. Phallus slender and extremely elongated, bent, with an elongated needle-like cornutus of nearly same length.

Female genitalia (Fig. 4F ). Apophyses anteriores ca 1.5 times as long as apophyses posteriores. Antrum weakly sclerotized. Ductus seminalis somewhat expanded near ductus bursae. Ductus bursae elongated, with a sclerotized longitudinal line approximately four-fifths of its length along one side. Corpus bursae oval, signa absent.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Latin aciculatus for needle, in reference to the needle-like cornutus.

Distribution.

China (Hainan, Yunnan).

Figures

Figure 1. Wing venation and tympanal organs of Charitoprepes A, C C. lubricosa B C. aciculata sp. nov. Upper is forewing, lower is hindwing. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C).

Figure 3. Adults of Charitoprepes spp. A C. lubricosa, male B C. lubricosa, female, type (NHMUK) C C. apicipicta, male D C. aciculata sp. nov., male, holotype. Scale bars: 0.5 cm.

Figure 4. Genitalia of Charitoprepes spp. A, B C. lubricosa C, D C. apicipicta E, F C. aciculata sp. nov. A male, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22166 B female, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22163 C male, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22161 D female, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22167 E male, paratype, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22164 F female, paratype, genitalia slide no. HSQ 22168. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, C, E); 1.0 mm (B, D, F).