Melinopteryx, Imada, Yume & Kato, Makoto, 2018

Imada, Yume & Kato, Makoto, 2018, Descriptions of new species of Issikiomartyria (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae) and a new genus Melinopteryx gen. n. with two new species from Japan, Zoosystematics and Evolution 94 (2), pp. 1-25 : 1-2

Melinopteryx gen. n. Figs 1a, b, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Type species.

Melinopteryx coruscans sp. n. by present designation.

Diagnosis.

Aedeagus with three pairs of dorsal fins, a pair of lateral triangular fins, and a ventral longitudinal fin. Genital chamber with a large genital sclerite with four paddle-shaped accessory sclerites at posterior end.

Description.

The generic description is based on M. coruscans sp. n. and M. bilobata sp. n.

Head capsule densely covered by microtrichia; genal area glossy and naked; most of clypeus, frons, and vertex covered with brownish yellow piliform scales. Ocelli present. Antenna moniliform, approximately as long as forewing in male, longer than in female; densely covered with fuscous piliform scales on scape and pedicel; scape the largest segment, three times longer than most basal flagellum; pedicel small, as long as most basal flagellum. SOI ( Kristensen and Nielsen 1979) about 0.4. MIOI ( Hirowatari 1997) about 0.5. Interocellar sulcus complete. Postinterocellar sulcus distinct. Epicranial sulcus almost absent. Temporal sulcus as a darker line. Occipital sulcus interrupted at ventro- and dorso-lateral corner. Occipus fan-shaped. Labrum approximately pentagonal, length more or less twice that of clypeus. Mandible elongate rectangular, distal edge truncated. Proximal prelabium sclerite weakly sclerotized. Labial palp 2-segmented. Maxillary palp 5-segmented.

Foretibial epiphysis absent. Antero-lateral processes of pronotum present, weakly sclerotized.

Wing venation as shown in Fig. 3A, B. Fore- and hindwings obtuse at apex, forewing with brown to purple luster, cilia shining grayish brown. Forewing with Sc forked, R1 unforked; R3 stalked with R4+5. Hindwing with a main stem of R absent; most anterior vein of hindwing forked near terminal end (Sc1 and Sc2+R1). Abdomen grayish brown, covered with piliform and lamellar scales, scattered with dark orange piliform scales on venter and genital segments in male. Sternum V gland present; orifice of gland a narrow slit.

Male abdomen and genitalia. Sternum VIII membranous. Segment IX a complete ring, well sclerotized, with a posterior expansion dorsally. Valva triangular, broadly membranous at proximo-dorsal surface, with a proximo-ventral ridge; anterior portion fused with median plate; median plate large, roughly fan-shaped. Phallobase strongly curved, without ventral longitudinal ridge. Aedeagus stout at caudal end, with three pairs of fins dorso-medially; a pair of lateral triangular fins extending horizontally; a pair of ventral fin extending vertically; dorsal apex of aedeagus acute and ventral one slightly forked, longer than dorsal one; gonopore opening horizontally; vesica with serrate minute projections. Tergum X broader than long, with a pair of long ventral plates (venter X plates) extending antero-ventrally at base of terminal processes.

Female abdomen and genitalia. Segment IX forming a complete ring, strongly sclerotized, with a dorso-lateral concavity, without lateral protrusion. Segment X composed by lateral sclerites and one or two dorsal sclerotized plates; lateral sclerites simple, broader than long, having digitate projections with an apical seta at terminal inner margin. Corpus bursae large, globular, membranous, with signa composed of three or four sclerites near caudal end. Genital chamber with a large sclerite (genital sclerite) and a few tiny sclerites; genital sclerite deeply furcated posteriorly into four paddle-shaped accessory sclerites.

Remarks.

The genetic distance between Melinopteryx coruscans sp. n. (labelled as ' Issikiomartyria ' sp. in Imada et al. 2011) and its sister clade Issikiomartyria spp. (6.3 ± 0.9%, based on the Kimura 2-parameter model) was almost as large as the intergeneric COI divergence among other Japanese micropterigid genera (for example, 7.8 ± 0.1% between Neomicropteryx and Kurokopteryx ), indicated by Imada et al. (2011). Melinopteryx has a 2-segmented labial palp, while 1-segmented in Issikiomartyria , except for I. bisegmentata Hashimoto, 2006 which is 2-segmented. Melinopteryx is characteristic in its aedeagus with three pairs of dorsal fins, a pair of lateral triangular fins, a ventral longitudinal fin or protrusion extending vertically in the male. In female, a large sclerite with more than four accessory sclerites in genital chamber is also unique in Melinopteryx . Fore- and hindwing without a radial cell and large bulbous corpus bursae in female are shared with Issikiomartyria .

Etymology.

The genus name is a compound noun derived from the Greek words transliterated into Latin, “melinos” (honey-color) and “pteryx” (wing), referring to the adult wing color of the species of this genus. The gender is feminine.