Nemophora xizangensis Liao, Hirowatari & Huang, 2023

Liao, Cheng-Qing, Hirowatari, Toshiya, Yagi, Sadahisa, Wang, Min, Wang, Xing & Huang, Guo-Hua, 2023, The fauna of the family Adelidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Adeloidea) from China, Zootaxa 5348 (1), pp. 1-152 : 41-42

(40) Nemophora xizangensis Liao, Hirowatari & Huang , sp. nov.

(Plates IV-4, XV-6, XXIV-3)

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EC92090C-AFBD-461C-8836-1114A5069B68

Diagnosis. This species is similar to N. smaragdaspis , but can be distinguished by the forewing ground color which is black with metallic blue luster, while the ground color is blue with blight metallic luster in N. smaragdaspis ; and both sides of the forewing central fasciae are almost straight, but outward curved in N. smaragdaspis . In the male genitalia, the valva is short with a pointed apex (relatively long valva with the digitate apex in N. smaragdaspis ), the anterior part of suspensorium is distinct far beyond the posterior margin of the vinculum (at the same level in N. smaragdaspis ), and the paired lamellates of the aedeagus are relatively short and straight (rather long and strongly sinuate in N. smaragdaspis ).

Description. Male. Forewing length 8.5–9.0 mm; wing expanse 19.0–20.0 mm.

Vertex densely covered with orange yellowish hairs; face with orange yellowish long scales. Eyes large, close to each other dorsally; eye size index about 7.5. Labial palpus short, densely covered with yellowish hairs; galeae with black scales laterally. Antenna slender, about 22.0 mm; scape stout, yellow to light brown; basal 1/6 of flagellum black innerly with metallic blue luster, the remaining apical part light gray to white. Legs brownish to dark brown except forelegs black; both tarsi and midspur yellow; hindtarsi with dark brown to black long hairs. Thoracic dorsum and tegula metallic blue with bright luster. Forewing lanceolate, ground color black and blue with blight blue metallic luster especially basal part; a broad transverse orange reddish central fascia placed at basal 1/3 to 1/2, and broadened with a pair of black-margined silvery-leaden bands on each side; cilia dark brown to black. Hindwing and cilia dark brown to black. Abdomen dark brown to black.

Female. Forewing about 7.0 mm; wingspan about 15.3 mm. Antenna about 7.0 mm; basal part obviously stout, densely covered with raised scales. Eyes relatively small, eye size about 0.8. Forewing central fasciae relatively narrow, placed from 1/3 to 1/2 of forewing. Others similar to male.

Male genitalia. Uncus triangular, with a weak median keel. Vinculum moderate in length, about 3.7 times as long as valva. Valvae triangular, with obviously acute apex; ventral base completely fused; inner margin straight; sacculus expanding outward and forming a prominently acute process medially; suspensorium subsquare, anterior part distinct far beyond posterior margin of vinculum, with abrupted or slightly concaved margin. Transtilla slightly narrow in middle part; median process short. Aedeagus stout and curved dorsally; apical portion with a pair of strongly sclerotized lamellates dorsolaterally; vesical with a patch of microtrichia. Juxta arrow-shaped; arrow-head long and pointed, with short lateral arms.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor pointed, with six serrated teeth ventroposteriorly. Apophyses posteriores and anteriores of subequal in length, relatively slender, 2.0 times as long as 7th tergite. Vestibulum with large sclerotized plate; a pair of vestibular lamellae sclerotized near attachment point of guy wire. Bursa copulatrix relatively long and slender, membranous.

Holotype. [Tibet] ♁, Pailong Country, Linzhi City , 2021.VI.7, H.L. Han, J. Wu & J.J. Fan leg. ( HUNAU)

Paratypes. [Tibet] 3♁ 6♀, Dergong Village, Beibeng Country , Motuo County, Linzhi City, 2021.V.26–VI.4, H.L. Han leg. ( HUNAU) .

Etymology. The specific epithet was derived from the Chinese name, Xizang, of the type locality, Tibet Autonomous Region.

Distribution. China (Tibet).

Remarks. This new species is endemic to Tibet, China and usually occurs from May to June.

3.9 Nemophora rubrofascia species group

Diagnosis. This species group can be characterized by the following features: the compound eyes are very large in male, almost joining to each other; the basal part of the antenna is smooth in both sexes, without raised scales, at most present in the partial medial flagellum of female; the forewing has uniform metallic ground color, usually green, orange, or blue, with bright metallic luster; the forewing central fascia is very large and broad, margined with a silvery-leaden band which is narrowly boarded with black; the female and male adults are the same on the forewing pattern, without sexual dimorphism; and the terminal part of the phallus has a petal-like lamellate process.

Remarks. This species group consists of three species, namely N.rubrofasia ( Christoph, 1882) , N. chrysoprasias ( Meyrick, 1907) , and a new species N. caerulea sp. nov. This species group is very similar to the members of the decisella group because they both have bright colors and lusters on the forewing and thorax. Hirowatari et al. (2022) reported N. chrysoprasias from China and found that N. chrysoprasias is more closely related to N. rubrofascia but not N. paradisea and N. smaragdaspis based on morphological and molecular evidence. Apart from these characters, including antenna, male and female genitalia, and the absence of sexual dimorphism in the forewing pattern ( Hirowatari et al. 2022), we also noticed an additional difference between these two groups in forewing pattern. Black-margined silvery-leaden bands on each side of the forewing central fascia are nonparallel and asymmetrical to each other, but parallel and symmetrical in the decisella group. In addition, the inside black lines near the forewing base only present anterior half, not extending to the posterior margin, but complete in that of the decisella group. Based on the above evidence, we established a new species group to accommodate these unusual species.

Key to species of the rubrofascia group based on external morphology

1 Forewing ground color mainly blue with metallic luster........................................ N. caerulea sp. nov.

- Forewing ground color not blue.......................................................................... 2

2 Forewing ground color metallic green, scattered with numerous black scales; hindwing entirely white and semitransparent except black apex......................................................................... N. chrysoprasias

- Forewing ground color metallic brass wholely; hindwing uniformly light brown, not semitransparent......... N. rubrofascia