Palpita incesta Ko & Bae, 2021

Ko, Jae-Ho, Bayarsaikhan, Ulziijargal, Lee, Tak-Gi, Cha, Yeong-Bin, Lee, Jong Koo & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2021, A new species of Palpita Hübner from Laos (Lepidoptera, Crambidae Spilomelinae), Zootaxa 4990 (3), pp. 577-582 : 578-581

Palpita incesta Ko & Bae , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 3 , 5 )

Type materials. Holotype: 1 m #, Laos, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚43′31.40″, E103˚35′25.73″ Alt. 1212 m), 26.VII.2018 (Bae Y.S., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Jang C.M., U. Bayarsaikhan), Gen. Slide No. INU–7015L( NIBR) . Paratypes (10 m #, 1 fm#): LAOS ; 1 m #, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚43′0.70″, E103˚35′24.20″ Alt. 1204 m), 30. VI.2017 (Bae Y.S., Na S.M., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G.), Gen. Slide No. INU- 6682L( NIBR) ; 4 m #, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚44′55.46″, E103˚35′5.46″ Alt. 1158 m), 24.VII.2018 (BaeY.S., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Jang C.M.,U. Bayarsaikhan), Gen.Slide No. INU-6679L( NIBR) , 6680L( NIBR), 6681L( NIBR), 6683L( NIBR); 4 m #, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚43′28.92″, E103˚35′26.02″ Alt. 1245 m), 25.VII.2018 (Bae Y.S., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Jang C.M., U. Bayarsaikhan), Gen. Slide No. INU- 7011L( INU) , 7012L( INU), 7013L( INU), 7014L( INU); 1 m #, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚43′31.40″, E103˚35′25.73″ Alt. 1212 m), 26.VII.2018 (Bae Y.S., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Jang C.M., U. Bayarsaikhan), Gen. Slide No. INU-7016L( INU) ; 1 fm#, Xieng Khouang Province, Ban Tha (N19˚43′31.40″, E103˚35′25.73″ Alt. 1212 m), 02.IX.2018 (Bae Y.S., Na S.M., Lee D.J., Ko J.H., Lee T.G., Cha Y.B., Jang C.M.), Gen. Slide No. INU- 7020L( INU) .

Diagnosis. Palpita incesta sp. nov. is morphologically similar to P. inusitata (Butler) , but can be distinguished by the following characters: ground color of wings grayish white ( Fig. 1 ); in male genitalia, sacculus not projected at distal 1/3 ( Fig. 3 ); in female genitalia, ductus bursae entirely sclerotized, except for partly membranous laterally and folded at middle ( Fig. 5 ). In P. inusitata , ground color of wings white ( Fig. 2 ); in male genitalia, sacculus projected at distal 1/3 ( Fig. 4 ); in female genitalia, ductus bursae membranous overall, except for partly sclerotized near antrum and not folded at middle ( Fig. 6 ).

Description. Adult ( Figs. 1–4 ). Length of forewing 10–11 mm in both sexes. Vertex covered with grayish white scales; frons flat, covered with grayish white scales; antenna filiform; chaetosema absent; labial palpus upturned, brown, mixed with grayish-white scales; proboscis brown, mixed with grayish-white scales. Patagium and tegula grayish white. Ground color of forewing grayish white; costal margin brownish orange; basicellular dot brownish orange; midcellular mark brownish orange, semicircular, edged with brown line; infracellular mark brownish orange, edged with brown line; discal mark brownish orange, reniform, edged with brown line; subterminal fascia brown, irregularly undulate; terminal area with two brown dots at R 5 and M 1; fringe grayish white. Ground color of hindwing grayish white; basal area with a brown dot; posterior discal dot brownish orange, irregularly ovoid, edged with brown line, with black dot at 1/3 of M 2; subterminal fascia brown, irregularly undulate; terminal area with three brown dots at Rs, M 1, CuP; tornal dot brown; fringe grayish white ( Fig. 1 ). Abdomen slender, grayish white ( Fig. 1 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 3 ). Uncus rod–shaped, widened at base; valva ovoid, weakly sclerotized from basal to postmedian area, sparsely setose at apex; costa arched, strongly sclerotized; sacculus strongly sclerotized, expanded near apex of valva, tip of sacculus pointed; juxta lobate, strongly sclerotized; saccus small, U-shaped; phallus cylindrical, sclerotized ventrally, almost same length as valva, with one long and two short, thorn-like cornuti ( Fig. 3 ). Female genitalia. Papilla anales simple, setose; posterior apophyses about half length of anterior apophyses; antrum broad, sclerotized; ductus bursae about 3 times length of corpus bursae, sclerotized overall, except partly membranous at laterally, swollen near antrum and strongly curved, folded at middle; corpus bursae ovate, with a pair of spine-shaped signa ( Fig. 5 ).

Distribution. Laos (Ban Tha).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin incesta , referring to the cloudy wings of the adults.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Palpita incesta sp. nov. and compared species P. inusitata from Laos. 1a. Palpita incesta sp. nov., male (holotype, INU-7015L). 1b. ditto, male (paratype, INU-7013L). 1c. ditto, female (paratype, INU-7020L). 2. P. inusitata, male (Korea, INU-7922K). Scale bar = 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 3–4. Male genitalia of Palpita incesta sp. nov. and compared species P. inusitata from Laos. 3a. Palpita incesta sp. nov. (holotype, INU-7015L). 3b. ditto (paratype, INU-7013L). 4. P. inusitata (Korea, INU-7922K). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 5–6. Female genitalia of Palpita incesta sp. nov. and compared species P. inusitata from Laos. 5. Palpita incesta sp. nov. (paratype, INU-7020L). 6. P. inusitata (Korea, INU-7917). Scale bar = 2.0 mm.