Aethes Billberg, 1820

Sun, Yinghui & Li, Houhun, 2013, Three new species of Aethes Billberg, 1820 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Cochylini), with a list of the species from China, Zootaxa 3669 (4), pp. 456-468 : 457

Aethes Billberg, 1820

Chlidonia Hübner , [1825]1816: 393. Type species: [ Phalaena ] hartmanniana Clerck, 1759. Dapsilia Hübner, [1825]1816: 394. Type species: ( Tortrix ) rutilana Hübner, [1814–1817]. Phalonia Hübner , [1825]1816: 393. Type species: Tortrix tesserana [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775. Aethes Billberg, 1820: 90 . Type species: Pyralis smeathmanniana Fabricius, 1781 .

Lozopera Stephens, 1829: 191 . Type species: Pyralis francillana Fabricius, 1794 .

Phelonia: Stephens, 1834: 177. [misspelling of Phalonia ]

Chrosis Guenée, 1845: 300 . Type species: Tortrix decimana [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775. Loxopera Agassiz, 1848: 624. [unjustified emendation of Lozopera ]

Argyridia Stephens, 1852: 83. Type species: Tinea dipoltella Hübner , [1813].

Argyridea: Waterhouse, 1902: 31. [misspelling of Argyridia]

Coecaethes Obraztsov, 1943: 99 . Type species: Lozopera mauritanica Obraztsov, 1943 . [subgenus of Lozopera ] Cirriaethes Razowski, 1962: 392. Type species: Lozopera mauritanica Walsingham, 1898 .

Diagnostic characters. Aethes is characterized by the combination of the following characters: adults small to medium size, sexual dimorphism expressed only in size, male without forewing costal fold; the forewing with all veins separate or R4−R5 stalked, Sc reaching the middle of the costal margin, R1 arising from the middle or slightly before the middle of the cell on the anterior margin, basal distance between R1−R2 less than that between R2−R3, R5 extending to the apex; hindwing without costal fold in male, Sc extending to distal 1/3 of the costal margin, Rs and M1 stalked or connate at the base, remaining veins separate, the female hindwing usually with two spines in the frenulum; in the male genitalia, the uncus and gnathos absent, the socius erect and slender, curved hooklike, the valva variable in shape, the median process of the transtilla developed with tiny teeth distally, the vinculum separate ventrally, the phallus with one or two cornuti or cornutus absent, in some species with a sclerotized plate suffused with teeth surrounding the middle of the phallus; in the female genitalia, the sterigma simple in most species, the antrum developed, the ductus bursae usually short, and the corpus bursae with spines or a sclerotized plate.

Biology. In the Palaearctic Region, there is one, or more frequently, two generations yearly; hibernation occurs in the larval stages. The larvae utilize mainly plants in Asteraceae , often feeding in the stems and roots (Razowski 2009).

Distribution. The 127 described species of Aethes species are distributed worldwide, mainly in the Holarctic Region. In China, the genus occurs mainly in the northern portion of the country; it is encountered rarely in the south ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. The distribution of Aethes Billberg, 1820 in China. ▲ [blue triangles], A. acerba, sp. nov.; ● [blue circles], A. alatavica (Danilevskij); ■ [blue squares], A. amurensis Razowski; ▲ [black triangles], A. atmospila (Meyrick); ● [black circles], A. bistigmatus Byun & Li; ■ [black squares], A. cinereoviridana (Kennel); ▲ [gray triangles], A. citreoflava Kuznetzov; ● [gray circles], A. cnicana (Westwood); ■ [gray squares], A. delotypa Razowski; ▲ [orange triangles], A. fennicana (Hering); ● [orange circles], A. furvescens Bai, Guo & Guo; ■ [orange squares], A. hoenei Razowski; ▲ [green triangles], A. mesomelana (Walker); ● [green circles], A. moribundana (Staudinger); ■ [green squares], A. pardaliana (Kennel); ▲ [red triangles], A. rectilineana (Caradja); ● [red circles], A. rubigana (Treitschke); ■ [red squares], A. semicircularis, sp. nov.; ▲ [pink triangles], A. subcitreoflava, sp. nov.; ● [pink circles], A. triangulana excellentana (Christoph).