Scaeosopha tuberculata Li et Zhang, 2012

Li, Houhun, Zhang, Zhiwei & Sinev, Sergey Yu., 2012, Review of the genus Scaeosopha Meyrick, 1914 (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae, Scaeosophinae) in the world, with descriptions of sixteen new species, Zootaxa 3322, pp. 1-34 : 20

Scaeosopha tuberculata Li et Zhang sp. nov.

( Figs. 16, 40)

Description. Adult ( Fig. 16): Wingspan 17.5 mm. Head yellow, frons and vertex whitish-yellow. Antenna deepyellow, scape mottled black scales on dorsal surface. Labial palpus deep-yellow, second segment with basal half black, third segment with black scales laterally. Thorax grayish-yellow except deep-yellow along margins. Tegula grayish-yellow except basal 1/3 black. Forewing yellow, with dark spots and patches throughout; costal margin with four black spots from base to apex, the third one smallest; two closely spaced black patches at basal 1/3 of cell crossing fold, discontinuous; smaller black dots at base below fold and at 2/3 length of cell respectively; large black patch at end of cell diffused outward then downward to posterior corner of termen, another incompact small patch set near its inside; fold with spot at distal 1/3 and end, the latter diffuse; large elongate patch at half length above dorsum; cilia grayish-yellow mottled deep-gray. Hindwing and cilia dark yellowish-brown. Fore leg with femur deep-yellow, tibia and tarsus black; mid and hind legs yellow, hind tibia with dense short and long bristles on dorsal surface.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 40): Brachia of uncus expanded in basal half, forming a sclerotized quadrate plate; distal half slender, slightly hooked apically. Tegumen nearly equal to brachia of uncus in length. Valva broad and short, evenly convex distally, costa projecting medially in semicircle; valvella longer than length of valva, its distal 1/7 expanded to a densely setose tuberculum. Anellus strongly sclerotized, cone-shaped, acuminate apically, reaching 5/6 length of tegumen. Phallus slender distally, weakly sclerotized, twisted in S shape; cornutus absent.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Mt. Jianfeng [18°40' N, 108°58'W], Hainan Province, 940 m, 4.vi.2007, coll. Zhiwei Zhang & Weichun Li, genitalia slide no. ZZW08050 ( NKUM, Tianjin).

Distribution. China.

Diagnosis. This new species resembles S. pseusta (Diakonoff) in the male genitalia, but can be separated from it by the brachia of uncus with basal half expanded to a sclerotized quadrate plate, the valvella with distal 1/7 expanded to a densely setose tuberculum, and the phallus without cornutus ( Fig. 40). In S. pseusta (Diakonoff) , the brachia of uncus are expanded in basal 1/4, the valvella is not tuberculum distally, and the phallus bears two cornuti.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin tuberculatus = tuberculum, in reference to the distal 1/7 of the valvella expanded to a tuberculum.