Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda, Han & Galsworthy & Xue, 2012

Han, Hongxiang, Galsworthy, Anthony C. & Xue, Dayong, 2012, The Comibaenini of China (Geometridae: Geometrinae), with a review of the tribe, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165 (4), pp. 723-772 : 763-764

CHLOROCHROMODES RHODOCRASPEDA SP. NOV.

( FIGS 49 , 102 , 150 , 172 , 205 )

Description: Antenna in male bipectinate, outer rami longer than inner rami, apical one-third without rami, the longest ramus about six to seven times diameter of antennal shaft. Frons slightly protruding, green, lower margin white. Vertex green. Tegula with green base and white end. Dorsal sides of thorax and abdomen green (yellowish-brown after discoloration), third and fourth segments of abdomen reddish-brown. Hind tibia in male with two pairs of spurs, terminal extension slightly shorter than the first tarsus.

Forewing length: ♂ 12 mm. Outer margin of both wings smooth, that of forewing almost straight; apex of hindwing protruded. Wings green tinged with blue. Forewing with costal area white, brown at base; antemedial line linear, straight and oblique outwards; postmedial line composed of small indistinct white dots on veins. Both wings with small, blackish-brown discal spots; terminal line brown; fringes pale green. Underside: forewing with costal base brown; both wings with discal spots same as that of upperside; no other streaks present.

Third sternite in male with a pair of setal patches. Eighth abdominal segment modified, with posterior margin of tergite sclerotized and protruding at middle; sternite concave at middle.

Male genitalia. Uncus short, with terminal onethird bifid. Socii developed, very long, about twice length of uncus, tapering. Gnathos reduced. Valva oblong, apex truncate, with a small blunt process on costal end; costa slightly swollen at middle; ventral region of valva setose. Vinculum deeply bifurcate, with two branches quite long and tapering. Juxta an indistinct rounded sclerite. Aedeagus long and thin, with posterior end expanded, oval, and spinose.

Female genitalia. Sterigma unmodified. Ductus bursae very broad and long, slightly tapering towards corpus bursae, the latter quite small. Signum absent.

Diagnosis: Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda is close to Ch. chlorochromodes and Ch. tenera in the wing pattern. In the male genitalia, Ch. rhodocraspeda has a short bifid uncus, which is identical to that of Ch. tenera , but the uncus is reduced in Ch. chlorochromodes ; the tapering lobes of the vinculum are similar to those in Ch. tenera but differ from those of Ch. chlorochromodes , which are of even width; the valva bears only one small blunt process on the tip of the costa whereas there are two in Ch. chlorochromodes and Ch. tenera . Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda is also distinctive in the aedeagus, which is expanded and spinose posteriorly, but only spinose in the other two species.

Holotype ♂, China: Siao-Loû, Chasseurs Indigènes du P. Déjean, 1903 (other label: red label: Hemist. rhodocraspeda Wrli. , Type; Comibaena rhodocraspeda Wrli. Typ. ) (ZFMK). Paratypes: China: 1♀, Tibet: Mêdog, Hanmi, 2095 m, 10–11.iii.2006, coll. Lang Songyun, IZCAS slide no. Geom-01152 (IZCAS).

Distribution: China (Sichuan, Tibet).

Etymology: rhodocraspeda is derived from two Greek words meaning ‘rosy’ and ‘border’.

Remarks: This species was named as rhodocraspeda by Wehrli (both in ‘ Hemist.’ (short form of Hemistola ) and Comibaena ), and labelled accordingly on the specimen, but the name was never published, and is therefore invalid under the Code of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. We have therefore decided to preserve the name by publishing it as a new species. Dissection of the genitalia has demonstrated that it belongs to the genus Chlorochromodes .

Species not occurring in China

Chlorochromodes albicatena ( Warren, 1896b) comb. nov. [specimen(s); male genitalia]

Comostolodes albicatena Warren, 1896b: 309 . ( India)

Chlorochromodes chlorochromodes ( Prout, 1916a) comb. nov. [specimen(s); male genitalia]

Hercoloxia chlorochromodes Prout, 1916a: 12 . ( Indonesia)

Chlorochromodes dialitha ( West, 1930) comb. nov. [specimen(s); male genitalia photograph, Holloway (1996: fig. 254), female genitalia]

Colutoceras dialitha West, 1930: 260 . ( Philippines)

Chlorochromodes tenera Warren, 1896a comb. rev. [specimen(s); male genitalia]

Chlorochromodes tenera Warren, 1896a: 103 , 104. ( India)

Figures

Figures 27–54. Comibaenini moths. 27, Comibaena nigromacularia; 28, Comibaena subdelicata; 29, Comibaena procumbaria; 30, Comibaena subprocumbaria; 31, Comibaena tenuisaria; 32, Comibaena cenocraspis; 33, Comibaena hypolampes; 34, Comibaena latilinea; 35, Comibaena swanni; 36, Comibaena birectilinea sp. nov., holotype; 37, Microbaena pulchra minor; 38, Thetidia albocostaria; 39, Thetidia correspondens; 40, Thetidia atyche; 41, Thetidia chlorophyllaria, 42, holotype of Thetidia pekingensis; 43–44, Thetidia kansuensis, 43, from Gansu, 44, from Tibet; 45, Thetidia smaragdaria; 46, Proteuchloris neriaria; 47, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 48, Linguisaccus minor sp. nov., paratype; 49, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda sp. nov., holotype; 50, Argyrocosma inductaria; 51, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 52, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 53, Protuliocnemis candida sp. nov., paratype; 54, Protuliocnemis dissimilis sp. nov., paratype. Scale bar = 13 mm.

Figures 91–102. Male genitalia. 91, Microbaena pulchra; 92, Thetidia albocostaria; 93, Thetidia atyche; 94–95, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 96–97, Thetidia kansuensis; 98, Thetidia smaragdaria; 99, Proteuchloris neriaria; 100, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 101, Linguisaccus minor; 102, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 132–155. Aedeagus. 132, Comibaena subdelicata; 133, Comibaena procumbaria; 134, Comibaena subprocumbaria; 135, Comibaena tenuisaria; 136, Comibaena cenocraspis; 137, Comibaena hypolampes; 138, Comibaena latilinea; 139, Comibaena swanni; 140, Comibaena birectilinea; 141, Microbaena pulchra; 142, Thetidia albocostaria; 143, Thetidia atyche; 144, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 145, Thetidia kansuensis; 146, Thetidia smaragdaria; 147, Proteuchloris neriaria; 148, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 149, Linguisaccus minor; 150, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 151, Argyrocosma inductaria; 152, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 153, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 154, Protuliocnemis candida; 155, Protuliocnemis dissimilis. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figures 156–175. The male eighth segment. In Figures 156–174, the tergite is on the left and the sternite is on the right. 156, Comibaena fuscidorsata; 157, Comibaena apicipicta; 158, Comibaena ornataria; 159, Comibaena auromaculata; 160, Comibaena tancrei; 161, Comibaena nigromacularia; 162, Comibaena procumbaria; 163, Comibaena tenuisaria; 164, Comibaena cenocraspis; 165, Comibaena latilinea; 166, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 167, Thetidia kansuensis; 168–170, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 171, Linguisaccus minor; 172, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 173, Protuliocnemis candida; 174, Protuliocnemis dissimilis; 175, tympanal organ of Pro. dissimilis. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figures 200–210. Female genitalia. 200, Thetidia chlorophyllaria; 201, Thetidia smaragdaria; 202, Proteuchloris neriaria; 203, Linguisaccus subhyalina; 204, Linguisaccus minor; 205, Chlorochromodes rhodocraspeda; 206, Argyrocosma inductaria; 207, Protuliocnemis castalaria; 208, Protuliocnemis falcipennis; 209, Protuliocnemis candida; 210, Protuliocnemis dissimilis. Scale bars = 1 mm.