Fuwen Wei forester moth (Thibetana weii) from China becoming the seventh species in Thibetana Efetov & Tarmann 1995

NEWS - Fuwen Wei forester moth (Thibetana weii Li & He, sp. nov.) was found in Galongla Snow Mountain, southeastern Xizang, China, becoming the seventh species in Thibetana Efetov & Tarmann 1995 which has distribution in southwest China and Indian Sikkim.

Thibetana (Zygaenidae, Procridinae) was assigned to Artona sieversi Alphéraky, 1892. This genus includes 6 species with distribution in southwest China and Indian Sikkim. Three species are known from China. Now researchers report a new species to the genus based on specimens collected from Xizang, China.

T. weii has forewing upperside with ovate yellow spot at base, two ovate spots near middle, and an 8-shaped yellow spot at distal part; hindwing upperside with subtriangular yellow spot and oblong yellow spot. In male genitalia, sacculus nearly rectangular, dentated on outer margin, ending with spine-like process on ventral margin.

The new species is similar to Thibetana zebra (Elwes, 1890) in the pattern of the forewings, but T. weii can be distinguished by the upperside of the hindwings having a subtriangular yellow spot and an oblong yellow spot. In T. zebra, the second spot on the upperside of the hindwing is thin and long.

DESCRIPTION

External morphology of imago. Forewing length 8.5–9.0 mm. Frons yellow mixed black. Vertex black. Labial palpus approximately one and half as long as compound eye’s diameter, pale brown mixed with yellow. Male antenna pinnate except distal one-sixth serrate; female antenna serrate. Compound eye ovate, black, edged with yellow scales; ocellus round, black. Chaetosema well-developed, gray. Tegula yellow. Thorax black. Upperside of forewing black, bearing ovate yellow spot at base, two ovate yellow spots near middle, and an 8-shaped yellow spot at outer side of discoidal cell, cilia yellow; underside of forewing pattern same as upperside except for long and thin yellow stripe at basal one-fourth of costa, and longitudinal yellow stripe extending from basal one fourth to half part of forewing. Upperside of hindwing blackish-brown, with subtriangular yellow spot and oblong yellow spot, cilia blackish-brown; underside of hindwing yellow, costa, outer region, and apex blackish-brown. Legs greyish brown, femur yellow in lateral view. Dorsal side of abdomen blackish-brown, first segment covered with yellow scales in middle, second to sixth segments densely covered with yellow scales on distal margin, distal segment scattered with yellow scales; ventral side of abdomen blackish-brown, second to sixth segments densely covered with yellow scales near lateral margin.

Male genitalia. Uncus thin and long, distal apex pointed. Tegumen arm slightly longer than uncus. Valva slightly broader near middle, distal one-third nearly triangular, and gently concave at approximately distal one-fourth on ventral margin; costa strongly sclerotized, reaching apex of valva; sacculus nearly rectangular, about one-fourth as long as valva, dentated on outer margin, ending with spine-like process on ventral margin. Saccus well-developed, as long as uncus, distal tip round. Juxta ovate. Phallus cylindrical as long as valva, without cornuti.

Female genitalia. Papillae analis about two thirds as long as apophysis posterioris. Apophysis anterioris thin and long, nearly as long as apophysis posterioris. Praebursa spherical, translucent, with ring-like sclerotization. Ductus bursae inconspicuous. Corpus bursae ovate; signum small, bearing two spine-like projections; appendix bursae irregular shaped.

Original research

He X, Jiang C, Li W (2024). Notes on the genus Thibetana (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae) with description of a new species from China. ZooKeys 1218: 343-349, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1218.136369

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