Skip to main content

Beautiful wing long-horned moth (Torodora lichi), dense spine long-horned moth (Torodora mici) and Torodora silvatica from China

Dlium Beautiful wing long-horned moth (Torodora lichi), dense spine long-horned moth (Torodora mici) and Torodora silvatica from China

NEWS - Beautiful wing long-horned moth (Torodora lichi Yu & Wang sp. nov.) similar to Torodora epicharis Park 2002, dense spine long-horned moth (Torodora mici Yu & Wang sp. nov.) similar to Torodora reniformis Yu & Wang 2022 and Torodora silvatica Park 2007 were first reported from China.

Torodora Meyrick 1894 is the largest and type genus of Torodorinae (Lecithoceridae). This genus is distributed in the Oriental, Palearctic, Ethiopia and Australia region containing more than 230 species with 88 species recorded in China. Now researchers describe two new species and the first report of T. silvatica from China.

T. lichi has a distribution in Yunnan Province, China, externally similar to the Thai species, T. epicharis. It can be distinguished by the absence of a postmedian line on the forewings, in the male genitalia with a foot-shaped cucullus, and juxta with a triangular median process below the posterior margin. While T. epicharis has a postmedian line on the forewings and has an oval cucullus and juxta that do not have a median process.

T. mici is similar to T. reniformis in the male genitalia. It can be distinguished by the blackish brown forewings, juxta that reach near the posterior edge of the tegument, and cornuti in the form of an elongated rod. While T. reniformis has dark brown forewings on the basal 3/4 and orange-white on the distal 1/4, juxta reaching far from the posterior edge of the tegument, and cornuti consisting of needle-like spines.

DESCRIPTION

Torodora lichi: Wingspan 15.0 mm. Head pale yellow. Antennae pale yellow, scape apically dark brown. Labial palpus with second palpomere white, roughly scaled ventrally; third palpomere white dorsally, dark brown ventrally, as long as second palpomere. Patagium white. Thorax and tegula white, mixed with pale, orange-yellow scales. Forewing with a slightly arched costal margin, apex triangularly produced, termen concave; ground color pale orange-yellow, with three white spots along the distal half of the costal margin; basal 1/4 with two straight, white lines running from the costal margin to the dorsum; a large black patch before the middle, mixed with white scales, anteriorly reaching below the costal margin of the forewing, posteriorly reaching the dorsum; outer margin sinuate; median line white, extending from the costal margin of the forewing along the outer margin of the patch to the dorsum; a crescent pale yellow spot at the distal 2/3 anterior of M2; area between median line and termen brown along posterior 2/3; fringe pale orange yellow; venation with R3, R4, and R5 stalked, M1, M2, and M3 free, and CuA1 and CuA2 stalked. Hindwing and fringe pale, greyish brown; fringe with a pale-yellow basal line; venation with M3 and CuA1 stalked basally, distant from CuA2 at base. Male genitalia. Uncus elongated and triangular. Gnathos with median process wide at base, slightly narrowed toward the distal 2/5 where it curves and sharply tapers to a pointed apex. Valva wide basally, narrowed medially; cucullus foot-shaped, widened basally, narrowing toward a narrowly rounded apex; outer margin concave, ventral margin round, produced distally; costa deeply concave broadly; sacculus band-shaped. Vinculum U-shaped. Juxta rectangular, longer than wide, with a heavily sclerotized, triangular median process along the posterior margin; posterolateral lobes elongated, horn-shaped; posterior lobes near the posterolateral lobes, weakly sclerotized, digitate, setose; anterior margin with an imbricate process near middle. Phallus wide at the base, gradually narrowing toward a blunt apex, curved; cornuti located distally, consisting of two small spinose plates, with two elongate spiculose bars.

Torodora mici: Wingspan 13.5–14.0 mm. Head dark brown, orange-yellow along lateral surfaces. Antennae yellow. Labial palpus dark brown, distally yellow on second palpomere; third paplomere slender, as long as the second. Thorax and tegula dark brown. Forewing with costal margin nearly straight, slightly curved distally, apex slightly down-curved, termen slightly concave; ground color dark brown, mixed with scattered yellow scales, distal 1/4 of the costal margin yellow; discal stigma rounded, black, outer margin edged with yellow scales; plical stigma nearly rounded, black, anteriorly extending toward discal stigma, outer margin edged with yellow scales; discocellular stigma small, paired, located one above another, with a yellow outer margin; subterminal line yellow, extending from 1/4 of the costal margin sinuated to the distal 1/5 of the dorsum; fringe dark brown, with a yellow basal line; venation with R1, R2 free, R3, R4, and R5 stalked, R5 extending to apex, M1, M2, M3 free, CuA1 and CuA2 stalked distally. Hindwing greyish brown; fringe greyish brown, with a yellow basal line; venation with M2 free, M3 and CuA1 stalked basally, CuA2 distant from M3+CuA1 at the base.

Male genitalia. Uncus elongated with widened base. Gnathos with basal plate rounded on posterior margin, median process absent. Valva wide at the base, gradually narrowing to cucullus; cucullus extending obliquely dorsad, apical margin broadly rounded, costal margin nearly straight throughout length, abruptly curved upwards forming inner margin of cucullus; sacculus wide, elongate, densely spiculose. Vinculum U shaped, nearly straight on anterior margin. Juxta rectangular, longer than wide, with a longitudinal median line; posterolateral lobes digitate, reaching near the posterior margin of the tegumen, apex narrowly rounded, setose. Phallus shorter than the valva, straight, uniformly wide basally, narrowing apically; vesica densely granulate; cornutus an elongate bar near apex of vesica.

Female genitalia. Eighth abdominal sternite medially concave on posterior margin, forming two lateral parts broadly rounded posteriorly. Apophyses posteriores longer than apophyses anteriores. Antrum cup-shaped and membranous. Ductus bursae nearly wide throughout length, bearing sparse spines; ductus seminalis slender, arising from approximately the posterior 1/4 of ductus bursae, with dense spinules on the inner wall. Corpus bursae elliptical; signum on posterior end, a transverse plate, bearing dense spinules.

Original research

Yu S, Liu L, Li X, Wang S (2024). Two new species and one new record of the genus Torodora Meyrick (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae) from China. ZooKeys 1218: 287-293, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1218.135814

Dlium theDlium

Popular Posts

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Sonokeling or Java palisandre or Indian rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a large tree producing hardwood, medium weight and high quality, rounded leaves, thin and broad pods, highly adaptive, grows in dry and rocky landscapes with lots of sunlight. D. latifolia has medium to large size, cylindrical stems, up to 40 m high with a ring of up to 2 m, the bark is brownish gray and slightly cracked longitudinally. The crown is dense, dome-shaped and sheds leaves. The leaves are compound and pinnate oddly with 5-7 strands that have different sizes and appear alternately on the shaft. The leaves are round or elongated in width or heart, the upper surface is green and the surface is pale green. The flowers are small, 0.5-1 cm long and clustered in panicles. The pods are green to brown when ripe and are elongated lanceolate, pointed at the base and tip. The pods have 1-4 seeds which are soft and brownish. Indian rosewood grows at elevations below 600 m,...