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

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