Description of a new Hiroshia species (Lepidoptera, Thyatiridae) from Hubei Province, China

Abstract A third species of Hiroshia László, Ronkay & Ronkay, 2001, H. shennongjiaensis Ronkay, Ronkay & Han, sp. nov. is described from Hubei Province in China. The adult and the male genitalia of the new species are illustrated and compared with those of its congeners, H. albinigra László, Ronkay & Ronkay, 2001 and H. nanlingana Zhuang, Owada & Wang, 2014; an identification key based on the male genitalia is presented.


Materials and methods
The examined material originates from the collections of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dissection of the abdomen and genitalia follows Kononenko and Han (2007). The moths were photographed using the camera Nikon D700; the genitalia slides were photographed with an Olympus photomicroscope with Helicon Focus software, further processed in Adobe Photoshop CS6. The type-specimens of the new species are deposited in the collection of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS).  (Fig. 4) by its size (wingspan 46-46.5 mm, those of H. albinigra and H. nanlingana are 46-51 mm and 48-51 mm, respectively), wing shape and main elements of the forewing pattern. The forewing is more unicolorous, without prominent whitish markings which are typical of the other two species of the genus. The distinguishing features are as follows: forewing ground color of H. shennongjiaensis rather monotonous graphite-grey, without prominent reddish or red-brown irroration (in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana with conspicuous red or reddish-brown suffusion in median area); apical patch darker, pale bluish-grey (in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana white or grey-white); submarginal area pale ochreous-brown to greyish-brown between postmedial and praeterminal lines (in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana prominently white and grey-white); orbicular stigma more visible, whitish with distinct blackish outline (in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana indistinct); and the hindwing basal area is paler, rather greyish-white (in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana, it is darker, stronger, suffused by light brown).  Configuration of the male genitalia of H. shennongjiaensis (Fig. 6) is more similar to that of H. albinigra (Fig. 5) than to H. nanlingana (Fig. 7) as both species have a rudimentary subbasal costal process which is very large and acutely pointed in H. nanlingana. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by its thinner and longer socii (those of H. albinigra and H. nanlingana are shorter and thicker); broader and rather quadrangular tegumen (it is dorsally tapering and more or less trapezoidal in the other two species); thinner and stronger sclerotised fultura superior (it is broader and less strong in H. albinigra and H. nanlingana); larger dorsal sclerotised plates of the juxta and the acutely pointed and hook-like carinal tooth of the aedeagus (it is upturned and apically more or less rounded in the other two species). In addition, the basal process of the costa is smoothly arched in H. shennongjiaensis while it is shortly peaked in H. albinigra, and huge, thorn-like and apically hooked in H. nanlingana.

Genus
Description. Adult (Figs 1-2). Male. Wingspan 46.0-46.5 mm. Pubescence of head mixed grey and light brown; labial palpi covered by grey scales at 1 st and 2 nd segments, 3 rd segment thin, finely scaled; antennae beige. Patagium beige; thorax covered by white and smoky black hair-scales. Abdomen dark grey, mixed with smoky black, greyish-brown and light brown scales. Ground color of forewing light graphitegrey, irrorated sparsely with smoky black and greyish-white scales; basal dash white or whitish-grey marked by blackish line; crosslines double and waved; basal line black, its inner line distinct and excurved, outer line thin and arched; antemedial line double, black, parallel and approaching, filled with white and pale grey scales; median fascia narrow, dark grey sinuous; postmedial line double, blackish-grey, incurved at cell and at veins CuA2-3A, its inner line close to outer line of median line; area between postmedial and preterminal lines pale ochreous-brown to greyish-brown; preterminal line black and discrete, arched; subterminal line finer, crenellate, weakly arched, incurved, distinct and rather broad at apex area, with light bluish-grey suffusion along its inner side; light patch of termen irregularly cuneiform, light bluish-grey; terminal line black, finely laced, incurved between veins; fringes greyish-brown and mixed darker brown; basal line area white; orbicular stigma small, round, whitish, with black frame; reniform stigma flat-cashew shaped. Hindwing basal area greyish-white, outer part of wing stronger greyish-brown to smoky grey suffused; transverse line broad and diffuse, slight incurved at CuA2-3A; discal spot obsolete; marginal area wide, dark smoky grey; fringes brown. Female unknown.
Male genitalia. (Fig. 6) Uncus finger-shaped and sclerotized, weakly smooth curved at basal part; socii separated from uncus, straight, slender cone shaped, ca 5/9 as long as uncus, apically finely pointed. Tegumen broad, quadrangular, membranous, with slender and thick ventral edge; vinculum rather shortly U-shaped, moderately sclerotized, sunken at bottom. Juxta formal hat-shaped, sclerotized, sunken at dorsal margin. Fultura superior narrow and prominently sclerotized, reversed T-shaped. Valva irregular quadrangular; costal margin slender and thick, with a bulge ca 1/5 times as long as valva, then smoothly incurved, the process of basal costa smoothly arched; sacculus broad, swollen, shorter than half of valva, process of sacculus apically tiled; cucullus blunt round, densely covered long hair; harpe asymmetrical, strongly sclerotized, flat and triangular shaped, left one slightly arched, long, extend out of ventral margin, right one shorter than left one; clasper strongly sclerotized, very short spikeshaped, and extending towards saccular margin. Aedeagus long and tubular, straight, coecum swollen, ca ½ times as long as aedeagus; carina strongly sclerotized, trapezoid ring-shaped, dorso-lateral process hook-shaped and apically acute, the subprocess plate arched; vesica broader, with short and broad basal dorsal diverticulum, a large cornuti field consisting of separate, short, acute spinules, and a narrow band of minute spiculi extending towards ductus ejaculatorius.
Etymology. The species name "shennongjiaensis" refers to the type-locality in the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in Hubei Province.
Bionomics. The new species inhabits broad-leaved forest, mixed with conifers and shrubberies, at ca 1300 m altitude in the southern part of the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve (Figs 9, 10). This area is located in the western part of Hubei Province and is close to the Dabashan National Nature Reserve. The three known specimens were collected in April.