Research Article |
Corresponding author: Haiyan Bai ( haiyanbai@163.com ) Academic editor: Alberto Zilli
© 2016 Haiyan Bai, Jiasheng Xu, Xiaohua Dai.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Bai H, Xu J, Dai X (2016) Two new and one newly recorded species of Gracillariidae from China (Lepidoptera). ZooKeys 559: 139-150. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.559.6812
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The paper presents four Chinese species belonging to the genera Metriochroa Busck, Eumetriochroa Kumata, and Gibbovalva Kumata & Kuroko (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae), including two new species: Metriochroa alboannulata Bai, sp. n. and Gibbovalva clavata Bai, sp. n. Eumetriochroa hiranoi Kumata, 1998, is newly recorded from China. Photographs of adults and figures of the genital structures are provided, along with keys to the Chinese species of Metriochroa, Eumetriochroa, and Gibbovalva.
China, Gracillariidae , new species, new record, taxonomy
Eumetriochroa Kumata, 1998 and Metriochroa Busck, 1900 are small genera of GracillariidaeOecophyllembiinae (
The genus Metriochroa contains twelve described species worldwide. There are seven species in the Afrotropical region, three in the Palearctic region, and one each in the Oriental and Nearctic regions. Metriochroa was not recorded in China until M. symplocosella Kobayashi, Huang & Hirowatari, 2013 was described on the basis of Chinese material (
The genus Gibbovalva Kumata & Kuroko, 1988 is one of the smallest genera of the subfamily Gracillariinae, and is represented by eight species worldwide. The majority of them (five) occur in the Palearctic and Oriental regions, the remaining two species were recorded from the Australasian region and one from the Afrotropical region. Host plants of Gibbovalva comprise thirty-four species in ten genera under four families, the majority of which (twenty species in six genera) belong to the family Lauraceae, followed by the Magnoliaceae (ten species in two genera), the Typhaceae (three species in one genus), and the Apocynaceae (one species) (
Of the four gracillarid moth species treated in the present paper, Eumetriochroa hiranoi is newly recorded from China, and Metriochroa alboannulata sp. n. and Gibbovalva clavata sp. n. are new to science.
All adult specimens were obtained after by rearing from immature stages. Adult external morphology was examined by using a Leica M-205C stereomicroscope, and photographs were taken with a Leica DFC-450 digital camera connected to a Leica M-205C stereomicroscope. Genitalia were prepared following the methods of
All specimens studied are deposited in the Insect Collection, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Changzhi College, Changzhi, Shanxi, China (ICCC).
Eumetriochroa Kumata, 1998, Insecta Matsumurana (N.S.) 54: 83.
Eumetriochroa hederae Kumata, 1998.
1 | Forewing snow white, with five ochreous brown fasciae; (♂) valva with a trapezoid lobe on disc, vesica with a weakly sclerotized tubular part; (♀) signum blade-shaped, with a laterally elongated, triangular basal plate | E. hiranoi Kumata, 1998 |
– | Forewing ochreous brown, with five white fasciae; (♂) valva with a finger shaped process basally, vesica with a cornutus which has three to four transverse dentils; (♀) signum thorn-shaped, with a small triangular basal plate | E. hederae Kumata, 1998 |
Eumetriochroa hiranoi Kumata, 1998, Insecta Matsumurana (N.S.) 54: 96.
De Prins & De Prins (2005: 185),
2♂♂, 2♀♀, China. Feng Shan, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, 8 September 2012, leg. Jiasheng Xu and Chengqing Liao; genitalia slide Nos B13087, B13088, B13089, B13090; all in ICCC.
Styracaceae: Styrax japonicus Siebold & Zucc. (Kumata, 1998).
China (Jiangxi), Japan.
In all four specimens examined the fore wing markings were poorly preserved, but the genital characters (Figs
Eumetriochroa hederae Kumata, 1998, Insecta Matsumurana. (N.S.) 54: 85.
(Fig.
China. 1♂, Daqiutian, Jiulian Mountain, Jiangxi Province, 18 January 2013, leg. Xiaohua Dai; 2♀♀, Yangling National Forest Park, Chongyi County, Jiangxi Province, 700 m, 10 March 2012, leg. Jinshui Liang; genitalia slide Nos B12011, B12012, B13057; all in ICCC.
Araliaceae: Hedera sinensis (Tobler) Hand.-Mazz.; H. rhombea (Miq.) Bean (
China (Hunan, Jiangxi), Japan.
Specimens from China do not fully agree with the original description (
Metriochroa Busck, 1900, Proceedings of the United States National Museum 23: 244.
Metriochroa psychotriella Busck, 1900.
1 | Fore wing fuscous, with three white fasciae; (♂) vesica with a clavate cornutus | M. alboannulata sp. n. |
– | Fore wing pure to ochreous white, with three fuscous obscure specks; (♂) vesica with a bundle of spines at the middle | M. symplocosella Kobayashi, Huang & Hirowatari, 2013 |
The new species is a member of Metriochroa by the characteristics of venation and male genitalia. Fore wing of M. alboannulata sp. n. has nine veins (Fig.
Flagellum of Metriochroa alboannulata sp. n. has six white rings on distal part. Forewing has two silvery white fasciae: one placed at the basal 1/4 and is slightly outwardly angulate on wing fold, the other situated preapically; forewing possesses white costal and dorsal specks, two of them at the middle, and opposite each other, and one near the tornus. Valva is divided into dorsal and ventral portions by a sclerotized ridge, the former shorter than the ventral one. Aedeagus is tubular, and with a clavate cornutus on vesica.
Forewing markings of Metriochroa vary notably. M. alboannulata sp. n. is similar to M. argyrocelis Vári, 1961 and M. celidota Bradley, 1965 in forewing with obvious white or silvery white markings. These characteristics easily distinguish these species from other members of the genus.
Metriochroa alboannulata is close to M. celidota in forewing with two silvery white fasciae, especially as the first fascia is present at the basal 1/4 in both species. However, in M. alboannulata the first fascia is evident and joins with dorsum, and the second fascia is closer to the apex of forewing than in M. celidota; in addition, M. alboannulata has a silvery white speck near tornus, which does not occur in M. celidota.
Both Metriochroa alboannulata and the female of M. argyrocelis (forewing markings of male M. argyroscelis are clearly dissimilar from those of M. alboannulata) have a silvery white fascia at the basal 1/4 of forewing, and a silvery white speck near tornus, but they differ in the following characteristics: in M. alboannulata, the fascia is of uniform width, and is narrower than that of M. argyrocelis, in which it gradually widens towards dorsum; in addition, in place of the fascia near the apex of forewing and the silvery white bar-shaped specks at the middle of costa and dorsum present in M. alboannulata, M. argyrocelis has two silvery white specks at the middle and basal 3/4 of costa, respectively.
Adult (Fig.
Male genitalia (Fig.
Female. Unknown.
Holotype ♂. China. Wuzhifeng, Shangyou County, Jiangxi Province, 2 January 2013, leg. Chengqing Liao; genitalia slide No. B13051, in ICCC. Paratypes 2♂♂. China, with same data as holotype; genitalia slide Nos B13050, BX15001, in ICCC.
The specific name is composed of “albus” and “annulatus”, meaning “with white ring”, referring to the flagellum of antenna with white rings on its distal part.
China (Jiangxi).
Gibbovalva Kumata & Kuroko, 1988, In: Kumata, Kuroko and Ermolaev, 1988, Insecta Matsumurana (N.S.) 40: 3
Gracilaria (sic) quadrifasciata Stainton, 1862.
Stainton (1862: 295, pl. 10, fig. 5).
1 | Forewing with five white or ochreous yellow fasciae | 2 |
– | Forewing with four white fasciae | 5 |
2 | Forewing fuscous with ochreous yellow fasciae | G. civica (Meyrick, 1914) |
– | Forewing ochreous yellow with white fasciae | 3 |
3 | Antenna with flagellum white in several basal segments; aedeagus without cornutus | G. urbana (Meyrick, 1908) |
– | Antenna with flagellum ochreous yellow to ochreous brown; aedeagus with cornutus | 4 |
4 | Forewing with fifth fascia intercalated by a black narrow line in centre; aedeagus with a flap like process at basal 1/3 | G. kobusi Kumata & Kuroko, 1988 |
– | Fifth fascia without the aforementioned characteristic; flap like process of aedeagus absent | G. magnoliae Kumata & Kuroko, 1988 |
5 | Forewing fuscous, white fasciae with large evident fuscous spots, third fascia interrupted by ground color | G. quadrifasciata (Stainton, 1862) |
– | Forewing ochreous yellow or distal 2/3 ochreous, fuscous spots in white fasciae obscure or absent, fasciae uninterrupted | 6 |
6 | First fascia at base of forewing; three basal white fasciae wider than the fourth one, and almost equal in width; forewing with a black speck on dorsum between third and fourth fasciae, and a white speck above the black one | G. singularis Bai & Li, 2008 |
– | First fascia nearly at the middle of forewing, the first and the second fasciae wider than the third and the fourth fasciae; space between third and fourth fasciae without spots | G. clavata sp. n. |
A new species of Gibbovalva, with antennal scape bearing a ventral flap and valva with a costal process as for other members of the genus, with which it also shares the fore wing markings and characteristics of vinculum and saccus. The basal 1/3 of the forewing of Gibbovalva clavata sp. n. is white in ground color and has four black costal specks; the distal 2/3 is ochreous yellow in ground color and has four white fasciae. The valva is blade-shaped, the costa possesses a clavate process at the basal 1/6; saccus is thumb-shaped with rounded apex; the aedeagus does not have a flap-like process, and its thorn-like cornuti are arranged in rows from basal 1/3 to subapex.
Gibbovalva clavata sp. n. is similar to G. magnoliae and G. tricuneatella in the aedeagus lacking a flap-like process, but it is distinguishable by the forewing markings. In G. clavata, basal 1/3 of forewing is white with four black costal specks; apical 2/3 of forewing has four white fasciae, whereas in G. magnoliae forewing has a V-shaped speck at base and five white fasciae and in G. tricuneatella forewing has three white fasciae which markedly dilate towards wing fold. In addition, G. clavata resembles G. quadrifasciata (Stainton) in the male genitalia, as in both species the ventral surface of valva is covered with lanceolate setae, but it is distinguishable by other characters.
Description. Adult (Fig.
Male genitalia (Fig.
Female. Unknown.
Holotype ♂. China, Jiulian Mountain, Longnan, Jiangxi Province, 600 m, 30 March 2012, leg. Jiasheng Xu; genitalia slide No. B12020, in ICCC.
The species name is derived from the Latin “clavatus”, meaning “clavate”, in reference to the costal process of valva.
China (Jiangxi).
We are most grateful to Mr. Paolo Triberti of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Verona, for his help in providing valuable references. Financial assistance rendered by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 41361009 and No. 31260116), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province, China (No. 20132BAB204008), the Program for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi Province, China (PSSR. No. 2012331), and the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, China (No. 2011011033-3) are gratefully acknowledged.