Thubana porcata, Yu & Wang, 2025

Yu, Shuai & Wang, Shuxia, 2025, New species and new records of the genus Thubana Walker (Lepidoptera: Lecithoceridae) from China, with a checklist of the genus in the country, European Journal of Taxonomy 987, pp. 81-97 : 85-95

Thubana porcata sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0AF33F66-D975-4A66-AF81-70ECEBB00870

Figs 1D , 3D , 6A

Diagnosis

The new species is similar to Th. felinaurita in the male genitalia. It can be distinguished by the forewing lacking a costal patch, in the male genitalia the juxta with a vertical, straight ridge, and in the female genitalia the corpus bursae with a moderately sclerotised zone smaller than signum; in Th. felinaurita , the forewing has a costal patch, the ridge on the juxta is V-shaped in the male genitalia, and the corpus bursae has a weakly sclerotised zone larger than the signum in the female genitalia.

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin ‘ porcatus ’, referring to the vertical ridge on the juxta of the male genitalia.

Type material

Holotype

CHINA • ♂; Yunnan Prov., Pu’er, Taiyanghe ; 22º37′ N, 101º06′ E; 1450 m a.s.l.; 12 Jun. 2017; Z.G. Zhang leg.; slide no. YS20169 ; NKU.

Paratype

CHINA • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype except dated 30 Jul. 2014; slide no. YS20300 ; NKU.

Description

Adult ( Fig. 1D )

Wingspan 22.0‒24.0 mm. Head dark brown.Antenna orange white, tinged with brown basally, flagellum shortly ciliate ventrobasally. Labial palpus brown, third palpomere as long as second palpomere. Thorax and tegula dark brown. Forewing with costal margin nearly straight, apex bluntly rounded, termen shallowly concave; ground colour dark brown; fringe greyish black, basal line orange white. Hindwing dark brown; discocellular stigma clavate, blackish brown; fringe dark brown, with an orange white basal line and a pale brownish-yellow median band.

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 3D ). Uncus elongate, wide basally, narrowed to blunt apex. Gnathos with basal plate semi-ovate distally; median process wide at the base, narrowed to basal 3/5 where it is curved, narrowed abruptly from distal 2/5 to pointed apex. Valva broad and parallel-sided basally, narrowed toward cucullus; cucullus about half the length of valva, extending dorsad distally, expanded at basal 2/5, thereafter narrowed toward bluntly rounded apex, arched ventrally; costa straight in basal 1/5, semicircularly concave in distal 4/5; sacculus banded, straight ventrally. Vinculum narrow; saccus triangular. Juxta rectangular, longer than wide, shallowly concave on posterior margin forming two short posterolateral lobes, with a ridge along vertical midline from posterior margin to anterior 1/3. Aedeagus longer than valva, wide at the base, narrowed toward spined apex, gently curved; cornuti consisting of clusters of spines medially, a small plate at basal 1/5, a weakly sclerotised band about 1/4 length of aedeagus placed before middle, and a linear bar about 1/3 length of aedeagus placed distally.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 6A ). Eighth abdominal sternite concave on posterior margin forming two short posterolateral lobes. Apophyses posteriores about 1.5× length of apophyses anteriores. Lamella antevaginalis subovate, with a heavily sclerotised horizontal flap at middle. Antrum membranous. Ductus bursae about 3× length of corpus bursae, twisted, with dispersed spines in posterior 1/4; ductus seminalis slender except broadened and granulose sector basally, arising from about posterior 1/6 of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae ovate, with a weakly sclerotised elliptical zone situated anteriorly; signum situated at posterior 1/3, elliptical, densely spined, protuberant centrally forming a process.

Distribution

China (Yunnan).

Remarks

Thubana porcata sp. nov. lacks the typical yellowish costal patch in the forewing, but the male and female genitalia characters confirm the species’ placement within the genus Thubana .

Thubana porcata sp. nov.

TL: China (Yunnan). TD: NKU.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Figures

Fig. 1. Dorsal habitus of Thubana spp. A. Th. circularis Park, 2006, ♀ (NKU). B. Th. fangensis Park, 2003, ♀ (slide no. YS19775, NKU). C. Th. felinaurita Li, 2010, ♀ (slide no. YS20303, NKU). D. Th. porcata sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (slide no. YS20169, NKU). Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

Fig. 3. Male genitalia of Thubana spp. A. Th. circularis Park, 2006 (slide no. YS19766, NKU). B. Th. fangensis Park, 2003 (slide no. YS19774, NKU). C. Th. felinaurita Li, 2010 (slide no. YS19767, NKU). D. Th. porcata sp. nov., holotype (slide no. YS20169, NKU). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 6. Female genitalia of Thubana spp. A. Th. porcata sp. nov., paratype (slide no. YS20300, NKU). B. Th. quadrilatera sp. nov., paratype (slide no. YS20294, NKU). C. Th. viriabilis sp. nov., paratype (slide no. YUS184, NKU). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.