Psoricoptera speciosella Teich 1893

Psoricoptera speciosella Teich, 1893

(Figs 4, 8, 12–13, 27–30, 39–39d, 45–47)

Psoricoptera speciosella Teich, 1893: 358. TL: Latvia.

Material examined. CHINA: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: 4 ♂♂, Nantianmen (40.44°N, 111.99°E), Horinger County, Hohhot City, 1400 m, 13.viii.2007, coll. Houhun Li and Oleksiy Bidzilya, genitalia slide Nos. ZML 19294, ZML 19295. Liaoning Province: 1 ♀, Mt. Qian (41.03°N, 123.12°E), 5.vii.2010, coll. Jiayu Liu and Yanpeng Cai, genitalia slide No. ZML 19293; 1 ♂ Taihe Palace (41.00°N, 123.10°E), Mt. Qian, Anshan City, 340 m, 5.viii.2016, coll. Mujie Qi, Juan Li and Yanyan Jia. Heilongjiang Province: 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Tafeng Management Station (52.35°N, 124.83°E), Great Khingan, 474 m, 29.vii.2016, coll. Mujie Qi, Juan Li and Yanyan Jia, genitalia slide Nos. ZML 19339 ♂, ZML 19298 ♀, ZML 19328 ♂, ZML 19341 ♂, ZML 19342 ♂; 1 ♂, Tahe Forest Centre (52.37°N, 124.67°E), Great Khingan, 429 m, 30.vii.2016, coll. Mujie Qi, Juan Li and Yanyan Jia, genitalia slide No. ZML 19297. Hubei Province: 1 ♀, Shuangping (31.57°N, 109.87°E), Zhuxi County, 1201 m, 6.vii.2017, coll. Wanding Qi et al., genitalia slide No. ZML 17545. Sichuan Province: 1 ♂, Shuzheng (33.2°N, 103.9°E), Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, 2300 m, 17.viii.2002, coll. Shulian Hao, genitalia slide No. ZML 19290. Gansu Province: 2 ♂♂, Mt. Xinglong (35.8°N, 104.07°E), Yuzhong County, 2178 m, 20.viii.2007, coll. Feng Yang and Hanguang Gao, genitalia slide No. ZML 19319. Qinghai Province: 1 ♂, Xining Botanical Garden (36.63°N, 101.75°E), Xining City, 2280 m, 20.vii.1995, coll. Houhun Li and Shuxia Wang, genitalia slide No. L95281.

Redescription. Adult (Figs 4, 27–30) wingspan 17.0–21.0 mm. Head grey to pale yellowish brown, scales tipped with black. Labial palpus almost entirely blackish brown except inner surface of second segment yellowish white, scales tipped with white. Antenna with scape blackish brown; flagellum blackish brown and yellowish brown alternated, serrate. Forewing dark grey, scales densely tipped with blackish brown or yellowish brown; costal spots at middle and distal 1/3 respectively; three blackish brown tufts at posterior angle of cell, basal 1/3 and 2/3 of fold respectively; fringe grey, intermixed with scales tipped with blackish brown or white. Hindwing and fringe grey. Legs blackish brown except inner surface of hindleg yellowish white; fore and mid legs with tibiae with tufts brown, scales tipped with white, tarsi ringed with brown on first, second and fifth tarsomeres apically; hindleg with all tarsomeres ringed with yellowish white apically.

Male genitalia (Figs 8, 12–13, 39–39d). Uncus shovel-shaped, posterior margin with three incisions, middle incision about double length of lateral incisions, middle branches longer than lateral branches; affiliated plates small, slightly produced to semicircular. Gnathos with middle process hook-shaped, basal half inflated to heart-shaped. Valva-vinculum complex and phallus showing typical appearance of this genus but with vinculum densely with microthorns posterolaterally.

Female genitalia (Figs 45–47). Apophyses posteriores about 6.5–7× length of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate sub-semicircular or sub-triangular. Apophyses anteriores extending to beyond end of subgenital plate and about 2× length of it, posteriorly with a pair of irregular-shaped sclerites bearing several wrinkles. Ductus bursae and corpus bursae densely covered with micro-granules and showing rough appearances, ductus bursae with a weakly sclerotized plate accompanied by a triangular sclerite. Corpus bursae oval; signum rhomboidal.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to P. gibbosella both in adult and male genitalia, and the differences between them have been stated in the diagnosis of the latter species.

Variation. The length of middle incision of uncus, the shape of gnathos and the size of signum can be variable, details are illustrated in the Figures 39–39d and 45–47.

Host plants. Salicaceae: Larva on Salix sp., Salix caprea (Park & Karsholt 1999).

Distribution. China (Gansu, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Qinghai, Sichuan), Japan, Russia, Europe (Park & Karsholt 1999).

Remarks. This species is recorded from China for the first time.