Melittia tao Liang & Hsu 2017, sp. noV.

Melittia tao Liang & Hsu sp. noV.

(Figs 8 ̄14)

Holotype. ♂, TAIWAN: Taitung, Lanyu, Langtao Stream, 70 m, 20. IV. 2013, reared from Trichosanthes quinquangulata, emgd. 15. V. 2013, HSUM 13 D27 M, L.H. Wang, K.W. Hsiao and W.Y. Wang, Coll. (NHM).

Paratypes. 2 ♂, 2 ♀, same date as holotype, (1 ♂, Gen. Prep. JYL-146, NTNU). 2 ♀, same locality, 18. II. 2013, reared from T. quinquangulata, emgd. 2̄ 6. IV. 2013, HSUM 13 B17 M, J.Y. Liang Coll. 1 ♀, TAIWAN: Taitung, Lanyu, Sidaogou, 40 m, 18/ 19. IV. 2006, on flower of Bidens pilosa, Y.F. Hsu Coll. (Gen. Prep. JYL-147, NTNU).

Description. Male (Figs 8 ̄9). Alar expanse 29.8̄ 33.4 mm (n=3), forewing length 12.8̄ 14.5 mm (n=3), body length 14.1̄ 16.3 mm (n=3), antenna 6.2̄ 6.9 mm (n=3). Head: antenna black dorsally with dark violet sheen, with a few snow-white scales at anterior margin and with a yellow elongate spot at posterior margin distally, light brown ventrally with a few yellow scales medially at base; frons grey-brown with purple sheen, with a narrow pale yellow stripe laterally; labial palpus pale yellow to white basally, black mixed with yellow apically, with two narrow, black stripes ventrad; vertex mixed with black and yellow scales; occipital fringe mixed with olive, black and yellow scales dorsally, pale yellow to white laterally. Thorax: patagium olive-green with a small yellow spot laterally; tegula dark brown; mesothorax densely covered with olive-green scales; metathorax mixed with olive-green to sooty yellow, hair-like scales; thorax grey-brown with bright greenish sheen mixed with white scales laterally; metepimeron and metameron densely covered with yellow to dirty yellow hair-like scales posteriorly. Legs: fore coxa pale yellow with admixture of black scales; fore femur pale yellow with a narrow black stripe at anterior margin; fore tibia dark brown to black with a few white scales posteriorly; fore tarsus yellow with a narrow, black stripe dorsally; mid femur in anterior half white, posterior half mixed with black and pale yellow scales; mid tibia black internally, pale yellow externally; mid tarsus black, with a broad white ring with blue-violet hue basally in basal tarsomere, and with a few white scales at base of 2nd and 3rd tarsomeres; hind femur black, with a narrow white anterior margin; hind tibia dark brown dorsally with a large, oblique yellow-orange spot medially; dark brown to black with bronze sheen ventrally, with a small white spot; spurs black; hind tarsus dark brown to black. Forewing: black basally, scattered with a few light brown scales; discal spot black with dark purple sheen, with a few dark yellow-orange scales at margins; apical area dark brown to black, with a few snow-white scales; discal spot narrow, with a small cuneiform projection proximally; transparent area well-developed; external transparent area large, divided into 6 cells (cell between veins R4 and R5 present but small), level to vein M1 about 3.5 X as broad as discal spot; cilia dark brown with bronze-purple sheen. Hindwing: transparent, with anal area dark brown, with admixture of dark yellow-orange scales and hairs; veins, discal spot and outer margin dark brown to black; discal spot narrow; outer margin narrow, about twice as narrow as cilia; cilia dark brown. Abdomen: black dorsally with blue-violet sheen; tergites 1 and 2 densely covered with sooty olive-green scales; tergites 2¯7 each with a narrow, yellow, distal margin; tergites 3 and 5 with admixture of yellow scales medially, entirely pale yellow ventrally; anal tuft small, black with a few yellow scales dorsally and pale yellow scales laterally.

Female (Figs 10 ̄11). Alar expanse 32.1¯ 34.8 mm (n=5); forewing length 14.1¯ 16.2 mm (n=5); body length 15.7¯ 16.9 mm (n=5); antennae length 7.5¯ 8.3 mm (n=5). Hind tibia black internally, black ventrally with dark blue sheen; orange dorsally; hind tarsus yellow. Colour pattern otherwise as in male.

Genitalia. Male (Gen. Prep. JYL-146, NTNU, Figs 12 ̄13). Tegumen-uncus-gnathos complex united; uncus bilobed distally, sparsely covered with long hairlike setae; gnathos undeveloped; valva oblong oval, divided at 3/5 from apical margin, joined with membrane; medial field narrow, with long setae, covering pocket shaped costa; ventral margin slightly exceeding distal margin of valva in length; cucullus broad, with distal margin slightly curved; saccus rather long and narrow, slightly club-shaped, rounded basally; aedeagus narrow, slightly longer than valva; vesica with numerous minute cornuti.

Female (Gen. Prep. JYL-147, NTNU, Fig. 14). Papillae anales membranous, covered with short setae with a small sclerotized plate basally; tergite 8 relatively broad, with relatively long setae at posterior and interior margin ventrally; apophyses posteriors about as long as apophyses anteriores; ostium bursae opening near posterior margin of sternite 7, with heavily sclerotized, narrow ring; antrum rather broad and short, membranous; ductus bursae membranous, long, about twice as long as apophyses anteriores, enlarged, funnel-like at caudal end; corpus bursae ovoid, membranous, with signum relatively large, broadly pyriform, bifurcate posteriorly with numerous transverse, well-sclerotized, dentate stripes.

Diagnosis. Melittia tao sp. nov. is similar to M. celebica Le Cerf 1916 of Celebes in markings of body. M. tao may be distinguished from M. celebic a by cuneiform discal spot projection small and obscure in M. tao, but long and prominent in M. celebica. The wing pattern of Melittia tao sp. nov. is most similar to that of M. taiwanensis Arita & Gorbunov 2002 of Taiwan and M. afonini tonkinensis Arita & Gorbunov 2000 of Vietnam, but may be distinguished from these species using the following characters: Tergites 6 and 7 each with a narrow yellow stripe in M. tao, but white in M. taiwanensis. Mesothorax with olive-green scales in M. tao, but black in M. afonini tonkinensis.

Etymology. This new species is named after tao, a language of Taiwanese aborigines, Tao People, of Lanyu Island.

Biology. The larvae bore singly into the main stem of 0.5̄ 1.5 cm diameter of Trichosanthes quinquangulata (Cucurbitaceae) and produce elongate swelling (Fig. 17). The fully grown larva burrows into the soil and pupates in an earthen cocoon covered by sand grains, at proximately 5 cm below the surface (Fig. 18).

Distribution. Known only from Lanyu Island, Taiwan.