Thaumatotibia ramamurthyi Shashank and Reddy 2022, sp. nov.

Thaumatotibia ramamurthyi Shashank and Reddy sp. nov.

(Figs. 4, 5, 8, 12, 17, 18, 20)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A9D53626-7889-49CF-853E-DAAE14BFA613

Type material. J. Holotype. [India] Karnataka, Bengaluru, Chikkavaderapura, 12°53′31.7″N, 77°44′40.3″E, 914m, 09.VIII.2021, MVL, Karthik, Reddy, M (gen. slide no. L00051932)-coll. INPC.

Paratypes:J, India: Karnataka, Bengaluru, Chikkavaderapura, 12°53′31.7″N, 77°44′40.3″E, 914m, 06.VII.2021, MVL, Karthik, Reddy, M (gen. slide no. L00051933); ♀, India: Karnataka, Bengaluru, Chikkavaderapura, 12°53′31.7″N, 77°44′40.3″E, 914m, 09.VIII.2021, MVL, Karthik, Reddy, M (gen. slide no. L00051934) -coll. INPC.

Diagnosis. Thaumatotibia ramamurthyi sp. nov. is closely related to T. aclyta (Turner) but it can be distinguished by the greyish brown to blackish brown forewings without a distinctly paler distal region. The male genitalia of T. ramamurthyi sp. nov. is characterized by a constriction between sacculus and cucullus, and undulating outer margin of valva, whereas T. aclyta has a smooth outer and inner margin of valva, and absence of constriction between sacculus and cucullus. The female genitalia of T. ramamurthyi sp. nov. is characterized by narrow sclerotized ring around ostium, a subtriangular lamella postvaginalis of dense microtrichia, colliculum a small sclerotized ringshaped sclerite, inception of ductus seminalis at anterior 1/3 of ductus bursae, and smaller signa, whereas T. aclyta has a broader ring around ostium, lamella postvaginalis represented by two ovate bands of dense microtrichia, colliculum a large ring-shaped sclerite anterior of ostium, inception of ductus seminalis at anterior 1/4 of ductus bursae, and larger signa.

Description. Male (Fig. 4). Wingspan: 16-18 mm (n=2). Head (Fig. 8). Ocellus large, chaetosema welldeveloped. Vertex reddish-brown intermixed with dark brown. Upper frons dark brown, with anteriorly projecting short scales; lower frons dark brown, with minute, upwardly appressed scales. Labial palpi porrect, moderately long (1.8-1.9 x diameter of eye), dark brown; first segment short; second segment distally widened with appressed scales; third segment short with blunt apex. Antenna filiform, dark brown, reaching half-length of forewing. Thorax. Posterior crest a tuft of whitish scales. Pronotal collar dark brown with few reddish-brown scales. Tegulae dark brown mixed with copperish brown basally, some scales with white to cream apices. Legs dark grey with whiteringed tarsi. Wings. Forewings subtriangular, greyish brown ground color; male costal fold absent, costa almost straight except slightly curved apical 1/5; rounded apex; termen oblique and straight; distal paler region not distinct; staggered series of dark and white bands oblique to apex and parallel to termen; wing variably overlaid with dark grey to blackish-brown scales except for small pale band parallel to termen; costal strigulae light brown to grey broken by dark brown streaks; white scale tuft near base of dorsum; a small white dot in middle of wing; semicircular copperish-brown pretornal mark arched with black scales and outlined with whitish scales; cilia mixed whitish, grey and brown scales; underside light brown with greyish yellow spots on costa and outer margin between veins. Hindwing: Greyish brown; cilia pale grey; underside light brown. Abdomen (Fig. 12). Long copper-brown scales dorsally and grey anal tuft. S2 with well-developed anterolateral processes. T8 a broadly sclerotized plate, posterior margin medially convex. Coremata: S8 a crescentic plate, with paired tufts of scales laterally.

Male genitalia (Figs. 17, 18). Vinculum a moderately wide band. Tegumen moderately sclerotized, ovate, with broadened base and rounded apex. Uncus and Socii absent. Gnathos moderately sclerotized semicircular depressions on each side with spinulose base. Valva large, elongate-oval, slightly constricted near ventromedially, with a small subtriangular knob dorsomedially; sacculus with large basal excavation with moderately dense bristles along ventral margin, costal process small; cucullus ovate, densely setose, with distinct, sparsely spines projecting outward along ventral margin. Juxta subtriangular; caulis moderately long and sclerotized, with rounded basal spinulose lobes; anellus surrounding base of aedeagus; aedeagus bulbous basal 1/4, remainder abruptly narrowed with parallel-sided; vesica with series of deciduous spiniform cornuti.

Female (Fig. 5). Wingspan: 19.5-21 mm (n=1). As male, but with darker pre-apical blotch in the distal half of forewing, and absence of long grey scales dorsally on abdomen.

Female genitalia (Fig. 20). Ovipositor lobes moderate, subreniform. S7 trapezoidal. Ostium in shallowed incision of S7 medially. Sterigma moderately sclerotized, narrow ring around ostium connected with subtriangular lamella postvaginalis, covered with dense microtrichia. Ductus bursae about 1/2 length of corpus bursae, gradually widened posteriorly with a small, sclerotized ring-shaped colliculum, inception of ductus seminalis at anterior 1/3 of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae ovate, with a weakly sclerotized, narrow ring of spinules at bursa neck, with two moderately long sickle-shaped signa.

Distribution. Chikkavaderapura (India: Karnataka: Bengaluru).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name is given after Dr. V.V. Ramamurthy for his contribution to the Indian insect taxonomy.

Remarks. Komai (1999) has revised Thaumatotibia, providing illustrations of their genitalia and early stages and characterized the genus by following apomorphies: 1, broadly sclerotized plate on tergum 8 in males with medially convex posterior margin laterally produced into curved points; 2, sterigma represented by a rectangular or ovate raised rim connected posteriorly with a pair of ovate depressions with modified scales; 3, ring of spinules around the entrance of corpus bursae (Komai, 1999).