Sciency Thoughts: Snout Moths

Showing posts with label Snout Moths. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 April 2016

Trieces etuokensis: A new species of Ichneumon Wasp from Qinghai Province, China.

Ichneumon Wasps are parasitoid Wasps (Wasps whose parasitic larvae grow within the body of a living host) that target a wide range of hosts, including Spiders, Beetles, Butterflies and Moths, and even other Wasps. Most species target the larvae of other Insects, with the female laying a single egg beneath the skin of the victim, the larval Wasp then growing inside the host, which is able to grow and feed, but when the host pupates the parasite finishes consuming it and emerges from the victim's pupa as an adult Wasp. Almost all Ichneumon Wasps are host specific, targetting only a single species, and the family is the largest known family of Wasps (and one of the largest known families of Insects) with over 60 000 species.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 15 March 2016, Ying Zhang and Mao-Ling Sheng of the General Station of Forest Pest Management of the State Forestry Administration and Zi-Cheng Xiong of the Forest Pest Control and Quarantine Station of Etuoke, describe a new species of Ichneumon Wasp from Dulan County in Qinghai Province, China.

The species is described from catapillars of Snout Moths of the species Bazaria turensis collected from a shrubbery in August 2013 and fromunidentified catapillars collected from scrubland at Etuoke in Inner Mongolia in September 2014 and raised in cages until they matured. It is placed in the genus Trieces, and given the specific name etuokensis, meaning 'from Etuoke'. The Wasps are 2.8 mm (females) and 3.1 mm long (males) and black in colour, except for a yellow face and yellow-brown markings on the limbs and underside.

Trieces etuokensis, female in dorsal view. Zhang et al. (2016).

Monday, 2 February 2015

A new species of Ichneumon Wasp from Qinghai Province, China.

Ichneumon Wasps of the genus Campoplex are parasitiods of Beetles and Moths (i.e. their larvae live inside Beetles and Moths, eating their living host as they mature) found predominantly in Europe and Western Asia, with species also recorded from East and Southeast Asia, North America and Africa. Eleven species have previously been recorded from China.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 18 December 2014, Yu-Xiang Zhao of the The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation at Beijing Forestry University and the General Station of Forest Pest Management of the State Forestry Administration and Mao-Ling Sheng also of the General Station of Forest Pest Management of the State Forestry Administration, describe a new species of Campoplex from Qinghai Province in China.

The new species is named Campoplex bazariae, in reference to its host species the Moth Bazaria turensis. Females of the Wasp are 7.5-8.0 mm in length, males 8.0-8.2 mm. Both are predominantly black with some brown areas.

Female Campoplex bazariae inlateral view. Zhao & Sheng (2014).

The species was discovered while investigating an outbreak of Bazaria turensis (a form of Snout Moth) in a forest in Qinghai. The Wasps emerged from the cocoons of the Moths, both within clusters of leaves in the tree canopy and buried in soil on the forest floor.

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Five new species of Snout Moth from China.

Snout Moths are one of the larger groups of Lepidopterans (Butterflies and Moths), with over 6000 described species known from across the globe. Most of these are small and inconspicuous, and generally ignored by humans, though the larval forms of some species are considered to be pests, since they consume dried food products.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 7 August 2012, Yongling Sun of the Department of Biology at Dezhou University and Houhun Li of the College of Life Sciences at Nankai University describe five new species of Snout Moths in the widespread and species-numerous genus Endotricha, and in addition describe the females of three species previously known only from male specimens.

The first new species described is named Endotricha dentiprocessa, where dentiprocessa means 'toothed process', in reference to the genital structure of the Moth. The species is described from two male and two female specimens, all collected in 2008 from Qinmu Village in Yongfu County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Endotricha dentiprocessa is a small black, white and brown moth with a wingspan of 17.0−18.5 mm.

Endotricha dentiprocessa. Female specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

The second new species is named Endotricha unicolor, where unicolor means single-coloured, a reference to the unpatterned rear wing. The species is named from one male and female specimens collected in Millen and Linzhi Counties in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, at altitudes of between 2980 and 3065 m. Endotricha unicolor is a yellowish-brown Moth with a 20 mm wingspan.

Endotricha unicolor. (Top) Male. (Bottom) Female. Sun & Li (2012).

The third new species described is named Endotricha shafferi, in honour of the late Michael Shaffer, an entomologist at the British Museum of Natural History. The species is named from One male and two female specimens from the Yinsha Protection Station in Jinxiu County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Endotricha shafferi is a black and yellow Moth with a 21 mm wingspan.

Endotricha shafferi. Female specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

The fourth new species is named Endotricha convexa, refering to the shape of the forewing. The species is described on the basis of three male and one female specimens from Yinggeling and Mount Wuzhi in Hainan Province. Endotricha convexa is a brown and yellow moth with purple markings on its wings and a wingspan of 20-22 mm.

Endotricha convexa. (Top) Male. (Bottom) Female. Sun & Li (2012).

The fifth new species described is named Endotricha whalleyi, in honour of the late Paul Whalley, a noted entomologist. The species is described from two male specimens from Hanmi in Mêdog County in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region. Endotricha whalleyi is a brown moth with a 16 mm wingspan.

Endotricha whalleyi. Male specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

The first of the three species to have its female described for the first time is Endotricha hoenei, the male of which was described in 1963 by Paul Whalley, from Guangdong Province. Sun and Li detail five new male and 19 female specimens from Fujian and Guangxi Provinces. The female is a yellow and brown Moth with a 19-21 mm wingspan.

Endotricha hoenei. Female specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

The second species to have its female described for the first time is Endotricha luteogrisalis, originally described in 1896 from a male specimen from Bhutan. Sun and Li describe five new male and twelve female specimens from Fujian and Hainan Provinces. The female of Endotricha luteogrisalis is a brown and yellow Moth with a 16.5-20 mm wingspan.

Endotricha luteogrisalis. Female specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

The final species to have its female described for the first time is Endotricha simipunicea, originally described in 2005 from a male specimen from Zhejiang Province. Sun and Li describe eight new male specimens and three female specimens from Fujian and Guizhou Provinces. The female of Endotricha simipunicea is a red and yellow Moth with a 13.5-15 mm wingspan.

Endotricha simipunicea. Female specimen. Sun & Li (2012).

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