Asuridia nigrubra Huang, Volynkin & Wang, 2020

Asuridia nigrubra Huang, Volynkin & Wang sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 View FIGURES 1–4 , 9)

Type material. Holotype: male, altitude 785 m, 3.VI.2019, 31°22′45.99″N, 110°29′18.62″E, Chaoshuihe Village , Xingshan County, Yichang City, Hubei Province, PR China, leg. Si-yao Huang & Shun-yun Tan ( SCAU) GoogleMaps . Paratype: male, the same data as in the holotype ( SCAU) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Externally, adults of A. nigrubra sp. nov. have an unmistakable wing pattern consisting of a black ground color with a sandglass-shaped red medial band, which differs from the ground plan of other congeners while, on the other hand, somewhat resembling Disasuridia nakaoi Černý, 2016 (Figs 8, 11) from northern Thailand. However, the male genitalia of A. nigrubra sp. nov. differ distinctly from those of D. nakaoi by the absence of several important autapomorphies of Disasuridia such as the plate-like uncus, lateral subapical lobes of tegumen and strong lateral spine-like processes at the outer wall of aedeagus. On the contrary the male genitalia of the new species are similar to those of Asuridia species by sharing the densely setose medial costal process in the genitalia capsule and the large, hook-like curved diverticulum in the aedeagus vesica. Moreover, the new species can be readily distinguished from D. nakaoi by its totally black body and the reddish patch do not extending along dorsum and reaching the wing base (while in D. nakaoi the body is red thoroughly and the reddish patch extends along dorsum and reaches the wing base). The new species can also be distinguished from other Asuridia species by its male genitalia having the thick and stout uncus, which in other congeners is slender and more elongated.

Description. Male. Length of forewing 9.2 mm in holotype and 8.6 mm in paratype. Antenna short, filiform, black thoroughly. Head, thorax and abdomen covered by black scales thoroughly. Forewing nearly elliptical, ground color black, with a red sandglass-like band presented at medial zone, this band may be continuous ( holotype) or broken ( paratype) in discoidal cell. Cilia black. Hindwing ground color as forewing, without any markings. Cilia black.

Male genitalia. Uncus relatively short, broadened from base to middle and gradually tapered towards tip in lateral view. Tegumen broad laterally. Juxta narrow, shallow V-shaped. Saccus broad, U-shaped. Valva broad, costa strongly sclerotized, medial costal process densely setose, sinuate and S-shaped; distal costal process long and pointed; membranous lobe of valva semicircular; saccular strongly sclerotized, with its surface densely setose; distal saccular process very short, rounded; aedeagus slender; vesica broad, basal diverticulum broad and large, rectangular; medial diverticulum rather large, finger-like and bent in the middle; basal ventral diverticulum globular, covered with numerous small triangular cornuti, with two longer and larger ones presented at the ventral side; distal ventral diverticulum globular, covered with large and long triangular cornuti of various size.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Currently only known from its type locality, Xingshan County in Hubei Province, Central China.

Etymology. The specific epithet nigrubra is the combination of two Latin words, nigro (meaning black) and rubra (meaning red), and refers to the color of the wing pattern of the new species.

Remarks. We place this species in the genus Asuridia due to its valva structure and aedeagus vesica having the same ground plan as in other Asuridia species. On the other hand, the relatively small size of A. nigrubra , its unusual wing pattern as well as the laterally thick and stout uncus are not seen in other Asuridia species with male genitalia known to us, what suggests the assumption that a new subgenus of Asuridia can be erected for A. nigrubra . Future study based on molecular methods may reveal its true systematic position within the genus.