The malacobyrsa -group

Diagnostic characters. Adult with forewing length running from 5.5 to 9.8 mm, length approximately 2.5−3.2 times of the maximum width. Forewing broad lanceolate; ground color yellow, with a wide dark median fascia, with a distinct dark discal and a plical spot, as well as a discocellular spot that is often merged within the median fascia; terminal dots distinct, dark. Male genitalia: uncus more or less conical or rod-shaped; gnathos absent; valva bladeshaped in most species; transtilla dilated roundly or enlarged irregularly; sacculus entirely separated from valva. Female genitalia: ductus bursae membranous or partly sclerotized; corpus bursae ovate to rounded, with 1−2 signa.

Species of the malacobyrsa -group are similar to those of the facialis- group in having a yellow forewing, but can be distinguished by the forewing having a median fascia but lacking a costal spot and an apical patch; in the facialis- group, all the species have a costal spot and an apical patch but lack a median fascia.

Four species of the malacobyrsa -group have been recorded in China before this study: M. malacobyrsa (Meyrick, 1921), M. microbyrsa (Wang, 2003), M. dorsoprojecta (Wang, 2006) and M. robusta (Wang, 2006). In the present paper, we describe six new species, and report the female of M. microbyrsa (Wang, 2003) for the first time.