Compsocommosis vietnamensis Heppner & Bae, new species

Compsocommosis vietnamensis Heppner & Bae, new species

(Figs. 1–5)

Type locality. Cuc Phuong National Park, Mac Lake (155 m), Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam.

Diagnosis. Diagnostic characters for this species have already been noted under the generic discussion, but in the female the size of the lamellae postvaginalis, the ductus bursae-bursal border plates, the form of the bursa, and the size of the signum will likely be specific for this species.

Description. Wing expanse: 14.5–14.6 mm (n = 3). Male unknown. Female (Fig. 1). Head (Figs. 2–3): Vertex tan-fuscous; frons tan, white at base; antenna brown-fuscous alternating with tan, ventrally setous but unscaled, scape tan-fuscous; labial palpus cream white on basal segment, dark brown ventrolaterally on middle segment, with apical segment dark tan fuscous at middle, and mesally the same but less fuscous on second segment. Thorax: Brown-fuscous; tegulae same; venter white, with light tan at neck; legs white, with brown-fuscous dorsally on femur and tibia, with brown-fuscous on tarsal segments, and tarsi tan ventrally. Forewing dorsally brown, with irrorated white area on dorsal middle, narrowing to tornus and half of basal area; costal margin with brown alternating with 6–7 pale pairs of strigulae, more whitish nearer apical quarter, with yellow line at apical 1/4 curved to tornus, margined by iridescent silver-fuscous; silver subterminal line; black spot near tornus with small light yellow spots; fringe dark fuscous, with white near apex and near tornus; venter of wing like dorsum but duller and more yellow marks on costa and apex. Hindwing white basal half brown-fuscous at base and some brown-fuscous irrorations near anal margin and angled beyond base; apical 1/3 brown; a large black patch along termen and tornus, with small yellow and silver spots towards tornus and subterminal silver line; fringe white except fuscous near apex; venter of wing like dorsum but duller. Abdomen: Brown-fuscous with pale white scale row on posterior margin of each tergite; venter cream-white; anal tuft fuscous. Female genitalia (Fig. 4) elongated, with short ovipositor, papilla anales setous and flattened; sterigma split with two rectangular spinose plates, sharply truncated posteriorly; ostium bursae ovate, simple, wider than deep, with bulbous anterior end as deep as wide; ductus bursae simple, narrowed at junction with anterior of ostium, then widening anteriorly to width subequal to bursa opening; ductus seminalis large, emergent dorsally from ductus bursae near subostium; corpus bursa simple, elongated, with two spined, pyramidal plates at ductus border; signum a small sharply pointed, thorn-like process.

Specimens studied. Holotype female: Cuc Phuong Natl. Pk., Mac Lake (155 m), Ninh Binh Prov., Vietnam, 4– 7 May 2009, J. B. Heppner (genitalia slide JBH 2859). Deposited with FSCA/McGuire Center, on indefinite loan from PPRI (Hanoi, Vietnam).

Paratypes (2♀): VIETNAM: Ninh Binh Prov.: same data as holotype (1♀) (FSCA/MGLB). Hanoi/ Hatay Prov.: Ba Vi Natl. Park [1080 m], 19 Jul–5 Aug 2010 (1♀), Y.-S. Bae & L.-X. Vi (INUC).

Etymology. The species is named after Vietnam.

Biology. These moths are likely diurnal, as far as is known, like the Hilarographini (Heppner 1982), although specimens have all been taken at lights. Otherwise, nothing is known of the life history and biology of the species. Distribution. The species is known only from northern Vietnam.

Discussion. The new species superficially looks much like Mictocommosis species in terms of adult maculation. The female appears more like members of the genus Nexosa, but genitalia and wing venation differ considerably (Heppner & Bae 2015).