Description of a new species of the genus Neopseustis Meyrick, 1909 from China, with a new classification of the genus (Lepidoptera, Neopseustoidea, Neopseustidae)

Abstract

A new species of the genus Neopseustis Meyrick, 1909, Neopseustis chentangensis S.Y. Huang & Chen sp. nov., which was confirmed by both morphological and molecular methods, is described from Xizang, China. This is currently the westernmost species in Asia of the primitive lepidopteran family Neopseustidae. The new species is externally reminiscent of N. moxiensis Chen & Owada, 2009; however, it can be easily distinguished from the latter by comparison of the male genitalia and is further distinguished by the large genetic distance in DNA barcodes (COI). The adult and genitalia of the new and similar species have been illustrated. Utilizing our new data, a new classification of the genus is provided, with its members subdivided into four species groups: the meyricki-group, the moxiensis-group, the bicornuta-group, and the chentangensis-group, which are supported by both molecular and morphological evidence. A checklist of the genus and a key to the species groups are also provided.

A new record family Neopseustidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from Chongqing of China, with the first description of the Neopseustis archiphenax female adult

“…Davis (1975) considered Neopseustis is divided into two groups: one is characterized principally by the well-developed, densely pubescent parameres, and the other one is characterized by the poorly developed and naked parameres. Huang et al (2021) consider that this genus may actually comprise of at least four groupsafter utilizing more data from previously unsampled taxa. However, in the present study, N. archiphenax, N. rectagnatha, N. meyricki and N. sinensis belong to one group is suggested.…”

“…The family Neopseustidae is an archaic lepidopteran group which consists of 4 genera and 14 species, and distributed in Southeast Asia and South America (Davis 1975;Davis & Nielsen 1980, 1985Chen et al 2009;Liao et al 2021;Huang et al 2021). Two genera and eight species have been recorded from mainland China (Chen et al 2009;Liao et al 2021;Huang et al 2021), but no species has been reported from Chongqing Municipality. The insect inventories organized by Prof. Zhi-Sheng Zhang of Southwest University were constructed in Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Chongqing of China.…”