Abstract
Two new species of Ochlodes Scudder, 1872, Ochlodes pseudochraceus Zhu, Fan & Wang, sp. nov. and Ochlodes cryptochraceus Zhu, Fan & Chiba, sp. nov., are found in China and described, and Ochlodes rikuchina (Butler, 1878) stat. rev. is restored. A lectotype is designated for Pamphila ochracea Bremer, 1861, and a neotype is designated for Pamphila rikuchina Butler, 1878. Overall, the two new species are similar to Ochlodes ochraceus (Bremer, 1861). They, however, can be distinguished from the latter and other species in the genus: O. pseudochraceus has long radial spots in spaces R3-5, and the lateral process of the phallus gradually widens at the distal half in male genitalia; O. cryptochraceus has the lateral process of the phallus enlarged only at the distal tip. Based on the phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial COI gene, members of currently defined O. ochraceus are grouped into four clades. The genetic distances between O. pseudochraceus and O. ochraceus, O. cryptochraceus and O. ochraceus, O. rikuchina and O. ochraceus, and O. pseudochraceus and O. cryptochraceus are 3.2%, 2.1%, 1.9%, and 2.7%, respectively. Based on the molecular and morphological evidence, O. pseudochraceus, O. cryptochraceus, and O. rikuchina are treated to be distinct species. The adult habitus and male and female genitalia of the new species are illustrated as well as those of O. ochraceus and O. rikuchina.
Key words: Genitalia, Hubei, new species, phylogeny, Shaanxi, Sichuan, taxonomy, Zhejiang
Taxonomic accounts
Ochlodes ochraceus (Bremer, 1861)
Ochlodes rikuchina (Butler, 1878), stat. rev.
Ochlodes pseudochraceus Zhu, Fan & Wang, sp. nov.
Etymology: The scientific name is a masculine adjective and derived from the Greek word pseudes (meaning false) and the species name ochraceus, referring to their similarity.
Distribution: China (Zhejiang, Anhui).
Ochlodes cryptochraceus Zhu, Fan & Chiba, sp. nov.
Etymology: The scientific name is a combination of the prefix crypt (meaning hidden) combined with the species name ochraceus, which refers to the cryptic species of ochraceus. The name is a masculine adjective.
Distribution: China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan).
Lijuan Zhu, Yongxiang Hou, Hideyuki Chiba, Yohei Osada, Zhenfu Huang, Sergey Yu. Sinev, Min Wang and Xiaoling Fan. 2023. Molecular and Morphological Evidence reveals Hidden New Taxa in Ochlodes ochraceus (Bremer, 1861) (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae) from China. ZooKeys. 1169: 203-220. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1169.102322