Thitarodes namnai sp. nov. and T. caligophilus sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), hosts of the economically important entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis in Bhutan

摘要

Two new species of Thitarodes Viette (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) are described from specimens collected in alpine grassland habitats of north-west Bhutan. The new species are compared with their closest relatives from Nepal and neighbouring parts of China and Japan. Male and female adults and genitalia are illustrated. Cordyceps ('yartsa guenbub' in Bhutan or 'chongchao' in China) is a valuable commodity, collected intensively throughout alpine grasslands of the Eastern Himalayas and parts of the Tibetan Plateau. This component of traditional Chinese medicine consists of dried fruiting bodies of the entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora and cuticular remains of its insect host, which still preserve the distinct shape of the caterpillar (Cannon et al. 2009).