Gnophopsodos tholeraria ( Püngeler, 1901 ), Pungeler, 1901

Erlacher, Sven & Erlacher, Josepha, 2016, A systematic revision of the genus Gnophopsodos Wehrli, 1945, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), Zootaxa 4169 (3), pp. 435-456 : 453-454

9. Gnophopsodos tholeraria ( Püngeler, 1901)

(adults Pl. 2, Figs 9a, 9b; male gen. Pl. 4, Figs 9c, 9d; female gen. Pl. 5, Fig. 9e)

Gnophos tholeraria Püngeler, 1901 , Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris , 14: 189, pl. 3, figs. 14, 15.— Locus typicus: China, near Aksu. Deposition of Lectotype: MNHU. Examined.

Material examined. Type material. Lectotype Ƌ (Pl. 2, Fig. 9a; Pl. 4, Fig. 9c) (hereby designated): [ China:] ‘Ost- Turkestan | ( Aksu ) | Rückbeil 1900’, ‘ Type | tholeraria Püng [eler] | Ƌ’, ‘ Gnophos | tholeraria | [gen. prep.] | in Berlese-Gemisch | wasserlöslich | Ƌ Holotyp. | Rezbanyai – Reser No. 26479.’, ‘ Aksu | 1900’, ‘ Reser –26479 Ƌ | gen. prep. | Reser’, MNHU.

Paralectotypes 2Ƌ, 1♀ (Pl. 2, Fig. 9b; Pl. 5, Fig. 9e) (hereby designated): China: 1Ƌ (Pl. 4, Fig. 9d), East Turkestan , Aksu, leg. Rückbeil 1900, gen. prep. SE–593; 1Ƌ, same data ; 1♀, East Turkestan , Aksu, leg. Rückbeil 1900, gen. prep. Reser –26480, MNHU .— Further material. China: 1Ƌ, Turkestan, Aksu, leg. R. Tancré, barcode id. SE–MNC– Lep –01072; 1Ƌ, same location, <unreadable>, 1905, SE–MNC– Lep –01073, ZSM .

Description. Adults (Pl. 2, Figs 9a, 9b).

Measurements. Wingspan: 27–28 mm (Ƌ), 29 mm ( ♀); forewing length: 15–16 mm (Ƌ), 15 mm ( ♀); forewing width: 9–10 mm (Ƌ), 9 mm ( ♀).

Wings. Upper side dirty white, roughly diffused with darker patches of grayish-brown scales; medial lines grayish-brown, occasionally blurring with background coloration; underside similar to upper side, blurred; fringes yellowish-white or white.

Male genitalia (Pl. 4, Figs 9c, 9d). Total length: 1.44–1.51 mm; valvae span: 1.18 mm; valvulae span: 1.35 mm; valvae width: 0.78 mm. Costa weakly sclerotized, uneven padded, costal thorns lacking; uncus broadly rounded with moderately pointed small peak; gnathos laterally compressed, strongly pointed; juxta keyholeshaped, caudally constricted, terminal broadened again with rounded caudal end; saccus remarkably short; aedeagus length: 0.59–0.64 mm; appendix aedeagi: 0.86–0.87 mm.

Female genitalia (Pl. 5, Fig. 9e). Antrum length: 0.7 mm; antrum width: 0.3 mm.

Diagnosis. Externally, the dirty white basic color diffused with patches of grayish-brown scales is characteristically for G. tholeraria . Internally, the species is distinctive because of the keyhole-shaped juxta, the spoon-shaped and incised appendix aedeagi and the remarkably short saccus. Therefore it can hardly be confused with any other species of the genus.

Distribution ( Fig. 5 ). All examined specimens were collected near Aksu in China. Kaila et al. (1996) mentioned G. tholeraria from Kaindy in Kyrgyzstan.

Biology. As far as known the flight period is mid-July ( Kaila et al. 1996).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Gnophopsodos species: G. hilmari spec. nov., G. p u e n g e l e r i, G. sabine spec. nov., G. stemmataria, and G. tholeraria.