Tinea altaica, Gaedike & Šumpich, 2017

Gaedike, Reinhard & Šumpich, Jan, 2017, Tinea altaica sp. nov. and new records of some small moths from the Russian Altai (Lepidoptera: Meessiidae, Tineidae, Douglasiidae, Epermeniidae, Glyphipterigidae: Acrolepiinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57 (1), pp. 259-273 : 263-266

Tinea altaica sp. nov.

( Figs 10–19 )

Type locality. Russia, Altai Republic, Ulandryk valley 10 km SW of Tashanta, 49°40′53″N, 89°04′09″E, 2200 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, “ Russia, Altai Republic / Kosh-Agach Distr., / Tašanta env. (10 km SW) / Ulandryk valley , rocks / 49°40′53″N, 89°04′09″E / 30.vi.2015, 2200 m / Jan Šumpich leg.”, “ Holotypus J / Tinea altaica Gaedike & Šumpich, 2017 ” ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: RUSSIA: ALTAI REPUBLIC: 5 JJ 1 ♀, same collection data, gen. prep. Gaedike 8903, 8936 (both in SDEI), 8752, 8965 (both in NMPC), gen. prep. Šumpich 16046 (3 JJ 1 ♀ in NMPC, 2JJ in SDEI) . MONGOLIA: 1♀, “Mongolia, Chentej aimak / 10km W von [from] Somon / Delgerchaan , 1250 m / Exp. Dr. Z. Kaszab, 1965”, “Nr. 475 [number of location] / 23.VIII.1965 ”, “Gen. präp. [genitalia slide] G. Petersen Nr. 2382” ( HNHM) ; 1 ♀, “ Mongolia, Uvs aimak / SW Rand des Sees Uvs / nuur, 63 km O von der / Stadt Ulaangom [SW of the edge of the lake Uvs nuur, 63 km O from city Ulaangom ], 790 m / Exp. Dr. Z. Kaszab, 1968”, “Nr. 1064 [number of location] / 26.VI.1968 ”, “Gen.präp. [genitalia slide] G. Petersen Nr. 2524” ( SDEI) .

Description. Adult ( Figs 10–11 ). Wingspan 20–23 mm; head brush light brown; labial palpus on inside creamy, on outside overlaid with darker scales, second segment apically bristled; scape of antenna with pecten; thorax and tegulae dark brown, tegulae apically light brown; forewing of male brown grey, at 2/5 length from base of forewing dark brown short stripe above cell, minute dark brown dot below cell, dark brown dot at distal end of cell, indication of dark brown dot at apex, basal half of forewing costa overlaid with dark brown scales; hindwing grey.

The female specimen with more light brown coloured forewing, the dot at distal end of cell oval, with dark margin around light brown centre; base of fringe along termen with thin dark brown line.

Male genitalia ( Figs 15–18 ). Uncus triangular, gnathos arms fused; vinculum at posterior edge having more or less funnel-shaped strongly sclerotized area, saccus long, with rounded tip; valva as long as uncus-tegumen complex, more or less oval, apical third narrowing to rounded apex, costal edge straight, ventral edge oblique, with basal half strongly sclerotized, apical half curved towards apex; phallus somewhat longer than saccus and vinculum, straight, vesica with numerous minute sclerotized thorns; anellus strongly sclerotized, apical half with numerous pointed thorns.

Female genitalia ( Figs 12–14 ). Anterior apophysae with small irregularly shaped basal plate; sternite VIII U-shaped, ductus bursae with short collar-shaped sclerotization, corpus bursae with approximately 20 sclerotized thorns resembling drawing pins.

Differential diagnosis. Superficially similar to Tinea semifulvella Haworth, 1828 and T. semifulvelloides Petersen, 1973 , but the pattern on forewing makes the new species distinguishable. Forewing at 2/5 length from base with a dark brown short stripe above cell, a minute dark brown dot below cell, a dark brown dot at distal end of cell, an indication of dark brown dot at apex, basal half of forewing costa overlaid with dark brown scales, while T. semifulvella with forewing in the basal 2/3 shiny whitish with pink, the apical third with fringe golden brown; the first two thirds of costa grey brown, on dorsum at beginning of fringe a small dark brown dot; T. semifulvelloides on forewing with dark brown edge of costa, at midlength reaching cell, and a dark brown dot at beginning of fringe.

Clear differences are present in the genitalic structures. In male genitalia the valva is as long as uncus-tegumen complex, more or less oval, apical third narrowing to rounded apex, costal edge straight, ventral edge oblique, with basal half strongly sclerotized, while in T. semifulvella valva is more or less parallel-sided, without sclerotized basal half, and valva in T. semifulvelloides is more or less triangular, broadest basally. In female genitalia the U-shaped sternite VIII is characteristic, while the other two species have truncated posterior edge of sternite ( T. semifulvella ) or with semicircular posterior edge ( T. semifulvelloides ).

Etymology. Named after the Altai Mts. using the latinized adjective altaicus (- a, - um).

Biology. Unknown. All specimens were collected in mountain grass steppe at an altitude of 2200 m ( Fig. 19 ).

Distribution. Mongolia, Russia: Altai Mountains (this paper).

Figures

Figs 10–14. Tinea altaica sp. nov. 10–11 – habitus: 10 – male (paratypus); 11 – female (paratypus). 12–14 – female genitalia: 12 – general view; 13 – detail of ostium; 14 – detail of corpus bursae.

Figs 15–19. Tinea altaica sp. nov. 15–18 – male genitalia: 15 – general view; 16 – detail of uncus and gnathos from lateral view; 17 – detail of valva-vinculum-saccus complex from ventral view; 18 – phallus and anellus; 19 – the habitat at the type locality.