Lemonia vazquezi Oberthür, 1916

Prozorov, Alexey M., Prozorova, Tatiana A., Volkova, Julia S., Yakovlev, Roman V., Saldaitis, Aidas, Ortiz, Antonio S., Bianco, Giovanni, Schneider, Tom, Revay, Edita E. & Müller, Günter C., 2022, Description of a new Middle Eastern Lemonia species, comments on the Lemonia philopalus complex and Lemonia syriensis (Lepidoptera: Brahmaeidae: Lemoniinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 57, pp. 77-97 : 82-88

Lemonia vazquezi Oberthür, 1916 , bona sp.

( Figs 14 , 17–23 , 54–55 , 72–73 , 77–79 )

Lemonia philopalus vazquezi Oberthür, 1916 , Études de lépidoptérologie comparée, XII, 365. Type locality: [ Spain, Madrid, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, 40.3519° N, 3.53573° W, 615 m] “Rivas.” Lectotype male (NHML), here designated.

= Lemonia philopalus phantasma Marten, 1955 , Entomologische Zeitschrift , 65, 196. Type locality: Spain, Seville, [37.38909° N, 5.98445° W, 17 m]. Lectotype male (MWM/ZSM).

Diagnosis. Iberian species, it has a 2.13% genetic distance from the Moroccan L. philopalus rungsi and 5.55% from the Levantine-Egyptian L. levantinus sp. n. ( Figs 77–78 ). Externally and morphologically variable, no reliable character found to distinguish it from the sister species.

Variability. External line on forewing, and medial line and medial field on hindwing may be pronounced. Uncus with more or less pointed apex and more or less pronounced isthmus. Ductus bursae with wide distal end.

Distribution ( Fig. 77 ). Central to South Spain, South Portugal ( Marabuto, 2003).

Taxonomic note. The taxon was described as a Spanish form of L. philopalus after a series of specimens that “originate from Rivas and are part of the Vazquez’ collection” (“proviennent de Rivas et faisaient partie de la collection Vazquez,” Oberthür, 1916: 365). Two males and one female were figured in the original description, males showed the pattern variability – forewing’s external field and hindwing’s medial line may present ( Fig. 18 ) or absent ( Fig. 19 ). We know one specimen from the NHML collection that seems to belong to the type series according to its labels and even resembles one of the two figured males (compare Figs 17 and 18 ). It is a well-preserved male that bears four labels (“|” separates lines): 1. Handwritten “var. Vazquezi | Obthr.;” 2. Handwritten “ Lemonia | Philopalus | Rivas;” 3. Typed “Ex Collection | Vazquez | De Madrid | reçue en 1912;” 4. Typed “Ex Oberthür Coll. | Brit. Mus. 1927–3.” Here we designate it as a lectotype of Lemonia philopalus vazquezi Oberthür, 1916 .

Type material examined: Spain: Lectotype ♂ , Madrid, Rivas-Vaciamadrid , 40.3519° N, 3.53573° W, 615 m ( NHML); lectotype ♂ of L. philopalus phantasma, Seville , 37.38909° N, 5.98445° W, 17 m, 20.XII.1941, leg. W. Marten ( MWM / ZSM); paralectotype ♀ of L. philopalus phantasma, Seville , 37.38909° N, 5.98445° W, 17 m, 10.XII.1941, leg. Marten ( MWM / ZSM) . Additional material examined: Spain: ♂ , Madrid, Casa de Campo , 40.42328° N, 3.75855° W, 661 m, 17.XII.1950, leg. A. Moreno ( MWM / ZSM); ♂ , Madrid, San Martin de la Vega , 40.2103° N, 3.57873° W, 524 m, 9.XI.1969, leg. Meinas ( MWM / ZSM); ♂, ♀ , Sierra de Gredos, Cebreros , 40.46101° N, 4.46429° W, 788 m, slides Lemon-3, Lemon-4 ( ZSM); 2♂ , Spain, Murcia, Murcia, Sangonera , 37.9408 N, 1.19967 W, 65 m, 4.XII.2011, leg. A. S. Ortiz, IBLAO731-12, IBLAO732- 12 ( RCUM); 2♂ , Spain, Murcia, Murcia, Rambla Salada- Las Torres de Cotillas , 37.9992 N, 1.24696 W, 90 m, 12.XII.2003, 4.I.2005, leg J. J. Guerrero, IBLAO2628-22, IBLAO2629-22 ( RCUM); ♂ , Spain, Murcia, Murcia, Embalse de Los Rodeos-Las Torres de Cotillas , 38.044 N, 1.3 W, 120 m, 26.XI.2003, leg. J.J. Guerrero, IBLAO2627-22 ( RCUM); ♂ , Spain, Andalusia, Sevilla, Cortijo La Harinosa- Cabezas de San Juan , 36.9572 N, 5.8291 W, 127 m, 31.XII.2004, leg. S. Montagud, IBLAO2665-22 ( MVHN); 2♂ , Spain, Andalusia, Cadiz, Centro de Conservacion-Alcala de Los Gazules , 36.4479 N, 5.7488 W, 65 m, 23.XII.2011, leg. A. Iglesias, IBLAO2646-22, IBLAO2647-22 ( RCUM); ♂ , Spain, Andalusia, Cadiz, San Fernando , 36.4395 N, 6.21189 W, 9 m, 23.XII.1998, leg. A. Verdugo, IBLAO2668-22 ( MVHN); 2♂ , Spain, Andalusia, Cadiz, Sanlucar de Barrameda , 36.811 N, 6.35921 W, 3 m, 9.XII.1982, 12.XII.1982, leg. M. Carrasco, IBLAO2666-22, IBLAO2667-22 ( MVHN) .

Figures

Figures 9–16. Legs of Lemonia spp. 9–11. L. syriensis. 9. Male, Lebanon, Bequa Valley, slide 14.565 (MWM/ZSM). 10. Male, Israel, slide 14.557 (MWM/ZSM). 11. Male, Jordan, slide 14.567 (MWM/ZSM). 12. L. philopalus philopaus, male, Algeria, slide 8698 (MWM/ZSM). 13. L. philopalus rungsi, male, Morocco, Temelelt (CGM). 14. L. vazquezi, male, Spain, slide 8697 (MWM/ZSM). 15–16. L. levantina. 15. Male, Israel, slide 8696 (MWM/ZSM). 16. Male, Egypt, border to Sudan, slide Lemon-12 (CGM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 17–27. Adults of Lemonia spp. 17–23. L. vazquezi. 17. Lectotype male, Spain, Madrid (NHML). 18–19. Males from Oberthür, 1916. 20. Male, Spain, Cebreros, slide Lemon-3 (ZSM). 21. Female, Spain, Cebreros, slide Lemon-4 (ZSM). 22. Lectotype male of L. philopalus phantasma, Spain, Seville (MWM/ZSM). 23. Paralectotype female of L. philopalus phantasma, Spain, Seville (MWM/ZSM). 24–26. L. philopalus rungsi. 24. Holotype male, Morocco, Merchouch (MNHN). 25. Male, Morocco, Tamelelt (MWM/ZSM). 26. Male, Morocco, Tamelelt (CGM). 27. L. philopalus philopalus or L. philopalus rungsi, male, Mauritania (ZISP). Scale bar – 1 cm.

Figures 54–57. Male genitalia of Lemonia spp. 54–55. L. vazquezi. 54. Spain, slide 8697 (MWM/ZSM). 55. Spain, Cebreros, slide Lemon-3 (ZSM). 56–57. L. philopalus rungsi. 56. Morocco, Temelelt, slide Lemon-11 (CGM). 57. Morocco, Temelelt (CGM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 72–76. Female genitalia of Lemonia spp. 72–73. L. vazquezi. 72. Spain, Cebreros, slide Lemon-4 (ZSM). 73. Spain, Seville, slide 10.017 (MWM/ZSM). 74–76. L. syriensis. 74. Israel, Sea of Galilee, slide Lemon-15 (CGM). 75. Jordan, Qa'al al Jafr, slide 10.016 (MWM/ZSM). 76. Israel, Rosh Pinna, slide Lemon-16 (CGM). Scale bar – 1 mm.

Figures 77–79. Principal differences between L. vazquezi (green), L. philopalus rungsi (orange), L. philopalus philopalus (red), L. levantina (light blue) and L. syriensis (purple): 77. Distribution map (for details visit https://bit.ly/3DunGVv). 78. Phylogenetic tree (Neighbor-joining, Kimura-2 parameters, uniform rates, bootstrap 1000 replicates from MEGA11, Tamura et al., 2021). 79. Pairwise distances (%).