Psorosa pseudoelbursella, Tsvetkov, 2020

Tsvetkov, Eugene, 2020, Two new species of the genus Psorosa Zeller, 1846 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Phycitinae) from South Kazakhstan, Zootaxa 4786 (4), pp. 546-554 : 550-553

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4786.4.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:581675F8-F21D-4D8C-A273-82AFAA1503D4
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4D6887DB-FFEA-AF29-ADCE-F8DFA118ECFA
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Psorosa pseudoelbursella
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Psorosa pseudoelbursella sp. nov.

( Figs 3, 4 View FIGURES 1–4 , 8–10 View FIGURES 5–10 , 12 View FIGURES 11–12 )

Type material. Holotype ♀. Kazakhstan: Karatau Mts. , 6 km NE of vill. Ashisai, 950 m, N 43°36′26″, E 68°57′27″, 23.vi.2019, leg E. Tsvetkov. Deposited in Zoological Institute St. Petersburg ( ZISP). GoogleMaps

Paratypes. 2 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype GoogleMaps ; 2 ♂, Kazakhstan: Karatau Mts. , 5 km SW of vill. Ashisai, 700 m, N 43°30′31″, E 68°51′45″, 22.vi.2019, leg E. Tsvetkov, ( ZISP, ET) GoogleMaps .

Description. Imago ( Figs 3, 4 View FIGURES 1–4 ). Head. Frons convex, covered with white scales in its lower half. Two small black spots present on the frons near eyes. Dark ash grey scales cover vertex and partly frons. Narrow white stripes adjacent to eyes decorate vertex and frons on the sides. Chaetosemata (whitish scales) present behind ocelli. Labial palps nearly 1.5–1.6× the diameter of eye, pointed up and ahead. The second segment twice as long as the first segment, the third segment nearly three times shorter than the second segment and much narrower. Labial palps motley coloured, covered with white and black spots, sometimes white with several black spots. Maxillary palps very small. First segment cylindrical, nearly twice as long as wide. The second and the third segments ovoid, the second segment massive and nearly 2.5× larger than the third segment. Proboscis well developed. Antennae nearly 3/5 the length of the forewing. Cilia about 2/5 of antenna diameter in males and much shorter in females. Scape nearly 2.5× as long as wide, narrowed basally. Sinus of flagellum weakly expressed, base of flagellum surrounded by raised grey scales. Flagellomeres 2–5 apically bear chitinous digitate projections, first flagellomere bears a tiny spine. Dorsal side of flagellum chequered. Scape and pedicel covered with grey scales.

Thorax. Dorsal side of thorax and abdomen greyish creamy. Legs whitish grey with black spots, dusted with black scales. Tarsomeres dark brownish grey with white distal rings. Wings: venation corresponds to that within the genus Psorosa . Forewing 7–9 mm in the length, elongate triangular with slightly convex margins. Ground colour of the forewing dark grey (a mixture of black, white and pale orange scales). Antemedial and postmedial orange lines rather wide and contrasting. Large pale orange spot adjacent to hind margin occupies 1/2 of basal area. Sector of basal area from costa to R stalk whitish, sometimes dusted with black scales. Antemedial orange line black spotted from the inner side at A vein (in worn specimens the spot is often lost). The line also marked from costa to 1/2 with black dotted oblique line from the outer side. Postmedial orange line not reaching costa, slightly angled inwards at vein M2. The line contrasted from the inner side with very thin whitish line. Rather narrow orange streak located in sector Cu2–A connects antemedial and postmedial lines. Whitish streaks along R and M+Cu stalks present between antemedial and postmedial lines. Two small black discal spots stretched along veins, the lower spot larger than the upper. Fringe light brown with two or three parallel brown lines. Forewing underside dark brown with whitish basal area and whitish hind 1/3 of the wing. Hindwing light brown, marginal area brown. Fringe whitish brown. Underside of the hindwing whitish or whitish brown, sector from costal margin to vein M1 brown, marginal area brown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 8, 9 View FIGURES 5–10 ). Uncus triangular with blunt apex. Side margins straight with lateral down-curved convexities in basal 1/3 (right margin shown unfolded in Fig. 8 View FIGURES 5–10 ). Dorsal surface of uncus covered with bristles. Gnathos elongate, broadest basally and tapering to apex. Apical spine pointed up. Branches of gnathos short ribbonlike and almost straight. The ends of branches abruptly broadened. Valva relatively long and narrow. Sacculus very narrow, broadest basally and occupying about 2/5 of ventral edge of valva. Costa slightly narrowing from the base to apex. Apical part of valva lacks costal sclerotisation. Weakly sclerotised lobe (ampulla) at the base of valva covered with fine setae. Area between sacculus and ampulla free of setae. Ventrocaudal edge of cucullus widely rounded. Juxta V-shaped, two lateral lobes apically with fine setae. Transtilla components as weakly sclerotised elongate plates. Aedeagus cylindrical ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 5–10 ). Ductus ejaculatorius arises from proximal end of aedeagus. A hooked cornutus located at distal end of aedeagus. Base of the hooked cornutus on a bent sclerotised plate (elongation of aedeagus wall). Spine-like proximally located cornutus rather short (not longer than 1/3 of aedeagus length). Posterior half of eighth sternum weakly sclerotised, anterior margin of the sternum straight. Culcita as a pair of scale tufts on the sides of the sternum ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 5–10 ).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 11–12 ). Papillae anales elongate, tapering. Posterior apophyses thin, about 1.6× longer than papillae anales. Anterior apophyses also thin, angularly curved at the base and slightly shorter than posterior apophyses. Tergum VIII with straight posterior margin and convex anterior margin. Antrum wide with ventral sclerite of variable shape (nearly trapezoidal or sometimes crescent as in Fig. 12 View FIGURES 11–12 ). Membranous part of ductus bursae with angulate short prominence on the left side. Large irregular sclerite present on the surface of anterior portion of ductus bursae and partly on corpus bursae. The sclerite bears numerous fine spines concentrated in two areas: an area on the ventral surface as narrowing band across ductus, and a rather narrow area located anteriorly on the dorsal wall of the corpus bursae. Corpus bursae membranous ovoid, much longer than ductus. Seminal duct arises posteriorly from corpus bursae.

Diagnosis. Reliable separation of the new species from similar species is possible only by genitalia. Psorosa pseudomaraschella Slamka, 2019 is the closest in male genitalia. In comparison to P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov., the proximally located cornutus is longer (1/2–1/3 of aedeagus length) in P. pseudomaraschella . Although the compared species only slightly differ in male genitalia, the female genitalia of P. pseudomaraschella are much unlike those of P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. (see below). In males of Psorosa elbursella Amsel, 1954 the gnathos is wider, the valva is shorter and with a narrower apical part, both cornuti are robust, the distally located cornutus is almost straight and the sclerotised plate at its base is much wider. Males of Psorosa turciella Slamka, 2019 can be separated by the elongate and narrow apical part of the uncus. In males of Psorosa samosella Slamka, 2019 the ventral edge of the cucullus is more strongly convex and the gnathos is wider. Psorosa shahkuhella Slamka, 2019 is recognised by its distally located long and strongly hooked cornutus. Psorosa tehranella Slamka, 2019 and Psorosa majorella differ from P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. in the shape of the juxta. In males of Psorosa mechedella Amsel, 1954 the juxta is larger and the valva is shorter and more pointed. The male genitalia of Psorosa maraschella Caradja, 1910 are quite different. The female genitalia of P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. are well distinguished from the genitalia of any other species within the P. maraschella species group. Some resemblance to the genitalia of P. elbursella and P. maraschella should be mentioned. Females of P. elbursella show similarity with P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. in the structure of the ductus bursae, and they differ by the very long posterior apophyses and the much thicker anterior and posterior apophyses. The anterior apophyses in P. elbursella are more than twice as long as the posterior apophyses and nearly four times as long as the papillae anales. The anterior apophyses in the new species are nearly equal in length to the posterior apophyses and less than twice as long as the papillae analies. Besides, the papillae anales are pointed in P. elbursella . Females of P. maraschella have a different sclerite structure in the ductus bursae. The female genitalia of P. pseudomaraschella are characterised by shorter papillae anales. The posterior apophyses in this species are about 2.5× longer than the papillae anales (versus 1.6 of the papillae anales in P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov.). Besides, the structure of the ductus bursae is quite different in P. pseudomaraschella : the short angulate prominence is absent on the left side of the ductus, and rather long wrinkled portion of the ductus is present.

Etymology. The name of the new species emphasises the similarity with P. elbursella in appearance and also in female genitalia.

Biology. The species occurs in open mountain valleys. In the area 6 km NE of the village Ashisai its habitat is a dry mountain valley with steppe and rocky slopes at an altitude of 900 m ( Fig 13 View FIGURE 13 ).

Distribution. P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. occurs in Karatau Mts. in South Kazakhstan and probably Turkey (see remarks).

Remarks. Slamka (2019) illustrated several undetermined species of the Psorosa maraschella group. One of them, Psorosa sp. [3], is a female which originates from Turkey (Prov. Konya, Akşehir, Sultan Dagh, 1900 m, 11–12.vii.1986, leg. M. Fibiger). Judging by the photo of its genitalia ( Slamka 2019: p. 304, pl. 135, fig. 84e) this female probably belongs to P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. Slamka writes: “This specimen shows external characters close to P. elbursella , also the female genitalia are slightly similar to elbursella , but the antrum is longer and papillae anales and apophyses are distinctly different. There are also similarities with P. maraschella , but the antrum is wider and sclerotized part of ductus is different.” Actually, in the genitalia of Psorosa sp. [3] the apophyses and papillae anales are of the same structure as in the genitalia of the new species. The membranous part of the ductus also bears a short prominence on the left side, and the sclerite in the ductus bursae is only insignificantly different. Two undetermined males, Psorosa sp. [7] and Psorosa sp. [8] ( Turkey, Mardin), are also very close to P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. They differ only in the shorter lobes of the juxta, but the shape and size of the cornuti and the shape of the valvae, uncus and gnathos correspond to P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. Slamka gives such note on Psorosa sp. [7]: ‘’ The genitalia are similar to P. pseudomaraschella , but the valva is narrower, posterior (lower) cornutus is shorter. External appearance differs from pseudomaraschella ”. Hence, further study is desirable to clarify the distribution range of the described species and to confirm its presence in Turkey. So far, P. pseudoelbursella sp. nov. and the similar species are only known from small series. Material collecting in Western and Central Asia would be relevant for the study of the comparative morphology in this group.