Ptycerata furfurella (Staudinger, 1871) Bidzilya & Karsholt, 2021

Bidzilya, Oleksiy & Karsholt, Ole, 2021, A review of the Palearctic Ptycerata Ely, 1910 (= Caulastrocecis Chrétien, 1931 syn. nov.) based on morphology (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), Zootaxa 5026 (2), pp. 151-181 : 156-159

Ptycerata furfurella (Staudinger, 1871) comb. nov.

Figs 1–4 , 40–42 , 58–65 , 86

Gelechia furfurella Staudinger, 1871: 308 .

Aristotelia salinatrix Meyrick, 1926: 273 . Syn. nov.

Caulastrocecis furfurella (Staudinger, 1871) — Ronniger 1955: 81.

Type material examined. Lectotype of furfurella ♂, “Origin” | “ Lectotype, Gelechia furfurella Stgr. , ♂, teste K. Sattler, 1986” | “St. 647” | “ lectotype ” | ”ex. coll Staudinger” [here designated] ( MfN) . Paralectotypes: ♂, Sarepta (gen. slide St. 648, D. Povolny); 1 ♀, Sarepta (gen. slide St. 651, D. Povolny) ( MfN) . Holotype of salinatrix ♂, “Inderskia, Uralsk, C, 22.6.07” | “ Aristotelia salinatrix , Holotype, ♂, Meyr.” | “ Holotype ” | “Meyrick Coll., B.M. 1938-290.” | “ ♂ genitalia on slide 19.ii.1949, J.F.G.C. 9059” ( NHMUK) .

Misidentified type material. 1 ♀, “Origin” | “ Paralectotype, Gelechia furfurella Stgr. , ♂, teste K. Sattler, 1986” | “St. 652” | “ Paralectotype ” | ”ex. coll Staudinger”| “ Ephysteris insulella (Hein.) , ♀, det. K. Sattler, 1986” ( MfN) .

Other material examined. Russia: 1 ♂, Sarepta , 14, Erschow det. (gen. prep. 97/11, O. Bidzilya) ( ZIN) ; 1 ♂, Sarepta (gen. slide BM 14807) ( NHMUK) ; 4 ♂, Southern Ural Mts., Orenburg distr., 20 km S Pokrovka village, Schibendy valley , 29.vi.–2.vii.2003 (Nuponen) ( ZMUC) ; 3 ♂, S Ural, Kidriasovo env., 51˚15N, 57˚35E, 300 m, 21.vi.2009 (Šumpich) (gen. slide 282/17, 181/19, O. Bidzilya) ( NMPC) . Kazakhstan: 1 ♂, Kokshetay sopki near Tersakkan river , 2.vii.1958, on light (Falkovitsh) (gen. slide 99/11, O. Bidzilya) ; 3 ♂, same data but 11.vii.1958 (gen. slide 112/13, O. Bidzilya) ( ZIN) ; 2 ♂, Mugozhary Mts. , 450 m, 3 km NW Berchogur, 48˚29’15’’N, 58˚31’14’’E, 4.vi.2011 (Nupponen) ( NUPP) ; 1 ♂, W Kazakhstan, 25 km W Oporniy settlement, 7.v.2000 (Karalius & Miartleuski) ( ZMUC) .

Diagnosis. A medium-sized species with pale forewing having light brown suffusion, light brown spots in cell, under costal margin at 1/3 and brown touches in fold. The dorso-ventrally flattened laterally carinate frontal process separates P. furfurella from P. sumpichi sp. nov., P. gypsella and P. cryptoxena . In the two first mentioned species the process is conical, in the latter it is triangular. The male genitalia are recognised by rounded apex of the valva, with rounded dorsocaudal and well developed pointed or rounded ventrocaudal angle. An extremely long, slender signum covered with short thorns is unique to the female genitalia of C. furfurella .

Adult ( Figs 1–4 ). Wingspan 13.0–14.5 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae white, mixed with scattered browntipped scales; labial palpus weakly upcurved, white, palpomere 2 brown on outer and upper surface, palpomere 3 acute, about 1/2 width and 3/4 length of palpomere 2; both sexes with short conical weakly flattened dorsoventrally frontal process with strongly edged lateral margin hidden by scales ( Figs 40–42 ); scape white, moderately broadening, flagellomeres white and brown-ringed, covered with short cilia in female and slightly longer cilia in male. Forewing white densely mixed with light brown, especially along costa, in apex and tornus, weakly elongated brown spots in middle and in the corner of cell and in fold, a diffuse brown spot at 1/3 below costal margin, fringe white and brown-tipped. Hindwing and fringe white.

Variation. Brown markings are partially or completely reduced in some specimens; specimens look darker or lighter depending on the amount of light brown irroration.

Male genitalia ( Figs 58–65 ). Uncus parallel-sided to 2/3 length, then narrowing, posterior margin rounded. Gnathos stout, hook-shaped, weakly widening ventrally and curved before middle, distal part slender with upcurved pointed tip. Tegumen trapezoidal, gradually narrowing posteriorly, lateral flaps curved inwards and almost joining in middle, anteromedial emargination shallow, not more than 1/3 length of tegumen. Valva as broad as uncus, extending to its top, direct, parallel-sided, apex rounded, ventrocaudal margin distinct. Vincular lobes extending to 1/2–3/4 length of valva, apex rounded, covered with short hairs, separated by deep triangular incision. Vinculum slender, band-shaped. Saccus slender, extended beyond top of pedunculus. Distal part of phallus straight, slightly shorter and about 2/3 width of distinctly inflated caecum, lamina ducti ejaculatorii slightly longer than phallus.

Variation. Vincular process varies in length extending from 1/2 to 3/4 length of valva.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 86 ). Papilla analis subovate, covered with short hair-like setae; apophysis posterioris straight or weakly curved, 2 times as long as apophysis anterioris; segment VIII evenly sclerotised, unmodified, sub-trapezoidal, about as long as broad, weakly narrowing posteriorly, posterior margin straight with narrow medial incision, anterior margin gradually invaginated posteriorly; antrum slender, cylindrical, weakly sclerotised; apophysis anterioris straight, thin, about as long as segment VIII; corpus bursae slender, elongated; signum plate very long, gradually broadening anteriorly, with comparatively short thorns on margins.

Biology. Host plant unknown. Adults were observed from June to early July in South Ural (Junnilainen et al. 2010: 10). The description of the biology of C. furfurella by Ronniger (1955) refers to P. cryptoxena .

Molecular data. Unavailable.

Distribution. Russia (Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Orenburg regions) (Junnilainen op. cit.; Anikin et al. 2017: 127), western Kazakhstan.

Remarks. The description of Gelechia furfurella was based on four males and one female collected by H. Christoph in Sarepta (now Krasnoarmeysk, Volgograd district) in southern Russia (Staudinger 1871: 308). Two males and two females from the type series are deposited in MfN. The lectotype labeled “Origin” | “ Lectotype, Gelechia furfurella Stgr. , ♂, teste K. Sattler, 1986” | “St. 647” | “ lectotype ” | ”ex. coll Staudinger” was selected by K. Sattler (manuscript designation). Recently, this specimen was illustrated and mentioned as lectotype by Anikin & Zolotuhin (2017: 469, pl. 35, fig. 14), but Anikin & Zolotuhin did not designate a lectotype according to ICZN (1999: article 74.7). Here we formally designate this specimen as lectotype in order to maintain nomenclatorial stability. All specimens from the type series have been dissected by D. Povolný. One female paralectotype (gen. slide St. 652, D. Povolný) belongs to Ephysteris insulella ( Heinemann, 1870) . Our identification of P. furfurella is based on study of the type series as listed above. No females except for one paralectotype were available for examination. On the genitalia slide of the female of that specimen the ostium, antrum and ductus bursae cannot be recognised.

Aristotelia salinatrix was described from a single male from Indersky lake near Uralsk (West Kazakhstan). The holotype and its genitalia are illustrated by Clarke (1969: 302, pl. 150, figs 4–4b). There has been much confusion around this species which resulted in incorrect identification and establishing wrong synonyms. First, Piskunov (1990: 310) erroneously synonymised C. salinatrix with C. interstratella sensu Piskunov. Later, Park and Pononarenko (2006: 276) treated C. salinatrix as a separate species (see below under remarks to P. interstratella ). Finally, it was again treated as a synonym of C. interstratella in a monograph on Gelechiidae from Southern Ural (Junnilainen et al. 2010: 11) and in a recent study of the Lepidoptera of the Volga-Ural region of Russia ( Anikin & Zolotuhin 2017: 470). Our examination of the holotype of P. salinatrix and additional specimens from western Kazakhstan and southern Ural shows that P. salinatrix is not conspecific with P. interstratella but indistinguishable externally from P. furfurella . The male genitalia of the holotype of salinatrix are similar to those of P. furfurella in all details except for a rounded ventrocaudal angle of one valva. However, this character is rather variable. We examined sympatrically collected specimens from the Orenburg region and adjacent regions of western Kazakhstan with valva having one or both ventro- and dorsocaudal angles rounded. Although we have not examined females from West Kazakhstan, we consider it unlikely that P. salinatrix represents an additional species distinct from P. furfurella , and based on the similar external and male genitalia characters we prefer to treat it as a synonym of P. furfurella : Aristotelia salinatrix Meyrick, 1926 syn. nov. of P. furfurella (Staudinger, 1871) .

The specimens from North-East China, Korea and Japan associated by Park & Ponomarenko (2006: figs 1, 26, 26a) and Sakamaki & Ueda (2013: fig. 3, 3a, 3–36–4) with P. salinatrix differ from that species in broader, light yellowish brown densely mottled with dark brown forewing and more elongated phallus. We have not had the opportunity to study these specimens, which probably belong to an undescribed species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–21. Ptycerata spp.Adults. 1–4. P. furfurella. 1. Russia, Sarepta, LT (gen. slide 647, D. Povolný). 2. Russia, Sarepta (gen. slide 97/11, O. Bidzilya). 3. Kazakhstan. 4. W Kazakhstan, Uralsk, HT of salinatrix (gen. slide 9059). 5. P. gypsella, France. 6–9. P. cryptoxena. 6. Austria. 7. Slovakia. 8. Ukraine, Crimea. 9. Ukraine, Crimea. 10–12. P. sumpichi sp. nov., Italy 10. HT (gen. slide 176/20, O. Bidzilya). 11. PT (gen. slide 324/19, O. Bidzilya). 12. PT. 13. P. nupponeni sp. nov., Russia, Altai, HT. 14–21. P. transbaikalica sp. nov. 14. Russia, Agutsakan, HT. 15. Russia, Kyra, PT, male. 16. Russia, Kyra, PT, female. 17. Russia, Kyra, PT, male (gen. slide 100/07, O. Bidzilya). 18. Russia, Kyra, PT, male (gen. slide 72/10, O. Bidzilya). 19. Russia, Kyra, PT male (gen. slide 180/20, O. Bidzilya). 20. Russia, Altai, female. 21. Russia, Altai, female.

FIGURES 40–57. Ptycerata spp. Heads. 40–42. P. furfurella, male, Russia (Sarepta). 43–45. P. gypsella, female, France. 46–48. P. cryptoxena, male, Crimea. 49–51. P. sumpichi sp. nov., male, Italy. 52–57. P. transbaikalica sp. nov., female, Russia (Kyra).

FIGURES 58–63. Ptycerata furfurella. Male genitalia. 58. Russia, Sarepta, LT (gen. slide 647, D. Povolný). 59. Russia, Sarepta (gen. slide 14807). 60. Russia, Sarepta, PLT (gen. slide 648, D. Povolný). 61. Russia, Sarepta (gen. slide 97/11, O. Bidzilya). 62. W Kazakhstan, Uralsk, HT of salinatrix (gen. slide 9059). 63. Russia, Orenburg region (gen. slide 181/19, O. Bidzilya).

FIGURES 64–69. Ptycerata spp. Male genitalia. 64, 65. P. furfurella. 64. Russia, Orenburg region (gen. slide 282/17, O. Bidzilya). 65. W Kazakhstan, Kokshetau (gen. slide 112/13, O. Bidzilya). 66. P. gypsella, France (gen. slide 44/10, O. Bidzilya). 67–69. P. cryptoxena. 67.Austria (gen. slide 173/20, O. Bidzilya). 68. Crimea (gen. slide 101/11, O. Bidzilya). 69. Crimea (gen. slide 117/13, O. Bidzilya).

FIGURES 86–88. Ptycerata spp. Female genitalia. 86. P. furfurella, Russia, Sarepta, PLT (gen. slide 651, D. Povolný). 87. P. gypsella, France (gen. slide 433/14, O. Bidzilya). 88. P. cryptoxena, Austria (gen. slide 185/15, O. Bidzilya).