Ekboarmia sagnesi Dufay, 1979

Skou, Peder, Stuening, Dieter & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2017, Revision of the West-Mediterranean geometrid genus Ekboarmia, with description of a new species from Portugal (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae), Nota Lepidopterologica 40 (1), pp. 39-63 : 51-52

Ekboarmia sagnesi Dufay, 1979

sagnesi Dufay, 1979, Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France 84: 129, figs 1-3, ( Ekboarmia ). Holotype male (MNHN), France: Hautes-Alpes, high valley of the Romanche (examined externally, illustrated in Leraut (2009), plate 47, fig. 18, paratype male genitalia illustrated in Dufay (1979)). Paratype male (coll. Herbulot in Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany), France: Les Fréaux, près La Grave,, 1400 m, (H.A.) 20-VI-[19]79, C. Dufay leg (examined externally).

sagnesi herrerai Expósito Hermosa, 2007: SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterologia 35 (138): 269, fig. 1-2, ( Ekboarmia ). Holotype male (coll. A. Expósito Hermosa, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain), Spain, Andalusia: Jaén, Hornillos, Puente de Guada (genitalia examined). Junior synonym proposed by Leraut (2009), here confirmed.

Examined non-type material.

13 specimens (6♂♂, 7♀♀; data provided in a Suppl. material 1).

External characters and abdomen

(Figs 11, 15). Wingspan 25-29 mm, large species in the genus. Wings dark grey, sometimes with chocolate-brown tinge, rather uniform in colour. Forewing antemedial line black, narrow, deeply angled inwards below costa. Medial line narrow, barely visible and rather straight, strongest near posterior (inner) margin. Postmedial line distinct, particularly at inner margin, black, dentate, bordered white outside, weakly V-shaped and angled towards base subapically, angled again towards costa. Postmedial line not angled outwards near inner margin and medial area rather narrow. Hindwing medial line almost straight, not reaching costa. Hindwing postmedial line black, weakly dentate, outer margin bordered with white, weak or absent near costa. Subterminal line absent or very faint. Terminal line faint, continuous. Fringes concolorous with wings, uniform. Discal spots weak or absent. Wings below uniform pale greyish brown, postmedial line and discal spots most visible, antemedial line of forewing absent. Course of postmedial line in forewing does not conform to upperside. Frons, collar, thorax, and abdomen concolorous with wings. Other structures as in Ekboarmia atlanticaria , see above.

Variation.

Forewing medial area concolorous with wings or darker, particularly near inner margin. Forewing postmedial line can be rather smooth or distinctly dentate.

Male genitalia

(Fig. 20). Generally as Ekboarmia atlanticaria (see above). Setose ridge extends into medial part of valva in Ekboarmia sagnesi (medial ridge absent in other Ekboarmia species). Vesica opens at 90 degree angle (at 135 degree angle in Ekboarmia atlanticaria and Ekboarmia fascinataria ). Juxta arms broader distally than basally, dentate or smooth along inner margin, always dentate distally, base with roundish lobe in Ekboarmia sagnesi (juxta arms gradually tapered towards apex, margin dentate at apex only in Ekboarmia atlanticaria and Ekboarmia fascinataria , base with elongated lobe in Ekboarmia miniaria ).

Female genitalia

(Fig. 24). Generally as Ekboarmia atlanticaria (see above). Lamella antevaginalis broader. Signum small, weakly stellate in Ekboarmia sagnesi (signum distinctly stellate in Ekboarmia atlanticaria and Ekboarmia fascinataria , signum absent in Ekboarmia miniaria ).

Distribution and abundance

(Fig. 17). Southwest European. Only few and isolated populations are known: In Val de la Romanche, Dept. Hautes-Alpes, France, from Valle de Luna and Velilla de Rio Carrión (Javier Gaston, pers. comm.), both in Leon Province and Sierra de Cazorla, Jaén Province, Spain. The species is unknown outside Europe. An apparently extremely local species that appears as single specimens or in limited numbers.

Weiss (1920) listed Ekboarmia atlanticaria from Spain, Sierra de Albarracin. We have not been able to trace the Weiss Collection, and since Ekboarmia atlanticaria has not been reported since from that area, which is unlikely to contain habitats suitable for this species, Weiss’s record is surely based on a misidentification. Redondo et al. (2009) mention Weiss’s record from Sierra de Albarracin also, suggesting it is possibly Ekboarmia sagnesi because potentially suitable habitats are present in the area (this record is shown as a question mark in the map). Ekboarmia sagnesi should certainly be looked for in Sierra de Albarracin.

Phenology.

Uni- or bivoltine. In Spain from early June to mid-July, in France from early May to late June and in August. Larval period and method of hibernation are unknown. The moths are nocturnal and come to light.

Biology.

Larva monophagous on Juniperus . Reared on Juniperus communis (C. Tautel pers. comm., Colomb 2005), but other Juniperus species are possible foodplants.

Habitat.

Mountain slopes with scattered trees and bushes. In France from 1150 to 1400 m, in Spain known from around 1200 to 1400 m. In Spain, Leon found on slopes with Juniperus sabina (Tomas Molina, pers. comm.).

Genetic data.

Ekboarmia sagnesi specimens (n=3 from France and Spain, including the holotype of taxon herrerai), grouped within Ekboarmia atlanticaria , as the sister-group to Ekboarmia atlanticaria specimens from the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and Morocco (Fig. 26). Distances from Ekboarmia atlanticaria 1.5% (from its Tunisian populations 2.0%) and 3.9% from Ekboarmia miniaria . The barcodes of Ekboarmia sagnesi were incomplete, only 127-273 bp in length, so the results must be considered tentative.

Similar species.

There are no similar species in Europe. Rather uniform greyish brown colour and small angle in forewing postmedial line near costa are diagnostic.

Remarks.

Colomb (2005) illustrated a superficial, hand-drawn picture of the female genitalia, which shows an unusual curved, probably sclerotised structure on the corpus bursae. We have not observed such structure in any of the Ekboarmia sagnesi specimens examined, and the signum (which Colomb apparently did not illustrate) of Ekboarmia sagnesi is weakly stellate, not resembling such curved structure. Second author was able, through the courtesy of Claude Tautel, to re-examine the badly damaged genitalia, preserved in a tube with glycerol pinned under the moth. Remaining sclerotised parts clearly showed the identity with Ekboarmia sagnesi , membranous parts were largely lost, even though attempts were made to make them visible by staining. The curved, probably sclerotised structure was loosely floating around in the tube and not attached to a membrane. It probably was lying on the bursa only accidentally when the original drawing was made.