Anerastia dignella P. Leraut, 2014

Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Huemer, Peter & Yepishin, Viktor, 2024, Revision of the Anerastia lotella complex in Europe, with description of a new species from the Southern Ukraine (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae), Zootaxa 5463 (1), pp. 97-111 : 106-108

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5463.1.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3CDDCCC5-FB32-42CD-84EB-CBA9C28AB1A1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11610390
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F2082D6E-FFE1-FF85-04EE-FB23A590F08F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Anerastia dignella P. Leraut, 2014
status	stat. nov.

Treatment

Anerastia dignella P. Leraut, 2014 stat. rev.

( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 1–8 , 15, 16 View FIGURES 9–16 , 27, 28 View FIGURES 17–28 , 30 View FIGURES 29–31 , 34, 35 View FIGURES 32–35 , 41 View FIGURES 36–41 , 44 View FIGURES 42–44 )

Anerastia lotella dignella P. Leraut, 2014: 91–92 , pl. 17, figs 9, 10. Type locality: France: Alpes de Haute-Provence , Digne.

Material examined. France: 2 ♂, Dep. Hautes Alpes , Les Vigneaux, 1200 m, 25.vii.1990, leg. Huemer & Tarmann | DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 33606 | gen. slide 636/23, O. Bidzilya ; 1 ♂, Oraison , 10.viii.1969 ; 1 ♂, Embrun , mi vi.1976, leg. Pavlas. Italy: 1 ♀, Südtirol , 900 m, Prad, Praderfeld, 5.viii.1990, leg. Huemer | gen. slide 639/23, O. Bidzilya; 1 ♂, same data, but 28.viii.1991 | gen. slide 638/23, O. Bidzilya; 1 ♂, same data, but 22.vi.1991 ; 2 ♂, same data, but 9.vii.1991 ; 1 ♀, Bolzano , Castel Firmiano, 20.vii.1925 | gen. slide 648/23, O. Bidzilya (all TLMF) .

Diagnosis. A rather variable species that cannot be separated by external characters from A. lotella and A. oleshkyella sp. nov. The male genitalia are also rather variable and very similar to those of A. lotella . The only difference is the shape of vesica that is narrow in distal part (broad in distal part in A. lotella ). Other differences in shape of posterior margin of uncus (weakly or strongly undulated) and shape of posterolateral lobes of gnathos (short or long) are rather variable in both species and cannot be used as diagnostic feature alone. For the differences from A. oleshkyella sp. nov. see under that species.

Description. Adult ( Figs 7, 8 View FIGURES 1–8 ). Wingspan 22.0–26.9 mm. Head, patagium and thorax white-brown, tegulae grey-brown. Frons of head convex-rounded. Labial palpus from light-grey to greyish-brown, straight, lanceolate, 3 times as long as diameter of eye. Antennae filiform, slightly flattened, covered with hardly noticeable white scales and with row of cilia in front, about 3.5 times as long as width of flagellum; width of segments of flagellum almost 2× its length; antenna on 3–7 segments slightly curved in arc with small teeth, sinus absent; scapus barely expanded. Ground colour of forewing greyish-brown, costal streak from grey to dirty-white, indistinct longitudinal light grey to yellowish streaks pass through almost entire forewing; fringes concoloured with forewings. Hindwings light grey, marginal line dark-grey; fringes white. Legs grey-brown. Abdomen light grey.

Male genitalia ( Figs 15, 16 View FIGURES 9–16 , 27, 28 View FIGURES 17–28 , 30 View FIGURES 29–31 , 34, 35 View FIGURES 32–35 ). Uncus large, sub-rectangular, width 1/2–2/3 of length, broadest in middle, covered with short setae laterally, posterior margin straight with short medial incision. Gnathos stout, 1/2–2/3 length of uncus, gently constricted in middle, broadened posterolaterally into two lobes densely covered with short and thick spikes, posterior margin weakly emarginated in middle, sometimes with short medial thorn, 2/3 width of uncus, postero-medial process wide, subtriangular, hook-shaped. Tegumen with indistinct transition to uncus, nearly of equal width, half as long as uncus. Valva 3 times as long as broad at base, parallel-sided to 3/5–2/3 length, distally tapering to dorsal margin, crescent-shaped ridge near base of tapering portion; covered with hair-like setae along margins. Juxta flat, rounded, cranially with V-shaped sclerotization. Saccus short, broadly rounded. Aedeagus 2/3 length of valva, cylindrical or conical, weakly narrowed at base, apex truncate or oblique cut, vesica as long or slightly longer than aedeagus, distal part narrow, straight cornutus longer than ring-shaped cornutus.

Female genitalia. ( Figs 41 View FIGURES 36–41 , 44 View FIGURES 42–44 ). Papillae anales subtriangular, densely covered with strong setae and hairs, apex pointed. Apophyses anteriores slender in extreme base, weakly broadened to 1/7 length, then gently bent, slightly longer than apophyses posteriores and about 2 times longer than sternum VIII. Sternum VIII parallel-sided, 1.5 times longer than broad, tergum covered with short setae in posterior part, posterior margin rounded with narrow V-shaped medial incision extending to 1/5 length of segment VIII, posterior plate about 1/3 length of tergum, its anterior margin weakly bent; sternum evenly sclerotized, deeply (to about 1/2 length) and broadly emarginated anteriorly and weaker (to 1/4 length) emarginated posteriorly, medial margin of antevaginal lamina rounded. Apophyses anteriores about 1.2 length of segment VIII. Ductus bursae broadly funnel-shaped in posterior 1/4, then very thin, strongly widened in anterior half, with gradual transition to rounded corpus bursae, signum absent.

Biology. Host plant unknown. The species has mainly been collected on pebbly and sandy southern alpine river banks.

Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:AAB1408. The mean intraspecific p-distance of A. dignella is 0.36% (n=4). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbor in BOLD, A. oleshkyella sp. nov., is 2.03%.

Distribution. Southern part of Alps, from France and northern Italy, extending to Eastern Austria. A specimen from Switzerland (Valais) requires confirmation by genetic analysis.

Remarks. Anerastia lotella dignella was described from the male holotype and four paratypes (two males and two females) from Digne, Alpes de Haute, France ( Leraut 2014: 91, pl. 17, figs 9, 10). According to the original description, the specimens from the type series differ from A. lotella in pale to light yellow forewing with hardly visible costal line. However, these differences fall in the range of individual variation of A. lotella and cannot be considered as a reliable diagnostic character of A. dignella (see above under Diagnosis for details).