Gelechia omelkoi, Bidzilya & Huemer & Landry & Šumpich, 2021

Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter, Landry, Jean-Francois & Sumpich, Jan, 2021, Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov. - a new species from the Russian Altai Mountains related to the Nearctic Gelechia mandella Busck, 1904 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), with a synopsis of Gelechia from the Altai Republic of Russia, ZooKeys 1063, pp. 105-120 : 105

Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov.

Figures 2 , 6 , 7 , 14 , 15-16

Material examined.

Holotype [ Russia] • ♂; Altai, Kosh-Agatch distr., Ukok plateau; 2200 m; 19 Jul 2001; Bidzilya leg.; ZMKU.

Paratypes.

Russia • 6 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; 1, 10, 20, 24, 25 Jul 2001; [genitalia slide number] 286/20, O. Bidzilya • 3 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; 22 Jul 1995 [genitalia slide number] 62/03, O. Bidzilya, all ZMKU• 2 ♂; Altai Republic, Kosh-Agatch distr., Northern part of Ukok plateau, Zhumaly river basin; 2400-2500 m; 4-6 Aug 2016; P. Huemer and B. Wiesmair leg. [Barcode identification number] TLMF Lep 20453; TLMF • 4 ♂♂; Altai, Belyashi [Dzhazator] env. (25 km NW), confluence of Argut and Karagem rivers; 49.865°N, 87.173°E; 1400 m; rocky steppe; 27-28 Jul 2017 [genitalia slide number] 21257, J. Šumpich; J. Šumpich leg. • 1 ♂; Altai, Belyashi (Dzhazator) env. (56 km SE), Dzhazator valley, 49.63°N, 88.20°E, mountain meadows near Tara river; 2300 m; 25-26 Jul 2017; [genitalia slide number] 21261, J. Šumpich; J. Šumpich leg.; all NMPC.

Diagnosis. The new species differs externally from most other Palaearctic species of Gelechia by the uniformly blackish-grey forewing without markings. Gelechia mandella and G. sororculella are similarly dark but without glossy forewings and with at least some indication of paler markings. The male genitalia are similar to those of G. mandella , G. sororculella and G. jakovlevi . The differences among these taxa are summarized in Table 2 .

Description.

Adult (Figs 2 , 15 , 16 ). Forewing length 6.5-7.2 mm (mean = 6.7, n=10). Wingspan 13.8-15.0 mm. (mean = 14.4, n=10). Head, thorax and tegulae black, with rare grey-tipped scales on frons, labial palpus black mixed with white, underside of palpomere 2 with brush of long scales separated by medial gap, white on the inner side, scape black, flagellomeres black, ringed with grey, densely ciliated beneath, forewing overall matt, covered with grey brown- or grey-tipped scales, without markings, fringe grey, brown-tipped; hindwing grey, veins mottled with brown.

In male, sternum VIII rounded, anterior part narrow, reverse-trapezoid; tergum VIII elongate, tongue-shaped, with paired long coremata (Fig. 14 ).

Male genitalia (Figs 6 , 7 ). Uncus broadly rounded, two times broader than long, posterior margin weakly serrated, edged with long setae, distal sclerite of gnathos absent, lateral sclerites slender, short, culcitula broad, pillow-shaped, fultura superior extended anteriorly to about 2/3 length of tegumen, not reaching anteromedial emargination of tegumen, tegumen nearly parallel-sided, 2.5 times longer than broad at base; cucullus slender, of even width, extended to apex of uncus, sacculus in its broadest part 2-3 times as broad as cucullus, apex tapered, curved inwards, extended to 3/4-4/5 length of cucullus, vinculum broad, medial processes rounded, broadly separated; saccus tapered, extended far beyond apex of pedunculi; phallus slightly shorter than tegumen, medial section nearly parallel-sided, caecum distinctly inflated, about 2 times as broad as phallus, apex short, weakly pointed, lateral lobe reverse V-shaped, lateral process short, thorn-shaped, medial sclerite slender, elongate; bulbus ejaculatorius moderately long, sack-shaped, with small irregularly shaped lamina.

Female genitalia. Unknown.

Biology.

Part of the type series, including the holotype, was collected by netting during early sunrise around dwarf willows ( Salix glauca and others) at altitudes from 2200 to 2500 m. It is highly likely that one of these Salix species is a host plant for the larvae, and that the new species is restricted in its distribution to mountain areas where its possible host plant occurs. Other specimens were attracted to light in the same habitats, in mountains meadow or rocky steppe from 1400 to 2500 m (Figs 23 , 24 ). Gelechia sororculella is also known from neighboring territories of Altai, but was observed in river valleys (Chuya, Chagan). This species is associated with several species of Salix ( Huemer and Karsholt 1999), but not with the dwarf willows presumed to be the host for G. omelkoi sp. nov.

Molecular data. BIN: BOLD:ADD9926 (n=1). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbour, the North American G. mandella , is 2.88%, whereas it is 5.94% distant from the nearest Palaearctic G. sororculella (Fig. 1 ).

Distribution.

Russia: Altai Republic, Ukok plateau and South Chuisky ridge.

Etymology.

The new species is named in honour of Mikhail M. Omelko (Federal Scientific Center of East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia), in recognition of his contribution to the study of Gelechiidae , and the genus Gelechia in particular. The species name is a noun in the genitive case.

Figures

Figure 1. Neighbor-Joining tree of Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov. and nearest European and North American Gelechia spp. in BOLD, with the generic type species Gelechia rhombella as outgroup (Kimura 2 - parameter, constructed with MEGA 6 cf. Tamura et al. 2013), only sequences> 500 bp considered. The scale bar only applies to internal branches between species. Width of triangles represents sample size, depth represents genetic variation within the cluster. Source: DNA Barcode data from BOLD (Barcode of Life Database, cf. Ratnasingham and Hebert 2007).

Figures 2 - 5. Gelechia spp. Adults. 2, 2 A Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov. 2 adult, holotype 2 A head, paratype 3 - 5 G. mandella 3, 3 A male, Alberta 3 adult 3 A head 4, 4 A male, Yukon 4 adult 4 A head 5, 5 A female Alberta 5 adult 5 A head.

Figures 6 - 11. Gelechia spp., male genitalia. 6, 7 G. omelkoi sp. nov., paratypes 6 genitalia slide 286 / 20, O. Bidzilya 7 genitalia slide 62 / 03, O. Bidzilya 8, 9 G. mandella 8 Alberta, genitalia slide MIC 8484 9 Yukon, genitalia slide MIC 8486 10 G. sororculella, genitalia slide 287 / 20, O. Bidzilya 11 G. jakovlevi, lectotype, genitalia slide 309 / 20, O. Bidzilya.

Figures 12 - 14. Gelechia spp., genitalia and abdomen. 12, 13 G. mandella. 12 abdomen, male, genitalia slide MIC 8484 13 A, B Female genitalia, slide MIC 8485 13 A segment VIII (enlarged) 13 B Signum (enlarged) 14 G. omelkoi sp. nov., male segment VIII, genitalia. slide 62 / 03, O. Bidzilya.

Figures 15 - 22. Gelechia spp., adults. 15, 16 G. omelkoi sp. nov., paratypes, males. 15 Dzhazator. 16 Karagem. 17, 18 G. jakovlevi. 17 Male, Karagem. 18 Female, Iodro 19 G. sororculella, male, Cherga 20 G. muscosella, male, Aktash 21 G. hippophaella, female, Karagem 22 G. sirotina, male, Karagem.

Figures 23, 24. Habitats of Gelechia omelkoi sp. nov. 23 Steppe near the confluence of Argut and Karagem rivers 24 mountain steppe near Dzhazator (photographs by Jan Sumpich).