Eudarcia Clemens, 1860

Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Budashkin, Yury I. & Gaedike, Reinhard, 2016, A revision of the Eudarcia glaseri - species group (Lepidoptera, Meessiidae) with description of two new species from Greece and Crimea, Zootaxa 4179 (3), pp. 547-560 : 548-549

Genus Eudarcia Clemens, 1860

Eudarcia Clemens, 1860: 10 . Type species: Eudarcia simulatricella Clemens, 1860 .

Demobrotis Meyrick, 1893: 555 . Type species: Demobrotis anaglypta Meyrick, 1893 . Meessia Hofmann, 1898: 227 . Type species: Tinea vinculella Herrich-Schäffer, 1854 . Leptochersa Meyrick, 1919: 272 . Type species: Leptochersa diarthra Meyrick, 1919 . Protodarcia Forbes, 1931: 389 . Type species: Protodarcia bicolorella Forbes, 1931 .

Obesoceras Petersen, 1957: 352 . Type species: Tinea granulatella Herrich-Schäffer, 1854 . Neomeessia Petersen, 1968: 58 . Type species: Neomeessia gracilis Petersen, 1968 .

Brachys Zagulajev, 1979: 314 . Type species: Meessia brachyptera Passerin d’Entrevès, 1974 . Nigris Zagulajev, 1979: 317 . Type species: Tinea leopoldella Costa, 1832 .

Gallis Zagulajev, 1979: 336 . Type species: Meessia alberti Amsel, 1957 .

Colchiromis Zagulajev, 1979: 361 . Type species: Obesoceras croaticum Petersen, 1962 . Abchagleris Zagulajev, 1979: 366 . Type species: Obesoceras abchasicum Zagulajev, 1979 . Haugresis Zagulajev, 1979: 366 . Type species: Obesoceras aureliani Căpuşe, 1967 .

Zagulyaevella Koçak, 1981: 23 . A replacement name for Brachys Zagulajev, 1979 (nec Brachys Dejean, 1833 ). Pseudobesoceras Gaedike, 1985: 177 . Type species: Tinea holtzi Rebel, 1902 .

Diagnosis. Adults small or very small (wingspan 3–12 mm). Galea long, comparatively broad. Maxillar palpus consists of five-six segments, distinctly longer than labial palpus; labial palpus with three segments, drooping, segment two usually considerable longer than segment three, with lateral bristles and with terminal whorl of bristles; frons as broad or slightly broader than lateral diameter of eye; antenna long, about as long or slightly longer than length of forewing, swollen and slightly flattened in males, finely ciliated in distal 1/4, slender and cylindrical in females; wings comparatively broad, venation partially reduced: M3 reduced in both fore- and hindwing, CuA2 lost in forewing, in the forewing Sc is displaced anteriorly and bears a broad and shallow fold; hindwing with frenulum of two bristles in females or single slender bristle in males. There are two main patterns of the forewing. The first one is brownish-black (often with weak violet or bronze sheen) with three (rarely with two) white or silver-white transverse fasciae: the second fascia often interrupted in middle, the third fascia usually reduced to costal and thornal spots. The second type of wing pattern is represented by dirty white or yellowish to light yellow forewing with three (rarely with two) dark (ochreous-brown to brownish-black) transverse fasciae and slightly dark irrorated apical area. Hindwing usually unicoloroured, whitish-grey to greyish-brown, fringe about 1.5 times as long as the width of hindwing. The females of eight species are brachypterous with shortened fore- and more or less (sometimes nearly completed) reduced hindwing.

The male abdomen with paired lateral coremata between segments VIII and IX and with paired sub-spherical gland open into pleural membrane at anterior margin of segment III; uncus with gradual transition to tegumen, usually short, broad with two apical lobes or as a moderately long, apically tapered sub-triangular lobe; gnathos arms weakly sclerotized, curved, medial portion rounded, spiny, fused with well developed, elongated subscaphium, sometimes gnathos reduced; tegumen sub-trapezoid, longer than broad on base; vinculum a narrow or moderately broad ring; saccus differs in shape, usually well developed, elongated, often with small apical thorn, but sometimes short, broadly rounded; valva differs in shape, elongate, often with projections on anterior margin, usually bears thorns, modified setae or bristles, apodeme well developed; phallus tubular, elongate, straight or weakly curved, without coecum, cornuti usually present, they differ in shape and size, but usually short. The combination of the following diagnostic characters: shape and number of cornuti, shape of valva, saccus and phallus are the most important for separating Eudarcia -species.

The female genitalia with elongate ovipositor, apophyses posteriores long or very long, apophyses anteriores simple or basally bifurcated, ventral branches often curved, nearly connected medially, sometimes apically enlarged, often connected with band-shaped sclerotization on base; segment VIII smooth, with folds or wrinkled; sterigma well developed or absent; ostium varies in shape, usually large, rounded or sub-ovate; antrum tubular or funnel-shaped, often absent; ductus bursae membranous, caudal portion sometimes sclerotized, armed with small thorns or bears several irregularly sclerotized patches; bursa copulatrix small, usually membranous; signa, if present, represented by rows, clusters or prolonged plates of small thorns.

The genus Eudarcia was earlier divided into several subgenera. However, this subdivision is not accepted now by most specialists due to the lack of a modern worldwide revision ( Robinson & Nielsen 1993; Gaedike 2015).

E. glaseri -species group (four species) is characterized by dirty-white forewing with three brown or darkbrown transversal fasciae of different width and brown irroration of the wing apex. The females are known for three of the four species, brachyptery has not been observed. Intraspecific variation is weak but may be observed in the more or less developed dark pattern on the forewing of individual specimens. Wingspan 6.3–10.8 mm.

The male genitalia with uncus reduced to paired lateral thorn-shaped or triangular projections separated by a more or less big medial incision. Tegumen sub-ovate or sub-trapezoid, longer than broad. Vinculum narrow, ringshaped. Saccus broad, moderately elongate or short, sometimes with apical thorn; lateral arms of gnathos subtriangular, weakly sclerotized, medial portion of gnathos bears two large, strongly sclerotized, curved and apically narrowed branchial-shaped or spiny lateral lobes. Subscaphium long and broad, slightly or moderately sclerotized, fused with medial part of gnathos. Valva not differentiated into sacculus and cucullus, moderately broad and short, sub-rectangular, apex obliquely truncate or weakly narrowed, with well-developed apodemes; proximal portion of valva before middle bears tuft, row or small cluster of modified setae, their shape and position are very important for species diagnosis. Phallus tubular, usually evenly curved, long and narrow, strongly narrowed in distal 1/3 or 1/ 2, with pointed apex, without cornuti.

The female genitalia with papilla analis membranous, rather large in comparison to other Eudarcia -species, covered with setae. Apophyses posteriores long and narrow, more than three times longer and two-three times narrower than apophyses anteriores. Apophyses anteriores not bifurcated. Sterigma absent. Antevaginal plate absent or present. Ostium semi-oval or trapezoid, open on posterior margin of antevaginal plate or on membrane near anterior margin of sternite VIII. Antrum more or less doublet-shaped, weakly sclerotized, sometime indistinct. Ductus bursae comparatively long, without modification, caudal portion well sclerotized, broadened, from 2/5 to 3/ 4 length of the ductus bursae, basal portion narrow, membranous, from 1/4 to 3/5 length of ductus bursae. Bursa copulatrix rather large, membranous. Signa consist of large number of small thorns which are either gathered in rows or randomly spread forming a single or paired cluster.