Kiwaia (Empista) palaearctica ( Povolný, 1968 ), Povolny, 1968

Bidzilya, Oleksiy & Li, Houhun, 2016, A review of the genus Kiwaia Philpott, 1930 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in the Palaearctic Region, Zootaxa 4098 (3), pp. 471-497 : 476-477

Kiwaia (Empista) palaearctica ( Povolný, 1968)

( Figs 2–5 , 29–31 , 54 )

Empista palaearctica Povolný, 1968: 117 , Figs 1–1 a, 2–2a, 3.

Empista palaearctica secunda Povolný, 1976: 179 .

Kiwaia (Empista) palaearctica palaearctica ( Povolný, 1976) : Sattler, 1988: 234; Povolný, 2002: 101. Kiwaia (Empista) palaearctica secunda Povolný, 1968 , Sattler, 1988: 234; Povolný, 2002: 101.

Material examined. Holotype ♂ " Nepal, Prov. Nr. 3 East Junbesi, 2750 m, 25–31.vii.1964, leg. W. Dierl", Staatsslg. Munchen", gen. prep. "Mn. 3132, ZSM 1092" ( ZSM). Paratypes: 1♂, 1♀, same data as holotype, gen. slide no. ZSM 1095♂, 1096 ♀) ( ZSM). The holotype of E. palaearctica secunda : Holotype ♂ "Tukucha, Palpa, 6.v.1968, 2600 m " | "Jp. 4834", " Nepal, T. Kumata" |" Holotype, det. Povolný", gen. slide Jp. 4834 ( SMNK). Subspecies.

Additional material examined. 1♂, Nepal: 10500', Chautara dist., Choche Ridge, 12–17.vi.1983, Allen, Brendell, Robinson, Tuck, Brit. Mus. 1983-222, Rhodo./ conifer forest; 1♂, 2♀, Nepal: 9500', Chautara dist., Nauling Lekh, 11–20.vi.1983, Allen, Brendell, Robinson, Tuck, Brit. Mus. 1983-222, Rhodo./ conifer forest, B.M. Genitalia slide No. 22745 ♀, No. 22746 ♂; 1♂, Nepal: 3500 m, Chautara distr., Choche Lekh., 9.vii.1983, M.G. Allen, BM 1984-136 ( BMNH).

Description. Adult ( Figs 2–5 ): Wingspan 13.5–16.5 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae covered with grey browntiped scales, frons lighter, light brown; labial palpus up-curved, grey with brown medial and subapical belts, inner surface of segment 2 light grey, segment 3 about 1.5 times shorter and narrower than segment 2, acute; scapus black, other antennal segments brown with whitish basal rings; forewing and tegulae black densely mottled with brown in fold, under base of costa and in cell, a few diffuse black spots on base, three black dots in cell, diffuse brown angulated subapical fascia on 3/4, termen black-spotted, cilia brown black-tipped; hindwing grey.

Variation. Forewing varies from dark, blackish with poorly expresed brown pattern to light brown with black scales along costal margin and in termen.

Male genitalia ( Figs 29–31 ): Uncus slightly broader than long, weakly narrowed apically, posterior margin broadly rounded; gnathos long, thin, sickle-shaped; tegumen moderately narrow, prolonged with deep anteromedial emargination; valva thin, extending to 1/2–2/3 length of uncus, of equal width but sligtly dilated apically, top weakly pointed; sacculus about 1/3 as long as valva, slender, weakly curved, acute; vinculum twice broader than long, anteromedial emargination shallow, vincular processes prolonged, apically rounded or triangular, separated from sacculus by wide gap, covered with short hairs; saccus short, tapered, slightly extending over the top of pedunculus; phallus gradually curved, caecum weakly inflated, 1/3 as long as distal portion, apical arm beakshaped.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 54 ): Papilla analis sub-ovate, densely covered with short hairs; apophyses posteriores about four times as long as segment VIII; sternite VIII slightly longer than broad, subgenital plates broadened and distinctly projecting anteromedially, inner margins strongly edged and folded; ventromedail depression broad, covered with small microtrichia; subostial sclerite digitate, joined posteromedially; antrum one half length of apophyses anteriores, apohyses anteriores about as long as segment VIII; ductus bursae of moderate width, gradually broadend towards pyriform corpus bursae; signum reduced to short serrated sclerite.

Remarks. Kiwaia (E.) palaearctica has brown forewing densely mottled with grey-tipped scales along veins and particularly along costal margin. K. (E.) centrica sp. n., K. (E.) septentrionala sp. n. and K. (E.) montana sp. n. may be confused with K. (E.) palaearctica , but dorsal margin of these species is usually lighter. K. (E.) mengdana sp. n. is externally nearly indistinquishable, K. (E.) medogia sp. n. is also very similar, but darker. The differences from K. (E.) dryosirta see under that species. The male genitalia are similar in general to those of K. (E.) kostjuki and K. (E.) dryosyrta having narrow sacculus, but differ in more slender phallus, the shorter valva and the broader gap between vincular processes and sacculus. The differences from K. (E.) mengdana sp. n. see under that species. The female genitalia are well recognizable by short signum in combination with the subgenital plates strongly projecting anteromedially and digitate subostial sclerites.

Biology. Kiwaia (E.) palaearctica inhabits mist forest with oak, Rhododendron /coniferous forest (nominative subspecies) and dry forest with Cupressus torulosa ( K. (E.) p. secunda ). Adults fly from early May to late July at the altitudes from 2600 m to 3000 m.

Distribution. Nepal.

Notes. According to Povolný (1976) K. (E.) palaearctica is separated into by two subspecies. Both subspecies are rather similar externally except that nominative subspecies looks brighter. The male genitalia of K. (E.) p. secunda differ from those of K. (E.) p. palaearctica in phallus that is straight and its apical cornutus narrow, beakshaped. The phallus of nominative subspecies has caecum placed at obtuse angle and apical cornutus slightly stouter. Moreover, both subspecies differ in the shape of apical part of valva, that is oblique cut on inner margin in nominative subspecies and obtuse cut in K. (E.) p. secunda . Povolný (1976) mentioned that both subspecies were collected in different habitats, at different altitudes and in different time. The nominative subspecies was described from a series collected in mist-forest with prevalent oak in July at 2750 in East Junbesi, one female paratype was collected at 2900 in Bujan Dudh Kosi-Tal. K. (E.) p. secunda was described from 3 males collected in dry forest with Cupressus torulosa as a dominant plant in early May at 2600 m in Tukucha, Palpa.

Additional specimens from BMNH collected in Rhododendron /coniferous forest in mid-June at about 3000 m fit well with K. (E.) p. palaearctica both in the male and in the female genitalia. The above morphological and habitual differences seems sufficient to separate K. (E.) palaearctica into two subspecies. On the other hand it is quite possible that K. (E.) p. secunda will turn out to be a separate species after additional material including the unknown female is discovered.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Adults of Kiwaia (Empista) spp. 1, K. (E.) dryosyrta (Meyrick), HT, ♂ (India); 2, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný), HT, ♂ (Nepal); 3, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný), ♂ (Nepal); 4, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný), ♂ (Nepal); 5, K. (E.) p. secunda (Povolný), HT, ♂ (Nepal; 6, K. (E.) mengdana sp. n., HT, ♂ (China: Qinghai); 7, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný), HT, ♂ (Russia: Zabaikalskyi krai); 8, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný), ♀ (China: Hebei); 9, K. (E.) kostjuki (China: Hebei); 10, K. (E.) nyingchiensis sp. n., HT, ♂ (China: Xizang).

FIGURES 28 – 35. Male genitalia of Kiwaia (Empista) spp. 28, K. (E.) dryosyrta (Meyrick), HT (India), slide J. F. G. C. 8252; 29, K. (E.) p. secunda (Povolný), HT (Nepal), slide Jp. 4834; 30, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný), HT (Nepal), slide Mn. 3112, ZSM 1092; 31, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný) (Nepal), slide no. 22746; 32, K. (E.) mengdana sp. n., HT (China: Qinghai), slide no. L 95446; 33, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný), HT (Russia: Zabaikalskyi krai), slide Bdz. 31; 34, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný), PT (Russia: Zabaikalskyi krai), slide (without number); 35, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný) (China: Hebei), prep. in glycerol (= slide no. OB 7 / 14).

FIGURES 54 – 56. Female genitalia of Kiwaia (Empista) spp. 54, K. (E.) p. palaearctica (Povolný) (Nepal), slide no. 22745; 55, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný) (China: Hebei), slide no. OB 124 / 13; 56, K. (E.) kostjuki (Povolný) (China: Hebei), slide no. L 03054.