Apomyelois cognata (Staudinger, 1871)

Trofimova, Tatyana A., Sumpich, Jan & Budashkin, Yuriy I., 2022, Redescription of Apomyelois cognata (Staudinger, 1871) (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae, Phycitinae) with first record from the South Urals, Nota Lepidopterologica 45, pp. 1-7 : 1

Apomyelois cognata (Staudinger, 1871)

Figs 1-4 , 6-10

Myelois cognata Staudinger, 1871: 273-274.

Apomyelois schaeuffelella Amsel, 1959: 21, pl. 1 fig. 14, pl. 4 fig. 4. synonymised by Roesler 1988: 179.

Material examined.

Type material. Lectotype, ♂, here designated, labelled: “Origin.”; “Sarepta”; " Myelois cognata Stgr"; " U. Roesler ♂ GU 3310"; "LectoHolotypus Myelois cognata Stgr. U. Roesler "; " Lectotypus Myelois cognata Staudinger, 1871, des. T.A. Trofimova, J. Šumpich, Yu.I. Budashkin, 2021" (MfN) . Paralectotypes, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, here designated, labelled: “Origin”; “Sarepta”; " Myelois cognata Stgr."; " U. Roesler ♀ GU 3309"; " Allolectotypus Myelois cognata Stgr. U. Roesler "; " Paralectotypus Myelois cognata Staudinger, 1871, des. T.A. Trofimova, J. Šumpich, Yu.I. Budashkin, 2021" (MfN) and “Origin”; “Sarepta”, " Myelois cognata Stgr."; " Paralectotypus Myelois cognata Staudinger, 1871, des. T.A. Trofimova, J. Šumpich, Yu.I. Budashkin, 2021" (MfN) .

Other material.

Russia: 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, S Ural, Donskoe env., 260 m, Verbljushka hill., 51°23'11"N, 59°48'40"E, 22.-24.vii.2011, gen. prep. J. Šumpich 21077 (♂) and 211078 (♀), J. Šumpich leg. (NMPC) ; 5 ♀♀, Orenburg Region, Akbulak district, Vasilievka vill., psammophytic steppe, 50°54'N, 55°46'E, 7.vii.2020, D. Shovkoon leg. (SSU) ; 1 ♂ Russia, Orenburg Region, Belyaevka district, 3.5 km E of Novoorlovka vill., riv. Ural , 51°23'14.09"N, 56°36'47.88"E, 29.-30.vii.2020, S. A. Knyazev leg. (ZIN) .

Diagnosis.

Apomyelois cognata and A. bistriatella occur sympatrically in habitats across the South Urals, with A. cognata differing in predominantly larger adult size and broader, more contrasting forewings. The male genitalia of A. cognata resemble those of A. bistriatella , but differ in having a narrower gnathos and more pronounced bilobed median process of the transtilla; the vinculum in A. cognata is slightly shorter and rounder than the more elongate vinculum of A. bistriatella . The female genitalia are very similar to those of A. bistriatella , but apophyses and corpus bursae are about 1.7 times as long as those of A. bistriatella . The male and female genitalia of A. bistriatella were illustrated in Heinrich (1956: p. 43, figs 197, 676).

Redescription.

External appearance. (Figs 1-4 ) Forewing length ♂: 10-11 mm, ♀: 11 mm. Head round, smooth, frons rounded, vertex covered with grey scales; labial palpus smooth, often upturned or protruding anteriorly: segment 1 white, with slender strip of grey scales in upper third; segment 2 long, upcurved, covered in greyish-brown scales with admixture of white scales on outer surface and white scales on inside surface; segment 3 short, straight, with same colour as segment 2; maxillary palps short, thin and white; proboscis well developed, white, covered with greyish scales at base; occiput with broad, greyish scales; scapus simple, covered with brown scales; flagellum filiform, brown, male flagellomeres shortly ciliate. Patagia grey, tegulae and thorax dark grey. Forewing ground colour grey; dark grey mixed with white in basal, costal, and external areas; costal and basal areas with scattered whitish scales on grey ground; dorsal half of basal area with densely scattered grey scales; ante-medial line whitish, oblique and angulated in cubital area, edged with dark grey and darkened from costa to Cu2 by a blackish diffused spot. Medial field grey with scattered whitish scales. Paired dots at base of M1 and M2 consist of groups of black scales or are united in a sickle-shaped streak. Whitish postmedial line distinctly angulated, serrated, bordered with dark grey scales. Marginal field pale grey, spotted with black distally; fringe grey with white-tipped scales. Hindwing light grey, marginal line dark grey, fringe pale grey. Forewing venation (Fig. 2 ): Sc about ½ wing length; R2 and R3 united at base; R4+5 from R3 at ⅓ length to costa before apex, M3 and M2 united at half length to termen; Cu1 and Cu2 separated; A1+2 united. Hindwing venation quadrifid: Sc+R1 and R5 stalked; R5 and M1 united at base; M2+M3 stalked at about ½ of length; Cu1 and Cu2 separated; PCu, A1+2 and A3 separated. Abdomen segments in male dark grey with whitish bands intersegmentally. Tergum VIII subrectangular, evenly sclerotized; sternum VIII as curved sclerotized band; culcita in the form of paired lateral tufts of large scales (Fig. 8 ).

Variation. Some specimens may be darker or more contrasting in appearance; paired dark dots on the medial field of the forewings may be united in a dark sickle-shaped streak. Labial palps may project slightly forward over the head.

Male genitalia: (Figs 6 , 7 ) Uncus broadened subtriangular apically; gnathos thin, elongated, straight, gradually narrowed, extending to ¾ length of uncus. Transtilla arcuate, sclerotized, with paired rounded lobes in medial part. Lobe of valva simple, broad, with slightly curved costa, valva at base 1.5 times narrower than cucullus; juxta U-shaped, with slightly broadened lateral lobes with 5 short setae apically. Vinculum short, broadly rounded. Aedeagus nearly as long as 3/4 length of valva, cylindrical, moderately curved, oblique edged with a small apical protrusion on the dorsal edge. Vesica simple, elongate, rugose, and scattered with microspines in middle.

Female genitalia: (Figs 9-10 ) Tergum VII elongate, subtrapezoidal; sternum VII with more sclerotized, broad, cup-shaped patch extending from posterior margin to about middle of sternum. Ovipositor moderately long, with papillae anales subtriangulate. Аpophyses straight, posterior apophyses nearly as long as anterior apophyses. Tergum VIII 1.5 times shorter than apophyses, evenly sclerotized except for broad, weakly sclerotized medial incision dorsally; ostium opening near anterior margin of sternum VIII, membranous. Antrum funnel-shaped, membranous. Ductus bursae broad and membranous; corpus bursae egg-shaped, about 2 times longer than ductus bursae, with single small round thorned plate in middle of corpus bursae. Ductus seminalis narrow, membranous, arising from anterior part of corpus bursae.

Biology.

(Fig. 5 ) Host plant unknown. Adults were observed in the South Ural from early to late July at an elevation of 260 m and were collected on river terraces and psammophytic (sand-adapted) steppe habitats.

Distribution.

European Russia (Volgograd and Orenburg regions), Cyprus (?), Iran.

Remarks.

Examination of types and additional material of A. cognata shows clear morphological characters distinct from the closely related A. bistriatella , contrary to the information provided by Leraut (2014: 376) on the detailed similarity of A. bistriatella and A. cognata . Apomyelois cognata was originally described on the basis of five specimens from Sarepta, of which two males and a single female are now preserved in the MfN. Genitalia of the male and female syntypes were examined and labelled by U. Roesler as lectotype and allolectotype, respectively, and numbers 3310 and 3309 were assigned to their genitalia slides. However, these designations have not been established in Roesler’s publications. For this reason, we have designated the above male syntype, genitalia slide number 3310, as lectotype; and the other two syntypes (female and male) as paralectotypes in order to stabilise nomenclature.

Figures

Figures 1 - 5. Voucher specimens and habitat of Apomyelois cognata (Staudinger, 1871). 1. Lectotype, male, Volgograd [Sarepta]; 2. Venation of wings; 3, 4. Voucher specimens from South Ural, Russia, J. Sumpich leg.: 3. Male; 4. Female; 5. Habitat in the floodplain forests bordering the Ural River.

Figures 6 - 10. Genitalia of Apomyelois cognata (Staudinger, 1871), Russia, South Ural, Donskoe. 6 - 8. Male, genitalia preparation J. Sumpich 21077: 6. General view; 7. Aedeagus; 8. Culcita; 9, 10. Female, genitalia preparation J. Sumpich 21078: 9. General view; 10. Signum under high magnification.