Agonochaetia terrestrella ( Zeller, 1872 )

Landry, Jean-François, Nazari, Vazrick, Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter & Karsholt, Ole, 2017, Review of the genus Agonochaetia Povolný (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), and description of a new genus and species from the Canary Islands, Zootaxa 4300 (4), pp. 451-485 : 470-471

8. Agonochaetia terrestrella ( Zeller, 1872)

( Figs 9–11 , 34 , 40–41 )

Gelechia terrestrella Zeller 1872: 111 . Type locality: Bergün, Switzerland. Lectotype designated by Sattler (1961) (BMNH). Elsner et al. (1999: 49); Povolný (2002a: 106); Huemer & Karsholt (2010: 295).

= Gelechia muestairella Müller-Rutz, 1922: 241 . Type locality: St. Maria , Münstertal, Switzerland. Synonymized by Sattler (1961).

Material examined. Gelechia terrestrella : Lectotype ♂: “ Lecto-Type ”, “ Type ” “2/7”, “ Bergün ”, “71”, “ terrestrella Z., E.Z. 1872”, “ ZELLER COLL, WALSINGHAM collection, 1910-427”, “ Type ”. ( BMNH) (examined by PH).

1 ♀, Switzerland, Graubünden, St. Maria im Münstertal , 29.vi.1923 (H. Thomann) (gen. slide 06/1254 ♀ P. Huemer) ( BNMC) . 1 ♀, Romania, Dobrogea , Rez. Canaraua Petii, 17.v.1994 (S. & Z. Kovacs) (gen. slide 04/1216 ♀ P. Huemer) ( TLMF) .

Gelechia muestairella: No holotype or lectotype seems to have been designated. Müller-Rutz (1922) mentioned that several specimens were collected by H. Thomann at the type locality on 26 Jun 1919. Additional specimens were later collected at the type locality in late June 1923 and 1926 ( Thomann 1956), thus are not syntypes. Sauter (1961) studied and illustrated the genitalia of one male collected on 29 June 1923 in the Thomann collection (BNMC). Sattler (1961) examined two males collected by Thomann on 29 Jun 1919 and 29 Jun 1923 respectively, the first is likely a syntype (BNMC).

DNA Barcode BIN. BOLD:ABV4431 (n=1). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbor A. shawinigan is 8.37%.

Adult ( Figs. 9–11 ). Wingspan 20 mm. Antenna grey brown with distinct paler annulations. Forewing brown with paler-based scales, an indistinct short black streak in fold and two black spots, one discal, one postmedian; termen with a few indistinct black spots. Hindwing dark grey with pale grey cilia.

Male genitalia ( Fig 34 ). Tegumen elongate with evenly arched anterior notch (TGN/TGL = 0.43). Uncus 0.3x length of tegumen, apical margin transversely straight, lined with few short setae, with small but sharp medial indentation. Gnathos with proximal arms short, stubby, apices club-like and not mesially joined; mesio-distal arm free from proximal arms, a sizable band embedded in apical part of culcitula. Vinculum transverse, mesio-posterior emargination barely suggested, ventral wall between cucullus base and vincular lobes smooth; vincular lobes thin, pointed, setation of mesio-dorsal surface short; anterior notches rounded; saccus moderately slender and V-shaped, slightly shorter than valva (SAL /VLL = 0.89). Cucullus with ventral edge prominently lobate. Sacculus bent at almost 90°, basal portion thicker, apex mucronate. Paired glandiductor lobes regularly curved or barely sinuate, longer (1.4x) than phallus, anterior ¼ moderately dilated. Phallus straight, apex with sharp triangular thorn projected dorsally, 1.6x length of saccus, caecum bulbous, about 0.25x length of phallus, inception of ductus ejaculatorius dorso-anterior on caecum.

Female genitalia ( Figs. 40–41 ). Segment VIII slightly shorter (0.8x) than wide, irregularly wrinkled, weakly sclerotized; anterior apophysis about 1.1–1.9x length of segment VIII, base gradually widened into sternum VIII; antrum funnel-shaped with sides sub-parallel, 1.25–1.6x length of SVIII, distal edge broadly concave, posterolateral corners either prolonged into pointed curve or abbreviated, anterior end extended to about or slightly beyond middle of anterior apophysis; signum acrinoid with equilateral triangular basal plate, hook process straight, about as long or longer than basal plate.

For further description see Huemer & Karsholt (2010: 295).

Diagnosis. Externally A. terrestrella is a medium brown species with variously distinct dark spots on the forewing. In male genitalia it is distinguished from all other Agonochaetia by the large size of the lobe of the ventral edge of cucullus. The proximal arms of the gnathos are the thickest of all the species, and the posterior margin of vinculum mesially is slightly produced into a low and broad lobe, whereas it is incised or emarginate in the other species.

Biology. Unknown. Adults fly from late June to July in mountain steppe slopes at altitudes from about 1500 m to above 2000 m. Thomann (1956) found the species in late June 1923 and 1926 on meadows near anthropogenic heaps of stones covered by short vegetation. The moths were not attacked by the extremely common ants in this microhabitat and Thomann concluded an eventual myrmecophily.

Distribution. Known from isolated localities in southeastern Switzerland, Albania, and Romania ( Huemer & Karsholt 2010).

Remarks. Two females collected on the same date at the type locality of muestairella (Santa Maria, Münstertal, Switzerland, 29 Jun 1923) display marked differences in genitalia. Considered individually, each of these could be construed to represent a different species, as divergent from each other as they are from any of the other three species for which females are known. This throws some doubt as to the validity of the species based on single females. At this point we elect to keep them together because it would be unwise to describe them as different species or to resurrect muestairella as valid without additional specimens and DNA barcodes. Variation in external and genitalia characters among European populations was noted by Huemer & Karsholt (2010: 295).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Adults. 1, A. conspersa ♂ (HT); 2, A. impunctella ♀ (HT); 3, A. incredibilis ♂ (HT); 4, A. intermedia ♂; 5, A. intermedia ♀; 6, A. lvovskyi ♂ (HT); 7, A. quartana ♀ (HT); 8, A. shawinigan ♂ (HT); 9 – 11, A. terrestrella ♀♀; 12, A. tuvella ♂.

FIGURES 33 – 36. Male genitalia of Agonochaetia species and Canarischema fuerteventura. 33, A. shawinigan ♂ (HT) (slide MIC 4240); 34, A. terrestrella ♂ (slide 14978 NHMW); 35, A. tuvella ♂ (slide 66 / 03 O. Bidzilya); 36, Canarischema fuerteventura ♂ (HT) (slide 6319 H. Hendriksen).

FIGURES 40 – 42. Female genitalia of Agonochaetia species and Canarischema fuertevenura. 40 – 41, A. terrestrella ♀♀ (slides 16367 BMNH, GU 06 / 1254 P. H. BNMC); 42, Canarischema fuerteventura ♀ (PT) (slide 138 / 15 O. Bidzilya).