Nychiodes obscuraria Villers (1789)

Latella, Ilaria, Scalercio, Stefano & Hausmann, Axel, 2024, Distribution and taxonomy of two closely related Nychiodes species in southern Italy (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Ennominae), Nota Lepidopterologica 47, pp. 93-104 : 93

Nychiodes obscuraria Villers (1789)

Phalaena (Geometra) obscuraria Villers 1789): Linn. Ent 2: 325 (southern France). Neotype ♂ (ZFMK, designated by ( Fazekas 1997)).

Phalaena (Geometra) obscurata Borkhausen (1794): Natur. eur. Schmett. 5: 537. Emendation of Phalaena obscuraria Villers.

Geometra lividaria Hübner (1799): Samml. Eur. Schmett. 5 Geometrae (1). Syntype(s). Junior synonymy proposed by Prout (1915).

Nychiodes lividaria coloxaria Costantini (1916): Atti Soc. Nat. Modena (5) 3:17 (Italy: Monte Gibbio; Castelvetro; Ligorzano). Syntype(s). Junior synonym of N. obscuraria ( Fazekas 1997), confirmed by Leraut (2009) and Flamigni et al. (2007), here confirmed.

Nychiodes obscuraria teriolensis Wagner (1927): in Schwingenschuss e Wagner, Z. öst. EntVer 12 (7): 69 (southern Dalmatia; Tyrol). Syntype(s). Junior synonym of N. obscuraria ( Fazekas 1997), confirmed by Leraut (2009) and Flamigni et al. (2007), here confirmed.

Nychiodes obscuraria ticina Wehrli (1941): in SEITZ, Gross-Schmett. Erde 4 (Suppl.): 437, pl. 37c (Switzerland: Tessin near Biasca). Lectotype ♂, Paralectotype ♀ (ZFMK, designated by Fazekas (1997), externally examined). Junior synonym of N. obscuraria ( Fazekas 1997), confirmed by Leraut (2009) and Flamigni et al. (2007), here confirmed.

Material examined.

Italy: Puglia: ♂ , Gravina di Laterza (TA), 300 m, 16 vi 1999, leg. Gentile, Palladino, Sciarretta, dissected genitalia 1019 (CAS) ; Molise: ♂ , Pietrabbondante (IS), Colle S. Eramo, 1100 m, 24 vii 1996, leg. A. Sciarretta, dissected genitalia 1018 (CAS) ; ♂, Piemonte, Val di Susa Chiomonte LEP-SS-01052 (CREA-FL) ; Basilicata: ♂ , Lucania, Monte Caperino, Pietrapertosa , 1.400 m, 27 vii 1974, leg. P. Parenzan, Lep 15073 (ZSM) ; ♂ Lucania, F. Camastra, Cant. Inferno , 550 m, 9 vii 1975 (ZMS) ; ♀, Pietrapertosa ( Potenza ), 1000 m, 18 vii 1971 (SNSB-ZSM) ; Veneto: ♂ , Garda (SBSN-ZSM); Trentino : 13 ♀, 20♂, Suditirol (SNSB-ZSM); Liguria : ♀, Pegli (SNSB-ZSM); Abruzzo : 3♀, 8♂, Gran Sasso (SNSB-ZSM) ; ♂, Appennino centrale, Montagna-Grande , 1000 m, 18 vi 1929, leg. F. Dannehl (SNSB-ZSM) ; ♂, Lazio: Monti Sabini (Subiaco), 5 viii, leg. F. Dannehl (SNSB- ZSM) ; 2♀, 3♂, France: Provence (SNSB-ZSM) ; 6♀, 18♂, Hautes Alpes (SNSB-ZSM) ; ♀, Digne (SNSB-ZSM) ; ♂, Douelle (SNSB-ZSM) ; ♂, Vernet les Bains (SNSB-ZSM) .

Description of external characters and diagnosis.

(Fig. 1B ) Wingspan 37-49 mm. Wings grey-brown to dark beige, wing tip slightly darker, spots dark grey to black. Forewing antemedial line curved outwards, medial line absent (important diagnostic character of N. obscuraria from other European congeners), postmedial line on M1 curved outwards, slightly inwards, ending in the middle of the anterior inner margin. Forewing subterminal area covered with creamy scales, replaced by brown scales towards costa, wavy line very thin, finely toothed, outer margin dark brown to grey. Discal spots blackish, sometimes pale on anterior part. Terminal line of all wings blackish, narrow, strongly wavy, continuous. Basal half of underside of wing light brown, outer/terminal part dark brown. Only the postmedial line visible on the underside ( Müller et al. 2019).

Male genitalia. (Fig. 3B ) Dorsal part of valva broadly expanded. Only the basal part of the costa of the valva sclerotized, medially slightly humped. Digitiform extension on the apex of valva present, covered with tiny setae. Ampulla superior clubbed, covered with tiny stout setae, ampulla inferior and sacculus process comparatively close to each other, deeply concave between. Sacculus process strongly reduced. Aedeagus larger than in any other species of the Nychiodes obscuraria group, horned needle-like, only slightly shorter than the aedeagus, curved in the middle ( Müller et al. 2019).

Female genitalia. (Fig. 2B ) Genitalia large. Lamella postvaginalis less sclerotized in the middle, more sclerotized laterally, here curved and with curved extension. Ductus bursae membranous, longitudinally striate, of the same length as the membranous corpus bursae. Signum stellate, small ( Müller et al. 2019).

Variation.

The species shows high variation in size and colour (from light brown to dark forms). The distance between forewing median lines varies in different individuals. Additionally, the degree of light irroration on wings varies ( Müller et al. 2019).

Genetic data.

BIN BOLD: ACE5020 (n = 7 from France and Italy: regions Trentino-Alto Adige, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Basilicata), BIN-sharing with one of the two Calabrian clusters of N. ragusaria (see above) and diverging from the typical cluster of N. ragusaria (BOLD: AAE5581) by 1.55% in BOLD barcode gap analysis. The identity of all barcoded specimens was verified by dissection of genitalia.

Figures

Figure 1. A. N. ragusaria, adult male. Italy, Sicily (ZSM); B. N. obscuraria, adult male. France, Hautes Alpes (ZSM). Scale bars: 1 cm.

Figure 2. Female genitalia. A. Nychiodes ragusaria. Calabria, Dif. Privitera, Alessandria del Carretto (CREA-FL); B. N. obscuraria. Central Italy, Monti Sabini (ZSM).

Figure 3. Male genitalia. A. Nychiodes ragusaria, Calabria, Sersale (ZSM); B. N. obscuraria. Basilicata, Pietrapertosa (ZSM).