Caryocolum dianthella ( Chretien , 1925), 2020

Huemer, Peter, 2020, Integrative revision of the Caryocolum schleichi species group - a striking example of a temporally changing species concept (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), Alpine Entomology 4, pp. 39-63 : 39

Caryocolum dianthella ( Chretien, 1925) stat. rev.

Lita dianthella Chrétien 1925: 246. Syntypes, Spain: Segovia, La Granja de San Ildefonso (MNHN) [not examined].

Caryocolum hackeri Derra 1985: 373, figs 1, 4-6. Holotype ♂, Spain (coll. Derra, Bamberg). Synonymized by Huemer 1988: 489.

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ ( hackeri ), Spain: Pyrenees , Lerida province, Bellver de Cerdana , 900 m, 20 Sep. 1981, leg. Derra, genitalia slide no. 86/248 P. Huemer (coll. Derra, Bamberg).

Andorra: 1 ♀, La Massana, 2 Jun. 2002 e.l. ( Dianthus pungens ), leg. Mazel (TLMF). Spain: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (paratypes hackeri ), same data as holotype but 7 Oct 1981, leg. Derra (coll. Derra, Bamberg); 1 ♀, Zaragoza province, 3 km E Cerveruela, Rio del Huerva, 800 m, 6 Sep. 2001, leg. Skule & Skou (TLMF); 1 ♂, Alicante province, Alcoj, Font Roja, W El Menejador, S slope, 1300 m, 4 Sep. 2005, leg. Huemer (TLMF); 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, Granada province, Camino de Capileira, 1250 m, 13 Jul. 1985, leg. Baldizzone & Traugott-Olsen; 2 ♂♂, Granada province, Sierra Nevada, Puerto de la Ragua, 1000 m, 25 Jun. 1968, 20 Jul. 1969, leg. Sattler & Carter; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Granada province, Sierra de Alfacar, 1500 m, 3 Jul. l962, 13 Sep. 1972, leg. Sattler; 1 ♂, Huesca province, Jaca, 12 Aug. 1933, leg. Fassnidge (all NHM); 5 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Granada province, Sierra Nevada, Cam. de Veleta, 2000-2300 m, 24 Jul. 1983, 19 Aug. 1984, leg. Traugott-Olsen (ZMUC, TLMF); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Granada province, Sierra Nevada, Cam. de Veleta, 2250-2300 m, 1 Aug. 1986, leg. Traugott-Olsen; 1 ♂, Granada province, Sierra Nevada, Ruta del Veleta, 1600 m, 19 Sep. 1987 (all TLMF). France: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Pyrénées-Orientales, Thuès-les-Bains, larvae 24 Jun. 1900 on Dianthus , moths emerged 26 Jul. 1900, leg. Walsingham (NHM). Morocco: 1 ♂, Haut Atlas, Oukaïmeden, 2600 m, 9 & 11 Jul. l975, leg. Kasy (NHMW).

Diagnosis.

C. dianthella differs from C. schleichi by the brown rather than white head, thorax and tegulae but cannot be reliably separated from the other species of the complex by external characters. However, the male genitalia are characterized by the shape of the valva, particularly the convex dorsal margin with a sub-apical hump, the shortly pointed sub-dorsal process and the small digitate ventral process. A similarly short but broader dorso-apical process is only found in C. schleichi , whereas C. habeleri with a similar dorso-apical process differs in the large ventro-apical projection and the weakly curved dorsal margin of the valva. In all other species of the C. schleichi species group, the valva is more slender with a much longer dorso-apical process and a more slender dorso-ventral process. The female genitalia are almolst indistinguishable from other species of the C. schleichi species group except for the characteristic signum with a broad hook and a largely reduced base.

Description.

Adult (Fig. 4 ). Forewing length ♂ 4.0-5.5 mm, ♀ 4.0-5.0 mm. Head dark brown, frons cream-white to white; labial palpus dark brown, second segment cream-white on inner and upper surface, mottled with grey-brown on outer surface, third segment dark brown mottled with few white scales; antenna black, weakly ringed paler. Thorax and tegula rusty brown, anterior part dark brown. Abdomen predominantly grey on ventral surface, medially cream-coloured. Forewing dark brown with weak light mottling, distinct white markings: transverse fascia from fold to costa at one-fifth, distinct white medial spot, separate costal and tornal spots; fringes basally dark brown, distal part lighter. Hindwing light grey.

Variation.

Weak variation in the extent of the white markings.

Male genitalia

(Figs 14 , 22 ). Uncus broadly sub-quadrangular, posterior corners rounded; lateral sclerites of gnathos distinct, medial part with large minutely spined culcitula; tegumen weakly widened anteriorly, with slightly emarginated anterior margin; transtilla sclerotized, longitudinally folded; pedunculus large, sub-triangular, with sclerotized inner edge; valva nearly straight, moderately long, distal part moderately broad, shovel-shaped, dorsal edge with distinct convex hump, apex with two processes, short pointed sub-dorsal and small digitate ventral process, medially separated by small excavation; sacculus moderately long, knife-shaped; posterior margin of vinculum deeply incised medially, with pair of long digitate processes, pair of latero-medial processes broadly projected; saccus slightly longer than valva, slender, gradually tapered to apex; phallus long, slender, nearly straight, apically with area of small cornuti.

Female genitalia

(Figs 30 , 37 , 44 ). Apophysis posterior about four times length of apophysis anterior; segment VIII without processes, smooth; ostium bursae with short lateral folds; apophysis anterior 1.3 times length of segment VIII; antrum short, about one-fifth length of apophysis anterior, funnel-shaped; posterior part of ductus bursae with pair of long lateral sclerites extending to about apex of apophysis anterior, membranous part of ductus bursae about length of segment VIII including apophysis anterior; signum on right side of entrance to sub-oval corpus bursae, with broad base lacking crescent-shaped lateral projections, and stout hook.

Molecular data.

BIN: BOLD:AAU1854. The intraspecific average distance of the barcode region is 1.43%, the maximum distance 1.83% (p-dist) (n = 3). The minimum distance to the nearest neighbor, C. lamai , is 3.05%.

Distribution

(Fig. 1 ). C. dianthella is restricted to the Western Mediterranean, with country records from Morocco, Portugal, Spain and France (Pyrenees).

Bionomics.

The larva has been recorded in May and June feeding on Dianthus scaber toletanus (Boiss and Reuter) Tutin and D. deltoides L. and moths emerged in July ( Chrétien 1925). In the Pyrenees it was also bred from Dianthus pungens L. (see material examined). In the field moths have been collected from late June to October up to altitudes of about 2600 m in Morocco.

Remarks.

Lita dianthella was described from an unspecified number of specimens from central Spain ( Chrétien 1925) and the genitalia of a syntype figured by Agenjo (1962) leave no doubt as to the identity. Caryocolum hackeri was described from northern Spain (Pyrenees) with the holotype fixed in the original description ( Derra 1985).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution map of successfully sequenced material of the C. schleichi species group. Map created with SimpleMappr (http: // www. simplemappr. net).

Figures 3 - 8. Adults. 3 Caryocolum schleichi, male, Syria; 4 C. dianthella, male, Spain; 5 C. improvisella, male, Austria; 6 C. improvisella, female, Austria; 7 C. arenariella, male, Sweden; 8 C. arenariella, female, Sweden.

Figures 13 - 16. Male genitalia. 13 Caryocolum schleichi, Syria, slide GU 86 / 273 P. Huemer; 14 C. dianthella, Spain, slide GEL 1284 P. Huemer; 15 C. improvisella, Austria, slide GEL 1256 P. Huemer; 16 C. improvisella, Italy, slide GEL 1290 P. Huemer.

Figures 21 - 24. Male genitalia (details vinculum-valva-complex). 21 Caryocolum schleichi, Syria, slide GU 86 / 273 P. Huemer; 22 C. dianthella, Spain, slide GEL 1284 P. Huemer; 23 C. improvisella, Austria, slide GEL 1256 P. Huemer; 24 C. improvisella, Italy, slide GEL 120 P. Huemer.

Figures 29, 30. Female genitalia. 29 Caryocolum schleichi, Syria, slide GU 86 / 277 P. Huemer; 30 C. dianthella, Spain, slide GEL 1285 P. Huemer.

Figures 36 - 39. Female genitalia (segment VIII). 36 Caryocolum schleichi, Syria, slide GU 86 / 277 P. Huemer; 37 C. dianthella, Spain, slide GEL 1285 P. Huemer; 38 C. improvisella, Italy, slide GEL 1291 P. Huemer; 39 C. arenariella, Sweden, slide GEL 1292 P. Huemer.

Figures 43 - 46. Female genitalia (signum). 43 Caryocolum schleichi, Syria, slide GU 86 / 277 P. Huemer; 44 C. dianthella, Spain, slide GEL 1285 P. Huemer; 45 C. improvisella, Italy, slide GEL 1291 P. Huemer; 46 C. arenariella, Sweden, slide GEL 1292 P. Huemer.