Mesolia alborzella Bassi, 2013

Bassi, Graziano, 2013, Notes on some Old World Prionapterygini Landry, 1995 (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea, Crambidae, Crambinae), with descriptions of new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 120 (1), pp. 131-160 : 140-142

Mesolia alborzella Bassi sp. n. Figs 14, 24

HOLOTYPE :: 1- ‘3’; 2- IRAN [36°01’N 51°30’E] | Elburs-Geb[irge] | Südseite | Shimshak | 2300 m | 1-22.VII.1970 | 50 Km Nördlich [von] Teheran | Vartian legit ’; 3- ‘GS- 1278-Glaser’; 4- ‘ HOLOTYPE | Mesolia | alborzella Bassi’. Deposited in SMNK.

PARATYPES: SMNK and CB; 2 33; same data as holotype, GS 1279 Glaser and 5344 GB .

ETYMOLOGY: The name refers to the local name of the Elbrus mountain range.

DIAGNOSIS: As far as known Mesolia alborzella is the only Mesolia species in the Middle East. The whitish brown coloration (Fig. 14) is very characteristic. In males the single paired coremata are broader than in M. uniformella and the cornutus is more slender (Fig. 24) than that of its congeners.

DESCRIPTION (Fig. 14): Wingspan: holotype 19 mm; paratypes 20 mm. Labial palpi 2.2 x longer than widest diameter of compound eye, brown sprinkled with lighter scales; inner surface light brown. Maxillary palpi brown with lighter tip; inner surface light brown. Frons subconical, brown, clearly produced, with apical corneous point. Antennae deeply serrate, brown with costa white, narrowly annulated with black. Ocelli well-developed. Chaetosemata moderate. Head, patagium and thorax brown speckled grey brown. Tegulae brown, distally lighter. Fore and mid-legs brown with tarsomeres annulated with white; hindlegs whitish with tarsomeres brown annulated with white. Forewings ground color brown; costal line white, then brown from 0.85 to apex; apex moderately rounded; hook well defined, marked with white fringes; costal area brown sprinkled white; dorsal area brown with large rounded dot basally at 0.2, creamy white bordered dark brown; medial fascia dark brown, very sinuous; post- FIGS 13-17

Prionapterygini spp., adults and coremata. (13) Prionapteryx helena sp. n., holotype, wingspan 17 mm. (14) Mesolia alborzella sp. n., holotype, wingspan 19 mm. (15) M. meyi sp. n., coremata. (16) Talis quercella (Denis & Schiffermüller) , coremata. (17) Zovax venus sp. n., coremata.

medial fascia dark brown and white, very sinuous; apical fascia white; medial stripe well defined, creamy white, ending under cell in median fascia; fringes from apex to hook white with short scales tipped with dark brown and long scales tipped with light brown; just below hook basally white, distally light brown and then whitish suffused light brown with short scales tipped with dark brown. Hindwings brown with intense white suffusion; fringes white, with short scales tipped with brown. Sclerotizations of male abdominal segment VIII as shown in figure 24. Coremata a single paired, spatulate and broad sub-oval structure.

MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 24): Uncus narrow, sclerotized, down-curved, with rounded tip; well-developed crest-like dorso-distal process with strong setae. Gnathos with pointed and up-curved tip. Tegumen subtriangular with dorsal margin more strongly sclerotized. Vinculum narrow, with two slightly produced dorso-distal projections. Pseudosaccus moderate, subconical. Juxta subtriangular. Valvae suboval with costal margin more strongly sclerotized, moderate saccular membranous expansion and apically blunt cucullus. Phallus 0.74 as long as valva; vesica with one thin cornutus almost as long as phallus.

FEMALE: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: The new species is only known from the type locality in Iran .