Pleurota ochreopalpella Tabell, 2019

Kaila, Lauri, Mutanen, Marko, Sihvonen, Pasi, Tyllinen, Juha & Tabell, Jukka, 2019, Characterization of Pleurotinae, with review of Pleurota species close to P. aristella (Linnaeus) from Morocco (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), Zootaxa 4545 (4), pp. 451-477 : 468-469

Pleurota ochreopalpella Tabell , sp. nov.

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ADI5171

Table 1, Figs. 16, 17 , 40 , 46 , 48

Type material. Holotype ♂ (GP 5693 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25574 Lepid Phyl ): Morocco, Taourirt Prov., 3 km NNE Debdou, 880 m, N34.00987 W3.02433, 11.V.2016, J. Tabell leg. (coll. MZH), BOLD sample ID: MM25574 . Paratypes: 7 ♂ (GP 5704 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25573 Lepid Phyl), 3 ♀ (GP 5709 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25575 Lepid Phyl; DNA sample 25576 Lepid Phyl), same collecting data as holotype (colls. MZH and TAB) .

Diagnosis. Externally P. ochreopalpella is similar to P. moroccoensis , but the costal line is narrower. A long gnathos and strongly sclerotized valval lobe in male genitalia distinguish P. ochreopalpella from related species. In the female genitalia, the narrow ductus bursae and large corpus bursae are characteristic.

Molecular diagnosis. Four specimens of P. ochreopalpella were sequenced, all of which yielded a 658 bp, full-length DNA barcode fragment. The nearest neighbour to P. ochreopalpella is P. atlasensis with a 1.71% divergence. The barcodes of P. ochreopalpella exhibit no intraspecific variation (Table 1).

Description. Adult. Wingspan 22.0– 26.5 mm. Labial palpus off-white to pale ochre, ventrally mixed brown and white, laterally with a dark brown apical spot, long, about 8.1 x as long as diameter of eye (1 st and 2 nd segments), 3 rd segment long, 0.37 x length of 1 st and 2 nd segments. Antenna brown, hairy in male. Head, tegula and thorax off-white to pale brown. Forewing pale brown, termen irrorated with darker scales; costal line narrow, extending almost from base to 0.8, basally white, distally pale brown; subcostal line darker than dorsal half of forewing; median line white, extending from base to apex, expanded medially with two steps at dorsal margin, apical 0.4 narrow. Fringe pale brown, apically off-white. Hindwing grey, fringe pale grey, at outer margin white. Abdomen slightly lustrous, brownish grey, each segment with transverse row of ochre scales.

Male genitalia. Uncus thimble-shaped dorsoventrally, lined with several short and few long bristles, apical half more strongly sclerotized. Gnathos about twice as long as uncus, funnel-shaped dorsoventrally, medially covered with small scales, apex blunt. Valva upwards oblique, ventral margin slightly convex, costa straight; sacculus narrow. Anterior extension of juxta short, bulged; median part chaliced; posterior lobe narrow, reaching the apex of uncus; valval lobe elongate, strongly sclerotized, base broad, outer margin weakly sinuous, distally covered with several small nodules and short bristles. Vinculum U-shaped. Phallus curved, apex tapered, with one plate-shaped cornutus surrounded by numerous tiny spines, apical 0.2 dorsally covered with small spines and nodules.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales ovoid, covered with bristles of different length. Apophyses long; posterior apophysis 5.5 x as long as papilla analis and 1.7 x as long as anterior apophysis. Segment 8 elongated longitudinally, rectangular, membranous, dorsolaterally reinforced by sclerotized band, distally sparsely covered with bristles, proximal margin dorsally reinforced by two sclerotized bands; ventral sclerotization narrow, slightly shorter than segment 8. Antrum tubular, parallel-sided, shorter than segment 8, membranous, anterior 0.33 tapered and sclerotized. Ductus bursae membranous, as long as antrum, slightly expanded towards corpus bursae. Corpus bursae ovoid, with one robust arched signum bearing two long, narrow, sclerotized thorn-like protuberances, and two elongate leaf-shaped signa.

Biology. Unknown. The moths were collected in May at light, together with P. staintoniella . The habitat is a small calcareous hill.

Distribution. Known only from a single locality in north-eastern Morocco.

Derivation of name. The specific name refers to the colour of labial palpus.

Figures

FIGURE 48. Neighbour joining tree, conducted under Kimura 2-parameter model, of ten taxa of Pleurota aristella group, based on sequences of COI gene. The values by the nodes indicate node bootstrap supports as based on 500 replicates.

FIGURES 16–21. Adults of Pleurota spp. 16–17. P. ochreopalpella sp. nov. 16. ♂ paratype. 17. ♀ paratype. 18–19. P. atlasensis sp. nov. 18. ♂ holotype. 19. ♀ paratype. 20–21. P. staintoniella Baker. 20. ♂. 21. ♀. Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 40–41. Male genitalia. 40. P. ochreopalpella sp. nov., GP 5704 J. Tabell. 41. P. atlasensis sp. nov., GP 5507 J. Tabell.

FIGURES 46–47. Female genitalia. 46. P. ochreopalpella sp. nov., GP 5898 J. Tabell. 47 P. staintoniella Baker, ♀ genitalia, GP 5899 J. Tabell.