Zarcinia ghorella (Amsel, 1935) Mey, 2022

Mey, Wolfram, 2022, Taxonomic notes on Palearctic taxa of Galacticidae, a little-known family of Lepidoptera (Galacticoidea), Nota Lepidopterologica 45, pp. 169-190 : 169

Zarcinia ghorella (Amsel, 1935) comb. nov.

Figs 9-10 , 36-38

Bahrlutia ghorella Amsel, 1935: 214, type locality: Israel, West-Jordan Land, Holotype deposited in LMK [examined].

Material examined.

Holotype ♀, “Südende d[es]/Toten Meers/15. -27.3.[19]33/ H. Amsel " [printed], "gesammelt v./Aigner" [printed], "Typus/leg. H. Amsel " [printed on red card], genitalia slide Mey 28/21 (LMK).

Diagnosis.

Zarcinia ghorella externally resembles Z. walsinghami . It can be distinguished by characters of female abdomen and genitalia, e.g., tergum and sternum VII overlapping in lateral view, median groove of tergum VII in central position and bulla seminalis absent.

Redescription.

Adult (Fig. 9 ). Length of forewing 5.6 mm, wing span 13 mm (n = 1). Head white, frons with appressed scales, vertex and scapes with semi-erected scales; labial palpi as long as eye-diameter, straight, white and with a small black patch on tip of second segment; unscaled proboscis pale brown; antennae filiform, 0.5 of forewing length, very shortly ciliated on ventral side; fore-tibia with epiphysis, tarsomeres of fore and mid-legs brown to black on dorsal side, white-ringed at tips, hind legs white, spurs 0.2.4.; forewing white, with small black spots on termen and costa, a second line of small spots parallel to spot line on termen, further spots scattered on wing and forming a round crowd in basal half; hindwing white, yellow-brown towards apices, fringes white; wing venation with accessory cell in forewing and M present in cell, hindwing with M3 and Cu1a shortly confluent or connected in a point; three frenular bristles in females; retinaculum with white scales on underside of Sc.

Female genitalia (Figs 36-38 ). Tergum and sternum of segment VII shortly overlapping in lateral view, tergum VII with median, shallow groove broad not reaching caudal margin; distal margin of sternum VII in ventral view strongly asymmetrical, ostium bursae with sclerotised rim and antrum on right hand side in intersegmental membrane, close to right, sternal margin, ductus bursae longer than bursa, signa in oval bursa copulatrix absent.

Biology.

Host plant unknown.

Distribution.

Israel.

Remarks.

In the original description two available specimens were mentioned. One is obviously lost, and the remaining individual is the one which was designated by Amsel as the type, which is interpreted here as a valid holotype designation.

Amsel (1935) established the genus Bahrlutia by certain differences in the wing venation, which he observed by comparing his species with the original illustration of Z. nigrosignatella . In fact, there are no such differences, and Amsel was probably misled by an incorrect figure of Chrétien (1915).

The descriptions of three, unrevised species summarised in the incertae sedis group are more or less in agreement with the description of Z. ghorella . In the case of conspecifity with one or all of these species, which could be detected in the future, Z. ghorella would become a synonym of one of those species.

Figures

Figures 9 - 16. Adults of Zarcinia spp. 9 - 10. Z. ghorella (Amsel), holotype and label; 11 - 12. Z. stshetkini sp. nov., male holotype and label; 13 - 14. Z. walsinghami (Caradja), male paralectotype and label; 15. Z. stshetkini sp. nov., female, Afghanistan; 16. Zarcinia sp., female, Iran (photos by W. Mey).

Figures 36 - 48. Female genitalia of Zarcinia spp., 36 - 38. Z. ghorella (Amsel), holotype; 36. Lateral; 37. Ventral; 38. Segment VII, dorsal; 39 - 41. Z. stshetkini sp. nov.; 39. Ventral; 40. Lateral; 41. segment VII, dorsal; 42 - 44. Z. walsinghami (Caradja), Kzyl-Orda; 42. Lateral; 43. Ventral; 44. Segment VII, dorsal; 45 - 47. Z. nigrosignatella (Chretien); 45. Ventral; 46. Lateral; 47. Segment VII, dorsal; 48. Zarcinia sp., Iran, ventral view.