Meharia breithaupti Yakovlev

Yakovlev, Roman V., 2014, A new species of Meharia Chrétien, 1915 (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) from the United Arab Emirates, with a world catalogue of the genus, Zootaxa 3895 (3), pp. 401-410 : 401-402

Meharia breithaupti Yakovlev , sp. nov.

( Figs 3 , 18−19, 43−49 )

Type. Holotype: male, UAE, Ras Al Khaimah, Esfai garbage dump, 25° 06' 19" N / 56°07' 52 E, 488 m, 1.12.2013, et light, R. Breithaupt leg. Deposited in the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia. Paratype: female, UAE, Ras Al Khaimah, Wadi Sifuni, 25° 10' 09" N / 56° 04' 32" E, 290 m, 6.12.2012, et light, R. Breithaupt leg. Deposited in private collection of Thomas Sobczyk (Hoyerswerda, Germany).

Description. Male. Antennae long, as long as 2/3 of forewing length, with double pecten. Length of pecten process 4 times longer than antenna stem. Length of forewing 6 mm. Forewing narrow, parallel-sided. Apex gradually rounded. Wing dark grey with slightly developed pale pattern consisted of light spots with irregular border on costal edge (in middle third and closer to apex) and small pale area on hindwing (in middle third). Fringe long, grey. Hindwing dark grey, patternless.

Male genitalia. Uncus short, with apex pointed and recurved; tegumen medium-sized; branches of gnathos long, thin, gnathos poorly developed, smooth; valvae broad, curved, with broad gradually rounded apex; inner surface of valva with two strongly sclerotized strengthening bars situated askew from middle part of ventral edge to distal part of dorsal edge; juxta small, spoon-like; saccus tiny, turned back; aedeagus with stout base, sligthly curved in middle third, with well-developed bill-like process with dentate edge on dorsal surface near pore of vesica, gradually converged to apex, apex pointed; pore of vesica in dorso-apical position, vesica without cornuti.

Female. Antennae long, with double pecten. Length of pecten process 3 times longer than antenna stem. Length of forewing 10 mm. Forewing narrow, parallel-sided. Apex gradually rounded. Wing dark-grey with slightly developed pale pattern. Costal edge with small pale spots, submarginal area with band. Basal area and inner margin of forewing with poorly visible rounded pale spots. Fringe white with tufts of grey scales near veins, grey on anal edge. Hindwing dark grey, patternless.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor absent; papillae anales pyramidal-conical, covered by long setae, hind apophyses short, pointed to apex; pore of ostium bursae broad, cup-like; ductus broad with thick sides; bursa sac-like, without signum.

Diagnosis. The new species differs well from all known species of the genus by its very small size. Externally it slightly resembles Meharia philbyi Bradley, 1952 , from which it differs by its very dark wing pattern (pale in philbyi ), the presence of two teeth on the aedeagus process (8–10 in M. philbyi ), and the strongly broadened basal part of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The new species is named after the German entomologist Roland Breithaupt, who collected the type material.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Distribution maps of Meharia species. 1 — M. acuta; 2 — M. avicenna; 3 — M. breithaupti Yakovlev, sp. nov.; 4 — M. fischeri; 5 — M. hackeri; 6 — M. incurvariella; 7 — M. ostrauskasi and M. murpheyi.

FIGURES 43 – 46. Adults of M. breithaupti Yakovlev, sp. nov., dorsal aspect and specimens in nature. 43 — male, holotype; 44 — female, paratype; 45 — male (holotype) in nature (photo by R. Breithaupt); 46 — female (paratype) in nature (photo by R. Breithaupt).

FIGURES 47 − 49. Genitalia and habitat of M. breithaupti Yakovlev, sp. nov. 47 — male (holotype), 48 — female (paratype), 49 — habitat of M. breithaupti Yakovlev, sp. nov., UAE, Ras Al Khaimah, Esfai garbage dump (photo by R. Breithaupt).