Epicallima kuldzhella (Lvovsky, 1982), 1903

Lvovsky, Alexander L., Tokar, Zdenko & Jaworski, Tomasz, 2020, Notes on the little-known species Epicallima kuldzhella (Lvovsky, 1982) (Lepidoptera, Oecophoridae) from Central Asia, Nota Lepidopterologica 43, pp. 281-289 : 281

Epicallima kuldzhella (Lvovsky, 1982)

Callima kuldzhella Lvovsky, 1982. Entomologicheskoe obozrenie 61(3): 584-586.

Examined material.

N-W China, 2♂, holotype and paratype, Kuldzha 1884; 5♀, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 2-6.viii.2007, collector unknown, coll. Nankai University in Tianjin, China, and Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (collection of M. F. Wocke); Kazakhstan, 2♂, 1♀, near Alma-Ata, 23.vii-9.viii.1957, A. Danilevsky and V. Kuznetzov leg.; 1♂, 1♀, the same place, 30.vi.1957, M. Falkovich leg.; 3♂, 1♀, Zailiysky Alatau ridge, 8-15.vii.1957, M. Falkovich leg.; 1♂, Ketmen ridge, vil. Podgornoe, 8.vi.1957, M. Falkovich leg.; 1♂, 1♀, Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve, vil. Novonikolaevka, 8-12.viii.1987, S. Seksjaeva leg.; Kyrgyzstan, 1♀, near Naryn, 26.vii.1981, S. Sinev leg.; 2♂, 1♀, near Naryn, ridge Naryntau, 2200 m, 28.vii-2.viii.1988, V. Mironov leg.; 2♂, 5♀, Cholpon-Ata, 30.vii-7.viii.1987, O. Nikiforova and A. Lvovsky leg.; 3♀, near Bishkek, vil. Razdolny, 22.vii.1987, O. Nikiforova and A. Lvovsky leg., all coll. Zoological Institute, Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; 2♀, Arslanbob, 41.3454N, 72.8822E, pupa 7.v.2018 ( Betula sp.), e.p. 11.v.2018, R. Plewa leg.; Balykchy, 42.452880N, 76.162228E, 23.vi.2019, to light, T. Jaworski leg., gen. pr. Z. Tokár No 13658; 2♂, the same locality, 24.vi.2019, to light, T. Jaworski leg., Ala-Archa, 42.6288N, 74.4885E, larva 13.v.2018 ( Phelinus sp. growing on a trunk of Hippophae rhamnoides ), e.l. 19.vi.2018, R. Plewa leg., all coll. T. Jaworski.

Description.

Adult, female (Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 6-7.5 mm, wingspan 13-16 mm. Head and thorax yellow. Labial palpi upwardly curved, middle segment grey, apical segment white. Antennal flagellomeres each ringed alternately grey and white. Forewing yellow with four brown spots that vary greatly in size and shape: a narrow, subtriangular spot near base, a small quadrate spot near the dorsal margin at 2/5, a large sub-trapezoidal spot extending from mid-costa to mid-cubitus, and a large almost crescentic area extending from subterminal area from apex to near tornus. Basal and dorsal spots partly narrowly edged with white scales; scattered white scales near fringe; fringe mostly brown, yellow apically. Hindwing and abdomen grey.

Adult males generally differ from the adult females in the colour of the fringe scales of the forewings (Fig. 2 ), which are predominantly yellow in the former and brown in the latter.

Female genitalia

(Fig. 3 ). Ovipositor of the standard moderate length of an oecophorid. Apophyses anteriores slightly shorter than apophyses posteriores. Ostium situated near posterior margin of sternum VII. Antrum cup-shaped, sclerotized. Ductus seminalis from anterior part of ductus bursae. Sclerotized part of ductus bursae octagonally convex. Several narrow, small and inwardly projecting “thorns” at the end of sclerotized part or also at the beginning of membranous part of ductus bursae. Ductus bursae widening into oval corpus bursae. Signum small, rounded with minute teeth, on anterior part of corpus bursae.

Male genitalia

(Fig. 4 ). These mostly match the overall structure characteristic of Epicallima (= Callima according to Hodges (1974)). Uncus with basal half broad, tapering to slender distal half. Gnathos slipper-like with pointed apex. Valva with well developed saccular margin, more heavily sclerotized than medial part of valva; distal process directed dorsad along distal margin of valva to a broad point. Juxta with a pair of lateral lobes tapering gradually to apex, 3/5 of length of valva. Aedeagus cylindrical, vesica with two thorn-shaped cornuti.

Distribution

(Fig. 5 ). Kazakhstan: near Almaty (Alma-Ata), Talgar, Shymkent, Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, mountain ridges Zailiysky Alatau and Ketmen. Kyrgyzstan: near Bishkek (Ak-Jol), near Naryn, mountain ridge Naryntau, Cholpon-Ata, near Arslanbob, Balykchy, Ala-Archa. North-Western China: near Yining (Kuldzha), Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Biology.

Moths are on the wing from the beginning of June to the middle of August. In the daytime adults can be found on the trunks of Populus nigra var. italica Koehne (= pyramidalis Roz.) ( Salicaceae). The eggs are oval and dirty white. They are thought to be laid in crevices in the bark and/or on the fruiting bodies of wood-decaying fungi. Larvae feed under the bark and inside fungal bodies, however confirmation is required as to whether their true diet consists of wood or fungal tissues. The body of the larva is translucent dirty white. Head light brown with brown mandibles and black stemmata. Prothoracic plate light brown, anal plate dirty white. Larvae hibernate. Pupation takes place in the middle of spring. The only reliably recorded data concerning the habitat characteristics of sites in Kyrgyzstan where Epicallima kuldzhella was collected are those where the following tree/shrub species are present: Ala-Archa: Hippophae rhamnoides L. ( Elaeagnaceae), Salix spp. ( Salicaceae), Malus spp., Prunus spp. ( Rosaceae); Arlsanbob: Betula pendula Roth. ( Betulaceae), Juglans regia L. ( Juglandaceae), and Crataegus sp., Malus spp., Prunus sp. ( Rosaceae). These biotopes are shown in Figures 6 , 7 .

Figures

Figure 1. Epicallima kuldzhella, female, Arslanbob, ex pupa 11. v. 2018.

Figure 2. Epicallima kuldzhella, male, Ala-Archa, ex larva 19. vi. 2018.

Figure 3. Female genitalia of Epicallima kuldzhella.

Figure 4. Male genitalia of Epicallima kuldzhella.

Figure 5. Distribution map of Epicallima kuldzhella.

Figure 6. Biotope of Epicallima kuldzhella - vicinity of Arslanbob (Kyrgyzstan, 1740 m. a. s. l., 7. v. 2018).

Figure 7. Biotope of Epicallima kuldzhella - Ala-Archa (Kyrgyzstan, 1680 m. a. s. l., 13. v. 2018).