Phyllobrostis minoica, Mey, 2014

Mey, Wolfram, 2014, Phyllobrostis minoica sp. n. from Crete (Greece) - an expected discovery (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutoidea, Lyonetiidae), Nota Lepidopterologica 37 (2), pp. 161-165 : 162-164

Phyllobrostis minoica sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype ♂, "Hellas, Crete/ Nom. Chania/ 35°21'11"N, 23°54'39"E / N of Omalos figau/ at pass, 1150m/ 7.6.2004/ leg. B. Skule, C. Hviid/ & E. Vesterhede", coll. ZMUC Copenhagen, Denmark. Paratypes: 1 ♀, same data as holotype, 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, same locality as holotype, but collected on 11.vi. 2004, genitalia slide Mey 13/13 (♂) and Mey 3/14 (♀), Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.

Derivatio nominis.

The specific name is derived from “Minos”, legendary king in Crete and the Minoic culture on the island in the 2nd millennium B.C., which is considered the cradle of civilization in Europe.

Description.

The general characters of the new species are in agreement with the diagnosis of the genus ( Mey 2006). Only unique and diagnostic characters of the new species are treated and described here.

Adult (Fig. 7). Forewing length 3.5-4.5 mm, wing span 8.8-9.5 mm. Head pale grey, with a yellow shine. Antennae grey, not annulated, thicker in males than in females, flagellomeres with complete annulus of slender scales, very short cilia present at ventro-lateral bases of flagellomeres. Piliform scales present behind scape and eye margin. Labial palpi as long as diameter of eye, slender and straight, two distal segments visible, covered with broad, pale grey scales. Thorax and forewings pale grey, fringes slightly paler, forewing scales with pale tips, hindwing scales of same colour as forewing scales. Male with one, female with two frenular bristles. Legs pale grey, subapical spurs of hindtibia before middle as seen from femur. Abdomen on upper and underside pale grey, spined terga from segment III to IV pale orange-brown.

Male genitalia (Figs 1-4, 6). Genital segments asymmetrical, sternum VII short, distal margin rounded, slightly protruding in the middle and terminating with a somewhat notched tip. Sternum VIII a membranous layer on the dorsal side of sternum VII, connected laterally with pleural lobes. Pleural lobes large, left one rectangular, rounded, right one bifid, with dorsally and ventrally directed, triangular parts, acute at tips in dorsal and lateral view. Vinculum greatly reduced, fused with saccus anteriorly to form a short, broad process. Saccus attached to phallus, extending anteriorly into segment VI. Teguminal complex inside segment VII, con sisting of a ring-like structure around anal tube. Phallus tubular, long and acute apically, curved ventrad, cornuti absent.

Female genitalia (Fig. 5). Segment VII asymmetrical, distal margin on ventral side irregularly excised and sclerotized, with a protruding genital opening at tip of a conical process attached laterally on the right side to segment VII. Antrum tubular, extending anteriorly to beyond segment VII, narrowed at base, ductus bursae long and somewhat winding, entering elongate and oval bursa at distal apex, signum absent. Ovipositor (segment VIII+IX) telescopic, segment VIII membranous ventrally, with thin, parallel stripes or folds, laterally sclerotized by enlarged, distal ends of apophyses anteriores (a.a.). Apophyses posteriores twice as long as a.a. and fused apically into a short, sclerotized cone (fused papillae anales) with thin bristles on the ventral side.

Remarks. The new species belongs to the Phyllobrostis daphneella group, which is defined by complete loss of the valvae, a rudimentary gnathos and the small labial palpi ( Mey 2006). The latter character is somewhat different in Phyllobrostis minoica sp. n. as its labial palpi are longer and clearly visible, but not as large as in the species of the Phyllobrostis eremitella group. External characters of the new species resemble those of Phyllobrostis jedmella Chrétien, 1907, known from Algeria and Spain. Also, the male genitalia of both species are similar. The main distinguishing traits are the shape of the ventral margin of segment VII, the strongly asymmetric pleural lobes of Phyllobrostis minoica sp. n. and the tergum VII with shorter spiniform setae in Phyllobrostis jedmella . In the female genitalia, the asymmetric segment VII with a protruding cone bearing the distal part of the antrum and the ostium represent a character observed in the genus for the first time. Unfortunately, the female of Phyllobrostis jedmella is unknown; however, Phyllobrostis minoica sp. n. female can be expected to be similar to it if the two species are indeed close relatives.