Drasteria scolopax gilmanovi, Korb & Gorbunov, 2023

Korb, Stanislav K. & Gorbunov, Pavel Y., 2023, Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae): New data on its range and ecology with description of a new subspecies, Amurian Zoological Journal XV (4), pp. 755-761 : 756-761

Drasteria scolopax gilmanovi ssp. n.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 610C7887- D3EF-4894-9617-C34FD8FF029F

( Figs. 1–6 )

Material. Holotype: female, 19.07.2023, Kyrgyzstan, Transalai Mts. , Kaltabulak stream, 4 km W of Nura, 3025 m, 39 ° 38΄21.19˝N, 73 ° 49΄10.68˝E, leg. S.K. Korb, P. Y. Gorbunov. Paratypes: 2 males, 10 females, 18– 19.07.2023, same locality, leg. S. K. Korb, P. Y. Gordunov ; 1 male, 2 females, 15– 17.07.2023, Kyrgyzstan, Alai Mts. , 6, 2 km NW Nura, 2922 m, 39 ° 40΄9.77˝N, 73 ° 48΄37.40˝E, leg. S. K. Korb, P. Y. Gorbunov. Holotype deposited in ZISP, paratypes — in ZISP and author’s collections .

Description. Forewing length in holotype 23 mm, in paratypes 20–24 mm. Head, thorax, abdomen uppersides brown, undersides whitish-yellowish. Antennae covered by brown scales, in males at ventral side with long (a bit longer than antenna width) light chetae. Legs covered by light beige scales. Forewing triangular, relatively narrow with straight costal edge. Maximum width to length ratio in forewing is 0.43. Forewing upperside brown, hindwing upperside grayish-yellowish; underside of both wings of the same color, grayish-yellowish. When moth is just collected, its body and forewings upperside partially covered by pink scales; after short time (several days) these scales turned to a regular brown coloration. In the holotype these pink scales are visible in the upperside of thorax and in the basal part of forewing. Wing upperside pattern represented by three lighter parts: discal belt with serrated edge (this belt does not reach costal border of the wing); large kidney-shaped spot with unclear borders; marginal band about 3 mm width with relatively smooth internal border and with protrusions between veins. Hindwing with dark-gray suffusion along the veins, especially along the discal one (there is dark discal v-shaped stroke). The darkest part of the hindwing pattern is oval black-gray spot adjacent to the middle part of the outer margin; the marginal dark gray band is not connected to the discal stroke and touches the black marginal spot. Fringes of the same color as wing background.

Male and female colorations are identical, male wing pattern is ever more unclear than in female.

Diagnosis ( Figs. 1–12 ). The new subspecies differs from the nominate one by its wing coloration and wing pattern. Difference in wing coloration: new subspecies looks quite darker than the nominate one because its median and basal belts are brown (in the nominate subspecies they are light-brown or even gray). Differences in wing pattern: upper side pattern of wings in the new subspecies is unclear, spots and belts are weakly visible (in the nominate one they are clear and visible); there is no black marginal spot in the new subspecies forewing underside, which is presented in D. scolopax scolopax . Male and female genitalia of the new subspecies are identical to the same of the nominate one ( Figs. 13–16 ).

Etymology. This subspecies is named after Radion Gilmanov (Ekaterinburg, Russia), a school teacher living and working in Ekaterinburg, Russian Lepidoptera collector, who participated in the trip where this taxon was discovered.

Ecology. There is no data on the habitats of D. scolopax in the literature. However, analyzing information on the collection sites of this species (Myn-Dyn-Sha south of Sining, Gumansu north of Sining, Blagodatny spring in the valley of the Danhe River, Tszosto and Yamata streams in the Alashan Mountains, near the Gu-man-su Monastery) in the works of P. K. Kozlov (1899; 2015) and G.E. Grumm-Grshimailo (1899), in all cases it can be distinguished that habitats are river valleys in arid treeless (or almost treeless) areas located in the middle mountains (at altitudes between 2300 and 3100 m a.s.l.).

In the Alai Region of Kyrgyzstan, we collected D. scolopax in two rather different, although closely located (4 km in a straight line) habitats at an altitude of about 3000 m a.s.l.

We collected 14 specimens in the valley of the Kaltabulak stream, 3 km upstream of its confluence with the Kyzylsu River (sometimes called Eastern Kyzylsu, the Chinese name is Ulugchat) ( Fig. 17 ). The depth of the narrow Kaltabutak valley here reaches 20 m. In the floodplain there are patches of meadow subalpine vegetation represented by Ligularia heterophylla , Pedicularis dolichorrhiza , P. ludwigii , Stachyopsis lamiiflora , Swertia lactea , Galium verum , Dracocephalum integrifolium , Alfredia acantholepis , Dactylorhiza umbrosa , Cirsium esculentum , etc., in combination with shrubs of Caragana jubata , Lonicera microphylla , L. stenantha , Rosa sp. , Juniperus sp. , and Ribes meyeri . Stony-clay rather flat slopes are covered with fragmented, but quite diverse vegetation with the presence of Neotrinia splendens , Krascheninnikovia ceratoides , Juniperus sp. , Ferula kokanica , Hedysarum cumuschtanicum , Zygophyllum obliquum , Artemisia rutifolia , Bassia prostrata , Hippolytia herderi , Ziziphora pamiroalaica , Dianthus kuschakewiczii , Dichodon cerastoides , etc.

In the second habitat, in the wide valley of the Koksu River 2 km upstream of its confluence with the Kyzylsu River ( Fig. 18 ), only 3 specimens of D. scolopax were collected. The light traps were located in a wide floodplain occupied by subalpine forb or sedge-forb meadows dominated by Astragalus tibetanus , Carex sp. , Ligularia heterophylla , Pedicularis ludwigii , Lomelosia alpestris , Dactylorhiza umbrosa , and Geranium collinum , and areas with trees and shrubs dominated by Hippophae rhamnoides , Salix sp. , Myricaria squamosa , Rosa sp. , and Lonicera stenantha . Stony slopes with fragmentary xerophytic vegetation were located at a distance of about 100–200 m from the traps. Krascheninnikovia ceratoides , Clematis songorica , Zygophyllum obliquum , Thymus seravschanicus , Ziziphora pamiroalaica , Chondrilla laticoronata , Hedysarum flavescens , Rhinactinidia limoniifolia , Angelica ternate , etc. were recorded on these slopes.

Collecting dates of the museum specimens start from 5–10 May and end on 1 July. Correcting for the Julian calendar used in Russian Empire, we have a flight period in the Chinese part of the range from late May to mid-July. We collected D. scolopax on 15–19 July. Since mainly females and three severely damaged males were captured, it can be assumed that the flight period was coming to an end.

Distribution (Fig. 19). The new subspecies range covers south-eastern extreme of Kyrgyzstan, the so-called “Kyrghyz Kashgaria”; at present there are two closely located sites in the Alai and the Transalai Mountain Ridges (about 4 km from each other by direct line), far away (about 1400 km) from the closest known locality in China. It is very possible that its range in Kashgaria (not only Kyrgyz but also Chinese) is much wider, as there are no light trappings conducted in this area in the right time.

Figures

Figs. 1–12. Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892), habitus: 1–2 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, holotype, female, Kaltabulak, 19.07.2023; 3–4 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, paratype, female, Kaltabulak, 19.07.2023; 5–6 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, paratype, male, Kaltabulak, 19.07.2023; 7–9 — D. scolopax scolopax, lectotype, male, Gumansu; 10 — D. scolopax scolopax, paralectotype, female, Gumansu; 11–12 — D. scolopax scolopax, males, Altyntag. Photos 1–6 — by S. K. Korb, 7–12 — by A. Yu. Matov Рис. 1–12. Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892), габитус: 1–2 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, гоΛотип, самка, КаΛтабуΛак, 19.07.2023; 3–4 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, паратип, самка, КаΛтабуΛак, 19.07.2023; 5–6 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, паратип, самец, КаΛтабуΛак, 19.07.2023; 7–9 — D. scolopax scolopax, Λектотип, самец, Гумансу; 10 — D. scolopax scolopax, параΛектотип, самка, Гумансу; 11–12 — D. scolopax scolopax, самцы, АΛтынтаг. Фотографии 1–6 — С. К. Корб; 7–12 — А. Ю. Матов

Figs. 13–16. Genitalia of Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892): 13 — D. scolopax scolopax, lectotype, male, Gumansu; 14 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, paratype, male, Kaltabulak, 19.07.2023; 15 —D.scolopaxscolopax,paralectotype,female, Gumansu;16—D.scolopax gilmanovi,holotype, female, Kaltabulak, 19.07.2023. Photos 14, 16 — by S. K. Korb, 13, 15 — by A. Yu. Matov Рис. 13–16. ГенитаΛии Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892): 13 — D. scolopax scolopax, Λектотип, самец, Гумансу; 14— D. scolopax gilmanovi, паратип,самец, КаΛтабуΛак, 19.07.2023; 15 —D. scolopax scolopax, параΛектотип, самка, Гумансу; 16 — D. scolopax gilmanovi, гоΛотип, самка, КаΛтабуΛак, 19.07.2023. Фото: 14, 16 — С. К. Корб, 13, 15 — А. Ю. Матов

Figs. 17–18. Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892), habitats: 17 — Transalai Mts., Kaltabulak stream; 18 — Alai Mts., Koksu River valley. Photos by P. Y. Gorbunov Рис. 17–18. Drasteria scolopax (Alphéraky, 1892), местообитания: 17 — ЗааΛайский хребет, ручей КаΛтабуΛак; 18 — АΛайский хребет, ΔоΛина реки Коксу. Фотографии П. Ю. Горбунова