Coleophora tugaicola Tabell, 2018

Tabell, Jukka, Mutanen, Marko & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2018, Descriptions of five morphologically and genetically confirmed new species of the Coleophora poecilella Walsingham, 1907 species group (Lepidoptera, Coleophoridae) from the Palearctic Region, Zootaxa 4429 (2), pp. 331-347 : 343

Coleophora tugaicola Tabell , sp. nov.

Barcode Index Number: BOLD:ADD2175

Figs. 9 , 26–30 , Table 1

Type material. Holotype ♀ ( GP 5331 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25441 Lepid Phyl): Tajikistan, Tigrovaya Balka 312 m, 37°19´961´´N 68°27´475´´E, 3.V.2014, T. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg., coll. NUPP. Paratypes: 6 ♂ (GP 5332 J. Tabell, DNA sample 25442 Lepid Phyl), 1♀ same collecting data as in holotype, colls. NUPP and TAB.

Diagnosis. Coleophora . tugaicola sp. nov. is characterized by four white stripes on the costal half of the pale brown forewings. In male genitalia C. tugaicola is closer to C. algeriensis Toll, 1952 , C. dissecta (Falkovitsh, 1989) , C. physophorae (Falkovitsh, 1994) , C. lonchodes (Falkovitsh, 1994) and C. hypoxantha ( Falkovitsh, 1982) . A combination of the shape of the valvula, cornuti, and apical half of the sacculus distinguishes C. tugaicola from the aforementioned species. In female genitalia the short feather-shaped formation in the ductus bursae is characteristic.

Molecular diagnosis. Two type specimens (1 ♂ and 1 ♀) were sequenced, resulting in 658 bp and 483 bp DNA barcode fragments. The sequences showed 7.06–11.22 % divergences between C. tugaicola and the other barcoded taxa (Table 1).

Description. Wingspan 11.0–12.5 mm. Head, thorax and tegula white. Antenna whitish grey, in male apical half annulated with pale brown, scape whitish grey. Labial palpus white, not tufted, second segment as long as third. Forewing pale brown mixed with white scales, costal half with four longitudinal white broad stripes. Costal fringes white, dorsal fringes pale brown, apical fringes brown. Hindwing and fringe pale grey. Abdomen greyish white, slightly lustrous. The worn condition of the type material precludes a more accurate description.

Abdominal structures. Latero-posterior bar half as long as latero-anterior one. Transverse bar broad, straight, proximal edge unsclerotized, distal edge thick, medially convex. Tergal sclerite about 7x longer than wide, covered with 40 conical spines on T3.

Male genitalia. Gnathos knob transversely oval. Tegumen moderately broad, medially slightly constricted, pedunculus broad. Transtilla narrow, finger-shaped, slightly bent downwards. Cucullus conical, stubby, broad, slightly extended beyond tip of sacculus. Valvula moderately broad, outer margin weakly delineated, ventral margin with elongate fold. Sacculus simple; ventral margin slightly convex, apically lined with a few small nodules, terminating in acute angle; dorsal margin slightly concave, horizontal. Phallotheca well sclerotized elongate tube with a small medial, shallow cleft. Vesica partly well sclerotized, with a narrow slightly curved chain of several spiniform cornuti.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales oval, densely covered with long bristles. Anterior apophyses slightly shorter than sterigma, posterior apophyses twice as long as anterior ones. Sterigma rectangular, membranous, sclerotized only in two elongate lateral club-shaped patches; proximal margin membranous, indistinct; caudal margin rounded, densely edged with bristles. T8 weakly sclerotized, proximal margin convex. Ostium bursae and colliculum membranous. Posterior section of ductus bursae transparent, with a sclerotized feather-liked band; medial section with about 15 conical spines of different size; anterior section coiled once, expanded into oval corpus bursae. Signum thornlike; spine curved, with two shallow ridges; base with two strongly sclerotized ridges.

Biology. Immature stages and larval host plant are unknown. The specimens came to light at night. The habitat is a tugai forest ( Fig. 34 ). Tugai habitats are riparian forests or woodlands, largely dependent on floods and groundwater. They occur in semi-arid and desert climates in central Asia (see also Biology under C. nupponeni ).

Distribution. So far the new species is only known from the type locality in Tajikistan.

Derivation of name. The specific name refers to the collecting habitat, tugai forest.

Remarks. The male and female of this species were associated by their identical barcodes and the same collection locality and time.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Neighbor-joining tree of the barcoded taxa of the C. poecilella species group, based on sequences of COI gene.

FIGURE 34. Type locality of C. tugaicola sp. nov. SW Tajikistan, Tigrovaya Balka, 3.V.2014, tugai forest habitat. Photo by T. Nupponen.

FIGURES 26–30. C. tugaicola sp. nov. 26. Adult, ♀ holotype. 27. ♂ abdomen. 28. ♂ genitalia, GP 5332 J. Tabell. 29. ♀ abdomen. 30. ♀ genitalia, GP 5331 J. Tabell.