Monochroa uralensis Junnilainen

Junnilainen, Jari & Nupponen, Kari, 2010, The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part I: descriptions of seventeen new species (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), Zootaxa 2366, pp. 1-34 : 17-19

Monochroa uralensis Junnilainen sp. n.

Figs. 32–33

Type material. Holotype: 3 (Fig. 32): Russia, S-Ural, Cheliabinsk district, 52°39’N 59°34’E, 350 m, Arkaim reserve near Amurskii village, 16.VI.1996, K. Nupponen, J-P. Kaitila, J. Junnilainen & M. Ahola leg. Genitalia slide: J. Junnilainen prep. no. 0 2012507 ( JJ, to be deposited in ZMH). Paratype: Russia, S-Ural, Orenburg district, 50°58’N 54°25’E, 100 m, near Burannoe village, 20.VI.1999 (1 3), T. & K. Nupponen leg. Genitalia preserved in glycerol ( TKN).

Other material studied: Monochroa saltenella (Benander, 1928) : Russia, Polar Ural 66°55’N 65°10’E, Krasnyi Kamen, 200 m, peat bog/meadow, 6.VII.1994 (2 3, 4 ƤƤ), Jalava, Kullberg & Koponen leg. ( ZMH); Sweden, Hr: Tänndalen, Hamrafjället, Röstavallen, RN 6944 1318 Uv-ljus 28.VI–20.VII.1994 (1 3), Nils Ryrholm leg. ( JJ); Sweden, Hr: Tänndalen, Skarvruest fjällhot, RN 6940 1325, 28.VI–20.VII.1994 (1 3), Uv-ljus, Nils Ryrholm leg., slide no. 0 2022805 Junnilainen ( JJ); Norway, EIS 127, Nsi Saltdal: Rusånes, 28.VI.1982 (1 3), Leif Aarvik leg. ( JJ). Monochroa palustrella (Douglas, 1850) : Russia, S-Ural, Cheliabinsk district, 53°02’N 62°06’E, 200 m, Ajat river near Nikolaevka village, Sokolovskaja Gora, 24.VII.1998 (1 Ƥ), K. Nupponen leg. ( TKN); Finland, St: Rauma, ex larva 1994 (14 3, 4 ƤƤ), J. Junnilainen leg. ( JJ); Finland, St: Pori, ex larva 1990 (3 3, 3 ƤƤ), L. Sippola leg. ( JJ); Finland, St: Pori 684:20, ex larva 1989 (3 3), Esko Saarela leg. ( JJ); Finland, St: Pori 684:20, ex larva 1990 (1 3,1 Ƥ), Bo Wikström leg. ( JJ); Bulgaria NE, Nos Sabla, 27.V.2002 (1 Ƥ), J. Junnilainen leg. ( JJ); Estonia, Vasknarva, 30.VIII.1994 (1 3), J. Junnilainen leg. ( JJ).

Diagnosis. Monochroa uralensis sp. n. can be separated from its closest relatives ( M. saltenella (Benander, 1928) , M. palustrella (Douglas, 1850)) by unicolorous forewings, strongly ciliate antennae and segment II of the labial palp, which is 1.5x broader than that of M. palustrella and M. saltenella . M. saltenella and M. palustrella have distinct blackish or dark brown spots and longitudinal stripes on the forewings. In the male genitalia a long and distally evenly narrow sacculus, a long saccus, and the basally robust aedeagus which contains two different groups of spinules separate M. uralensis from its closest relatives (see also Remarks).

PLATE 7. Figures 32–33. Monochroa uralensis Junnilainen sp. n. 32. Imago (male, holotype); 33. Male genitalia (holotype; slide JJ 02012507). Figures 34–35. Monochroa saltenella (Benander, 1928) . 34. Imago ( Sweden); 35. Male genitalia ( Sweden; slide JJ 02022805). Figures 36–37. Monochroa palustrella (Douglas, 1850) . 36. Imago ( Finland); 37. Male genitalia ( Finland; slide JJ 02022806).

Description. Wingspan 19 mm. Head, tegulae and flagellum pale brown. Antenna dark brown and strongly ciliate. Labial palp pale brown except segment II outwardly dark brown; segment II laterally almost as broad as diameter of head, widening towards segment III; segment III thin and pointed upwards. Legs pale fuscous, outwardly covered with dark brown scales. Forewing unicolorous brown with darker costa and pale yellowish fuscous fringe line. Hindwing pale fuscous with pale yellowish fuscous fringe line.

Male genitalia (Figs. 33). Uncus subtriangular with narrow apex. Gnathos square, transparent, membranous plate. Tegumen short and broad. Costal part of valva strongly curved at 2/3 and tapered towards pointed apex; dorsal part of valva very broad and setose, distally rounded. Sacculus relatively long and curved 90° at middle; basally about 2x as broad as evenly narrow distal half. Moderately long and slender saccus with strongly sclerotized lateral margins. Aedeagus basally large and elongated; distal half trunk-shaped, basally with a group of small dentate spinules on ventral surface; vesica with large group of minute cornuti.

Female genitalia. Unknown (see Remarks).

Bionomy. The specimens were collected in mid-June from dry steppes located close to moist meadows.

Distribution. Russia (S Ural).

Etymology. The name of the species refers to its geographical origin.

Remarks. The palustrella -group of the genus Monochroa includes two species, M. palustrella (Douglas, 1850) and M. saltenella (Benander, 1928) , considered a well-defined and distinctive group within the genus. During examination of gelechiid material originating from southern Ural region, a third species from this group was surprisingly discovered. M. palustrella occurs in that region too, but flies more than a month later than the new species and is habitually exactly similar to specimens from Scandinavia. The nearest known localities for M. saltenella lie in Polar Ural, and specimens from there (in ZMH) are superficially similar to those from northern Scandinavia. The new species is moderately easy to separate from the two known species of the palustrella -group by the external appearance (see Diagnosis). Anikin & Piskunov (1995) report a female specimen of M. saltenella from lower Volga region. That specimen might well belong to the species described here. Systematically M. uralensis should be placed near M. saltenella and M. palustrella . The imago and male genitalia of M. saltenella (Figs. 34–35) and M. palustrella (Figs. 36–37) are illustrated for comparison.