Polymona schellhorni Schintlmeister & Witt, 2013

Schintlmeister, Alexander & Witt, Thomas J., 2013, Polymona schellhorni sp nov., a new lymantrid moth from Jordania (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), Zootaxa 3745 (2), pp. 296-298 : 296-297

Polymona schellhorni Schintlmeister & Witt , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 –2, 6–9)

Diagnosis. The new species resembles the pair of syntypes of Polymona aboleta (Staudinger, 1895) in ZMHU (Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) described from the Jordan valley [“Jordanthal”] (the label of the other syntype male reads Jerusalem). Polymonia aboleta differs from the new species by the 2 mm shorter and broader shaped forewings, the less reddish colour of the wings and the indistinct blackish pattern. The abdomen of P. aboleta is brown, and in P. schellhorni sp. nov. it is brownish-red. Polymonia schellhorni displays a contrasting paler brown filled rectangular area on the costa of the median area on the forewings, which is less prominently developed in P. aboleta . The male genitalia of P. schellhorni are distinguished by the longer uncus, the more slender and longer pointed process of the valval apex and a large juxta, which is short in aboleta . Adults and genitalia of P. aboleta and other Polymona species such as P. ellisoni Collenette, 1938 , P. finitorum Collenette, 1931 are illustrated in Schintlmeister, 2004, figs. 1041–1078. Polymonia ellisoni holotype female, type locality: Harar in Ethiopia, is similar to P. aboleta in external appearance, but the female genitalia of a paratype illustrated by Witt & Speidel, 2007: fig. 12 resemble P. schellhorni rather than P. aboleta . These differ from P. schellhorni by the longer anal papillae and the much shorter and less robust ductus bursae.

Type material: Holotype: ♂, Jordania, Gouv. Ma’an, 9 km N Petra, 30°22’48.1“ N, 35°29’41.1“ E, 1.650 m, 4.– 15.v.2010 leg. S. Schellhorn & P. Schnitter (Genitalia slide T. Karisch 3006)—in Museum Witt, München. Paratypes: 1 ♀, Jordania, Gouv. Ma’an, 7 km N Petra, 30°22’47“ N, 35°29’41“ E, 1.660 m, 23.v.2010 leg. R. & S. Fiebig (Genitalia slide T. Karisch 3022) in coll. S. Schellhorn, Halle/Saale; 1 ♀, Jordania, Gouv. At Tafila, Dhana Nature Reserve, 30°37’11“ N, 35°37’37“ E, 1.300 m, 22.–24.v.2010 leg. R. & S. Fiebig in coll. R. Fiebig, Rosslau. 1 ♀, Jordania, Gouv. At Tafila, Wadi Arabica, 10 km N of Little petra, 30°26’26“ N, 35°24’37“ E, 680 m, 23.v.2010 leg. R. & S. Fiebig by light trap in coll. R. Fiebig, Rosslau. The holotype was collected at light in an Artemisia steppe between 2000–2200 hrs. At Dhana Nature Reserve both P. aboleta and schellhorni occur in sympatry.

Description. Forewing length male (from base to the apex of the right forewing) 20.0 mm, female 22.0 mm. Antennae of the male long bipectinate and blackish; those of the females show shorter pectinations. The fore legs are yellowish and fuscous brownish checkered. Abdomen covered with blackish hairs; brownish-red with a broad blackish dorsal line. Ground colour of forewings reddish-brown. Fringe checkered pale reddish brown/blackish. Blackish-brown forewing pattern is clearly visible. Basal, postbasal and postmedian fasciae marked pale reddish brown; a fuscous brown spot in the pale postmedian area between the postmedian fascia and the margin. Hindwings semitransparent, of a pale reddish brown colour accompanied by a broad blackish submarginal fascia. Underside of all wings and the body pale reddish brown. Male genitalia with long and slender uncus and a pair of triangular socii; long tegumen ends in a clearly distinguished saccus with rounded tip; juxta large and narrow. Valve with three processes, as is usual in the genus Polymona ( Witt & Speidel, 2007) . Upper valval process relatively large with pointed tip; phallus straight, slender and longly everted endophallus displays a small chitinized structure. Female genitalia characterized by two pairs of long apophyses, which are knob-shaped at their tips; postvaginal plate weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae long, broad and strongly sclerotized in the upper part; corpus bursae small and without a signum.

Etymology. Named after the collector of the holotype, Steffen Schellhorn, Halle/Saale.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. Holotype, ♂, Jordania, 7 km N Petra. Fig. 2: Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. — Paratype, ♀, Jordania, Dhana Nature Reserve. Fig. 3: Polymona aboleta (Staudinger, 1895) —Syntype, ♂, Jerusalem. Fig. 4: Polymona aboleta (Staudinger, 1895) —Syntype, ♀, Jordanthal. Fig. 5: Polymona aboleta (Staudinger, 1895) —♀, Jordania, Dhana Nature Reserve. Fig. 6: Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. —Holotype, ♂, Jordania, 7 km N Petra in resting position. Fig. 7: Type locality of Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. —Jordania, 7 km N Petra, Artemisia steppe, 1.650 m. Fig. 8: Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. —Holotype, ♂, genitalia, Jordania, 7 km N Petra, genitalia slide T. Karisch 3006. Fig. 9: Polymona schellhorni sp. nov. —Paratype, ♀, genitalia, Jordania, Dhana Nature Reserve, Genitalia slide T. Karisch 3022. Fig. 10: Polymona aboleta (Staudinger, 1895) —♀, genitalia, Jordania, Dhana Nature Reserve, genitalia slide T. Karisch 3021.