Eudarcia saxatilis, Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Budashkin, Yury I. & Gaedike, Reinhard, 2016

Bidzilya, Oleksiy V., Budashkin, Yury I. & Gaedike, Reinhard, 2016, A revision of the Eudarcia glaseri - species group (Lepidoptera, Meessiidae) with description of two new species from Greece and Crimea, Zootaxa 4179 (3), pp. 547-560 : 551-554

Eudarcia saxatilis , sp. n.

( Figs 4 , 12 )

Eudarcia abchasica ( Zagulajev, 1979) sensu Bidzilya et al. 2003: 59 (misidentification).

Eudarcia glaseri ( Petersen, 1967) sensu Gaedike 2015: 107 , partim (Ukraine) (misidentification).

Type material. Holotype, Ƌ, “ Ukraine, Crimea, Aj-Petri , 12.vii.2000, leg. Yu. Budashkin ” | “gen. slide 74/15 Ƌ, O. Bidzilya ” (KSS).

Description. ( Fig. 4 ). Wingspan 6.3 mm. Head with dense tuft of white scales, neck brown. Labial palpus drooping, segment two nearly as long as segment three, greyish-brown with long brown scales on apex, segment three brown with dirty-white top, inner surface white. Antenna longer than forewing, white with distinct brown basal ring, scape white mottled with brown. Thorax and tegulae dirty-white, mottled with brown anteriorly. Forewing relatively long and narrow, costal margin weakly curved. Ground colour dirty white with three transverse light brown fasciae: the first one just on base weakly narrowed towards dorsal margin, the second one before middle with uneven outer margin, and the third one at 2/3-3/4 length. Several brown scales between fasciae at mid width. Apex mottled with brown. Cilia grey irregularly mottled with brown. Hindwing dark grey. Cilia grey.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 12 ). Uncus with paired comparatively short, sub-triangular thorn-shaped projections, medial incision broadly rounded. Tegumen somewhat longer than basal breadth, sub-trapezoid. Gnathos arms moderately narrow, medial portion small, sub-trapezoid, anterior margin with deep, rounded incision, anterolateral lobes short, branchial-shaped. Subscaphium broad, weakly sclerotized. Vinculum a narrow ring. Saccus about three times shorter than valva, slightly tapered in distal one-quarter, apex weakly pointed, without thorn. Valva rather long and narrow, sub-rectangular, apically obliquely truncated, with tuft of rare weak setae before middle. Phallus straight, broad, about 1.1 times longer than the length of valva, apical 1/3 narrow, pointed, weakly curved, without cornuti.

Female genitalia unknown.

Diagnosis. The new species is externally similar to E. glaseri , but it is distinctly smaller and the antennae are clearly ringed. The male genitalia most resemble those of E. glaseri but the uncus projections are shorter and broader, the saccus is narrower and shorter, the setae on valva are weaker and the phallus is shorter, broader and rather straight than curved. The differences between E. saxatilis sp. n. and E. glaseri are summarized in the Table 1.

Characters E. saxatilis sp. n. E. glaseri

Wingspan 6.3 mm 7.0– 9.8 mm

Antennae Ringed Not ringed

Uncus projections Length does not exceed width on base Length exceeds width on base Short, as long as ¼ length of valva Long, as long as ½ length of valva

Saccus Delicate Stout

Setae on apical and costal part of valvae Short, slightly shorter than valva, broad, Long, 1.5 times longer than valva, Phallus straight narrow, curved on base Distribution. Crimea mountains (the Aj-Petri jaila).

Ecology. The only single active flying male was caught during the morning collection (around 10 a.m.) at about 15 m from vertical south-east oriented rocks of southern slopes of Aj-Petri jaila at an altitude of about 1150 m. Later, three cases containing larvae of this species were found on these rocks, although the adults were not reared. The cases were found separately from each other at 1 to 3 m on vertical rocks covered with lichens. The absence of Verrucaria nigrescens (Ach.) Pers. among these lichens indicates that larvae of E. saxatilis sp. n. do not feed on this plant, unlike other Eudarcia -species which have been reared from this lichen in Crimea.

Etymology. The specific name derived from the Latin “ saxatilis ”—rocky, and indicates the restriction of habitat of the species to massive, natural vertical rocky outcrops, whereas remaining Crimean Eudarcia -species occur on small rocks, stones and artificial stone walls.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Adults of Eudarcia spp. 1 – 3. E. glaseri. 1. Holotype, ♂, Spain, gen. slide 2326 ♂, Petersen. 2. Paratype, ♂, Spain. 3. Paratype, ♀, Spain, gen. slide 2179 ♀, Petersen. 4. E. saxatilis, Holotype, ♂, Crimea, gen. slide 74 / 15 ♂, Bidzilya. 5. E. abchasicum, Paratype, ♀, Georgia, gen. slide 127 / 16 ♀, Bidzilya. 6 – 7. E. ignorata. 6. Holotype, ♂, Greece, gen. slide 8742 ♂, Gaedike. 7. Paratype, ♀, Greece, gen. slide 6269 ♀, Sutter. 8 – 10. E. armatum. 8. ♂, Greece, gen. slide 8780 ♂, Gaedike. 9. ♀, Greece. 10. ♀, Greece, gen. slide 2338 ♀, Gaedike.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Male genitalia of Eudarcia spp. 11. E. glaseri, Holotype, Spain, gen. slide 2336 ♂, Petersen. 12. E. saxatilis, Holotype, Crimea, gen. slide 74 / 15 ♂, Bidzilya. 13. E. abchasicum, Paratype, Georgia, gen. slide 207 / 15 ♂, Bidzilya. 13 a. E. abchasicum, Paratype, Georgia, uncus, tegumen and right valva, gen. slide 204 / 15 ♂, Bidzilya. 14. E. ignorata, Paratype, Greece, gen. slide 6268 ♂, Sutter. 14 a. E. ignorata, Paratype, Greece, gen. slide 6267 ♂, Sutter.