Phragmacossia minos Reisser, 1962

Saldaitis, Aidas, Prozorov, Alexey M., Müller, Günter C. & Yakovlev, Roman V., 2023, Phragmacossia bozanoi-a new species from southern Greece with some notes on Phragmataecia and Phragmacossia (Lepidoptera, Cossidae, Zeuzerinae), Zootaxa 5374 (2), pp. 211-228 : 221-222

Phragmacossia minos Reisser, 1962

( Figs 10−12 , 20 , 25 )

Material examined. Type material. Paratypes, 2♂, Insula Kreta, Knossos , 31.vii.1957, coll. H. Reisser, Wien ( MWM) .

Addition material. ♂, Greece, Crete W., 4 km S Topolia , 350 m, 28. vii. − 1.viii.2001, leg. A. Madsen, M. Fibiger, G. Jeppesen, D. Nilsson ( MWM) .

Male genitalia and diagnosis. Uncus elongated, slender, with spear like apex; arms of gnathos thin, elongated, band like; gnathos reduced; valva semilanceolate; juxta somewhat oval with a pair of long dorsolateral extensions; saccus semioval; phallus large, slightly shorter than valva, slightly c-shaped, distal half wrinkled, ventrally protrudes outwards for half the length of cornutus; vesica dorsally bears big, half as long as phallus, claw like cornutus. The species is distinguished by pale-yellow forewings with more or less pronounced dark medial pattern divided by pale veins; ventral extention of phallus is half the length of cornutus.

Distribution. Endemic of Crete, Greece.

Taxonomic note. Similar in appearance but darker males are known from two islands of the Southern Aegean, Greece: Folégandros Island (135 km northwards from Crete, see the Lepiforum webpage of “ Phragmacossia albida ”) and Sérifos Island (175 km northwards from Crete, pers. com. Ramon Hulsbosch). These specimens may be a subspecies of Ph. minos or, potentially, a new species of Phragmacossia . Further studies are needed.

Figures

FIGURES 8–13. Phragmacossia spp.: adults, dorsal view. Depositories of the specimens: 8 in MHUB; 9 in NHMUK; 10–13 in MWM/ZSM. Scale bar—1 cm.

FIGURES 19–24. Phragmataecia castanea, Ph. albida and Phragmacossia spp.: male genitalia. Depository of the dissected specimens in MWM/ZSM.

FIGURES 25–28. Genitalia of Phragmacossia bozanoi sp. n., Greece, Peloponnes. Depositories of the dissected specimens: 25 in WIGJ, 26 in TMF, 27 in ASV, 28 in AMM. Scale bars for genitalia and surface ultrastructure of corpus bursae—1 mm.