Gnopharmia cocandaria cocandaria (Erschoff)

Sh, Hossein Rajaei, Stüning, Dieter & Trusch, Robert, 2012, Taxonomic revision and zoogeographical patterns of the species of Gnopharmia Staudinger, 1892 (Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 3360, pp. 1-52 : 16-18

Gnopharmia cocandaria cocandaria (Erschoff)

(Figs 8, 9, 10, 11 & 42; Map 2)

Boarmia cocandaria Erschoff, 1874 , p. 65, pl. 4, fig. 63. Holotype 3 (by monotypy), ZMMU (examined). Type locality: Soch near Kokand [E. Uzbekistan].

Gnopharmia colchidaria cocandaria: Staudinger, 1901: 343 ; Prout, 1915: 384; Wehrli, 1953: 566, pl. 47e; Parsons et al., 1999: 406.

Gnopharmia maculifera Staudinger, 1892 , p. 187, pl. 2, fig. 13. syn. nov. Syntypes 4 3 1 Ƥ, coll. Staudinger, MNHU (examined). Type locality: Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Gnopharmia maculifera: Staudinger, 1901: 344 ; Prout, 1915: 384; Wehrli, 1953: 567; Viidalepp, 1988: 137.

Gnopharmia maculifera maculifera: Parsons et al., 1999: 406 .

Gnopharmia rubraria var. subrubraria Staudinger, 1892 , p. 184, pl. 2, fig. 12. syn. nov.

Syntypes 4 3, 3 Ƥ, coll. Staudinger, MNHU (examined). Type locality: Alai Mts., Namangan, Kara Sagin (E. Uzbekistan) ( Fig. 26 ).

Gnopharmia rubraria var. subrubraria: Staudinger, 1901: 344 ; Prout, 1915: 384; Wehrli, 1953: 568; Parsons et al., 1999: 406.

Gnopharmia subrubraria: Viidalepp, 1988: 138 .

Type material examined. Boarmia cocandaria , holotype 3, “Turkestan, Kokand, Weg nach Ochna, Dorf Sokh, 30.VI 1871, A.P. Fedtschenko leg.” (examined, see fig. 8), in ZMMU. Gnopharmia maculifera , Lectotype 3 (examined, hereby designated in order to stabilize nomenclature), [Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Samarkand, 1892]’, ‘766’, ‘Origin’, ‘gen. prep. 405/2008 H. R.’, ‘ Lectotype Gnopharmia maculifera Staudinger, 1892 | design. here’, ‘ G. cocandaria ( Erschoff, 1874) | det. H. R., 2009’, in MNHU. Paralectotype Ƥ (examined), [Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Samarkand, 1892], ‘Origin’, ‘Genitalia | photographed. | B.M. negative | No: 32697’, ‘ Paralectotype Gnopharmia maculifera Staudinger, 1892 | det. H. R., 2009’, ‘ G. cocandaria ( Erschoff, 1874) | det. H. R., 2009’, in MNHU. Gnopharmia rubraria subrubraria , Lectotype 3 (hereby designated in order to stabilize nomenclature), [ Uzbekistan] ‘Alai [Margelan], 95, Hbh.’ [probably: Haberhauer, name of collector], ‘Origin’, ‚Stgr. 108’, ‘ var. subrubraria Stgr’, ‘GloblnG specimen ID: 0025’, ‘gen. prep. 404/2008 H. R.’, ‘ Lectotype G. rubraria subrubraria Staudinger, 1892 | design. here’, ‘ G. cocandaria ( Erschoff, 1874) | det. H. R., 2009’ in MNHU.

Paralectotypes: 1 3, ‚Margelan, Hbh.’; ‚19/6’, ‘Origin’, ‘ Paralectotype G. rubraria subrubraria Staudinger, 1892 | det. H. R.’; 2 3, ‘Origin’, ‘ Paralectotype G. rubraria subrubraria Staudinger, 1892 | det. H. R.’; in MNHU. The three females from Alai, Namangan and Kara Sagin, mentioned by Staudinger in the original description could not be traced in the MNHU collection. Additional material studied: 32 3, 5 Ƥ, see appendix.

Description. Wings and body (Figs 8–11). Wingspan 24–30 mm. Frons strongly extended, with a separate process set into a distal depression. Genae distinctly pointed antero-ventrally. Free apical flagellomeres in male antennae 12. Tibial spines long and acutely pointed, but generally shorter than in colchidaria . The tibia shorter and broader than in colchidaria . Wings heavily suffused and striated with dark brown or greyish-brown (holotype, see fig. 8), only remnants of the greyish-white ground colour visible. Transverse lines indicated by a few dark grey spots, postmedial line consisting of narrow streaks on the veins, connected by a yellowish-brown line. Prominent dark spots along costa and a cream-coloured apical patch present. Submarginal band narrow, interrupted at middle, distally bordered by a cream-coloured, dentate submarginal line, terminating with a large, blackish spot on costa. Hindwings with similar coloration, antemedial and medial lines absent. Under side with basal three fourths greyish-white, densely suffused with grey scales. A broad, dark brown marginal band and a whitish apical patch present. Streak-like blackish discal spots clearly visible on under side, indistinct on upperside. Specimens with the appearance of the holotype are obviously rare. Variation. More abundant is a distinctly “maculiferous” form, greyish-white or light cream-coloured, having the transverse lines replaced by prominent brown to grey dots, most conspicuous on costa at antemedial, medial and postmedial position. There is also a submarginal costal spot, belonging to a transverse band which is also rather separated into several separate sections. The light apical patch is often indistinct, but sometimes well contrasting. Hindwings with two transverse rows of spots, the basal often a continuous line. Under side pale cream-coloured or greyish white, strongly suffused with darker scales, dark grey marginal band present, but not very sharply contrasting to the basal two thirds of the wings. Discal dots present on upperside and under side of both wings, dark grey, but small. This form has been described as a distinct species G. maculifera Staudinger. Often specimens occur with less distinct dotting of upperside, with strong suffusion by brownish-grey scales, concealing most pattern elements. This form, described as var. subrubraria of G. r u b r a r i a by Staudinger, comes close to the holotype of cocandaria on upperside, but lacks the contrasting white and dark brown pattern of the under side (which generally rarely occurs in cocandaria specimens). Also very rarely specimens with a reddish tint occur. Male genitalia and pre-genital abdomen ( Fig. 42 ). Sacculus broadly rounded, the tooth-like projections small, proximal one slightly longer than the distal one. Aedeagus short (1.2–1.3 mm), with especially short coecum penis (length about 1/3 of aedeagus), 1–3 distal subapical spines present, but very small, at ventral side of aedeagus, close to the proximal group of 2–3, rarely 4 long subapical spines (> 0.2 mm), inserting laterally on right side. Cornuti on vesica absent. Ventral fin of aedeagus small, its width about ½ width of the aedeagus. Octavals short, 0.3–0.4 mm, distally truncate.

Diagnosis. Maculifera -form externally similar to G. kasrunensis , which also has a greyish-white ground colour and dark grey dots representing the transverse lines rather distinctly, but wings are a little shorter and broader in kasrunensis (figs 15 & 16). The aedeagus in kasrunensis is also short and bears 2–3 long proximal subapical spines (fig. 41); but in contrast to cocandaria , the distal subapical spines are absent; cornuti on vesica are absent in cocandaria , but present as a group of large, composite cornuti in kasrunensis (fig. 41-b). The ventral fin of the aedeagus is smaller in cocandaria but more shallowly rounded in kasrunensis (figs 41-b & 42-b). G. cocandaria is geographical isolated from the other species (see the Map 2), only the widespread G. irakensis might occur in addition, but has not yet been recorded from the geographical range of cocandaria . Moreover, it is easily distinguished from cocandaria by the rounded frons, 18 apical unpectinated flagellomeres in males and absent tibial spines in both sexes (fig. 2-b). Barcoding results (see fig. 54) have clearly proved that G. cocandaria is a distinct species. Genetic distances between cocandaria and all other taxa are more than 4%.

Taxonomic notes. 1. Erschoff (1874) described cocandaria based on a single male from Soch (or Sokh, near Kokand, East Uzbekistan). Holotype (see fig. 8) in the collection of ZMMU ( Antonova, 1981: 219), examined. There is no doubt that the type of cocandaria and the other taxa described from the same Central Asian region ( maculifera Staudinger , rubraria var. subrubraria Staudinger ) all belong to one species, with cocandaria being the oldest valid name. However, the identity of this species remained dubious for more than hundred years, even Parsons et al., 1999, still mention it as a subspecies of G. colchidaria . The reason probably was the bad figure in the original description of Erschoff which in fact does not resemble the type specimen very much. Moreover, the description was written in Latin and Russian (but the Russian part very detailed and fitting well to the appearance of the type; V. V. Zolotuhin, in litt.). Christoph (1885: 121) was the first who complained about that bad figure, leading him to provide better figures. However, the two specimens he figured (l. c., pl. 6, fig. 2a, 2b) from Achal- Tekke belong to G. colchidaria objectaria , as we know today. Staudinger (1892: 182) also recognized the bad original figure of cocandaria and, moreover, he could not translate the Russian description. Nevertheless, he questioned the treatment of Christoph and described these specimens from Achal-Tekke (with under side white and with black marginal band) as var. objectaria (of colchidaria Lederer ). 2. Gnopharmia maculifera was described by Staudinger mainly because of the strongly speckled upperside of the wings which he considered to be unique among the known taxa. But he also found the under sides being very similar to those of his var. subrubraria , described from the same geographic region, and admitted that maculifera also may be just another local form. 3. G. rubraria var. subrubraria was described by Staudinger as a smaller, less reddish form compared to his rubraria from Palestine. Interestingly, he found that two females from Samarkand, tentatively determined as cocandaria before, agreed very well with this form. 4. G. maculifera afghanistana Wiltshire was described as a subspecies of maculifera from Afghanistan, based on one male specimen only. Wiltshire considered maculifera as a bona species, having examined the type material at MNHU before.

Life history and habitat. Preimaginal stages and biology unknown. Earliest record May 16 (1300 m, Nuratau- Gebirge, Sarmitan, Uzbekistan). The majority of the material collected is from June and July, latest record August 5 (Parkent, 1400m, Prov. Taschkent, Uzbekistan).

Distribution (Map 2). East-Uzbekistan, West-Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Specimens were found at altitudes between 650 m and 2000 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 25 – 26. G. colchidaria sinesefida. 25: syntype, male, 26: male from Lorestan (W Iran); FIGURE 27 – 29. G. rubraria. 27: lectotype, male (Israel), 28: paralectotype, female, 29: male from central Turkey. a, upperside; b, under side; c, original label. Scale bar: 1 cm.

FIGURE 41 – 42. Male genitalia and abdominal sternites. 41: G. kasrunensis, paralectotype, gen. prep: 412 / 2008 H. R., SEM prep. 5 / 2009 H. R., 42: G. cocandaria cocandaria, holotype, gen. prep: 2225 - DS, SEM prep. 15 / 2009 H. R. a: genital capsule; b: aedeagus; c: distal part of aedeagus (SEM; with scales); d. sternite A 8. Scale bar: 1 mm.