Syncopacma semicostella (Staudinger, 1871)

Junnilainen, Jari, Karsholt, Ole, Nupponen, Kari, Kaitila, Jari-Pekka, Nupponen, Timo & Olschwang, Vladimir, 2010, The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) 2367, Zootaxa 2367 (1), pp. 1-68 : 58

Syncopacma semicostella (Staudinger, 1871)

Figs. 53 & 54

Gelechia semicostella Staudinger, 1871

Syncopacma suecicella albicapitella Bidzilya, 1996

Kidriasovo 28–29.V.1998; Chalk Hills 03–07.VI.1998, 07.VI.1998, 11.VI.2001, 21.VIII.2006, 22.VIII.2006; Verbljushka 10–12.VI.1998, 17.VIII.2006; Zesnokovka 09.VI.2001. Genitalia slides: J. Junnilainen prep. no. 00022405. A total of 13 exx.

Remarks. Gelechia semicostella was described from the vicinity of Volgograd (Sarepta), Russia. It was recently redescribed and transferred to the genus Syncopacma ( Bidzilya 2002b) . Two externally different forms are present: one with unicolorous dark forewings and another with the costal part of the forewings whitish or ochreous in the basal half (Fig. 53). The latter form is very characteristic and easy to separate from the other known species of Syncopacma . The dark form resembles Aproaerema anthyllidella (Hübner, 1813) . The male genitalia of S. semicostella are close to those of S. suecicella (Wolff, 1958) , but differ in several details (Fig. 54). The moth occurs in dry steppe habitats. The flight period is long, from late May to late August (in the south up to October) in two generations.

Distribution. In Europe known from S Ukraine and Russia (Lower Volga and S Ural). Outside Europe recorded from the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Turkey, Pakistan ( Bidzilya 2002b) and S Buryatia (K. Nupponen, unpublished).