Gnorimoschema tabazhok, Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter, Nupponen, Kari & Sumpich, Jan, 2019

Bidzilya, Oleksiy, Huemer, Peter, Nupponen, Kari & Sumpich, Jan, 2019, A review of some new or little-known species of the genus Gnorimoschema (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Palaearctic region, ZooKeys 857, pp. 105-138 : 105

Gnorimoschema tabazhok sp. nov. Figs 10-13, 24-25, 26-29, 38-40

Material examined.

Holotype. RUSSIA ♂; Altai Republic, Kosh-Agach District, Tašanta env. (8 km N), bellow "11. station"; 49°44'11"N, 89°20'02"E; 2280 m; rocky steppe, meadows; 1 Jul. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0346; TLMF.

Paratypes. RUSSIA - Altai Republic 1 ♂; 45km N of Ulagan village, Chulyshman Valley; 51°01'03"N, 88°00'39"E; 600 m; grassy steppe, rocks; 27-28 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0344; NMPK; 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Kosh-Agach District, Chagan-Uzun env., Krasnaya Gorka Hill; 50°05'00"N, 88°25'15"E; 1870 m; rocky steppe; 29 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0348, NMPC-Lep-0339; gen. slide 19020, J. Šumpich; NMPC; 3 ♂; Russia, Kosh-Agach Distr., Tašanta env. (10 km SW), Ulandryk Valley; 49°40'33"N, 89°04'09"E; 2200 m; grassy steppe, rocks; 30 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0345; NMPC; 4 ♂, 2 ♀; Altai Mts., Kuraisky hrebet; 50°16-20'N, 87°50-55'E; 2000-2500 m; 26 Jun. 2000; T. & K. Nupponen leg.; gen. slides 222/16 (♀), 409/16, 44/18, O. Bidzilya; 1/2.i.2019 (♂), 3/2.i.2019 (♀) K. Nupponen; NUPP; 1 ♂, same collecting data as for preceding; 27 Jun. 2000; gen. slide 1/1.i.2019 K. Nupponen; NUPP; 2 same collecting data as for preceding; 28 Jun. 2000; gen. slides 408/16, O. Bidzilya, 2/1.i.2019 K. Nupponen; NUPP; 1 ♂; same collecting data as for preceding; 30 Jun. 2000; gen. slide 196/18, O. Bidzilya; NUPP; 1 ♂; Russia, Altai Republic, Kosh-Agach distr., 10 km NE Kosh-Agach village, Kurai Mts. Range, valley of Tabazhok River; 50°05'N, 88°44'E; 2100 m; 02-04 Aug. 2016; P. Huemer & B. Wiesmair leg.; LMF 2016-020; gen. slide Gel. 1250, P. Huemer; DNA Barcode TLMF 20407; TLMF; 1 ♂; Russia, Altai Republic, Northern part of Ukok plateau, Zhumaly riber basin; 2400 m; 04-06 Aug. 2016; P. Huemer & B. Wiesmair leg.; DNA Barcode TLMF Lep 21220; TLMF; 15 ♂; Russia, Altai Republic, Kosh-Agach District, Kurai env. (15 km SW), Dzhangyskol (= Salagana) Lake; 50°10'49"N, 87°44'19"E; 1830 m; grassy steppe; 24-25 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0342; gen. slide 19021, J. Šumpich; (NMPC); 3 ♂; Altai Republic, Aktash env.; 50°19'12"N, 87°36'00"E; 1400 m; grassy steppe, rocks; 21 Jun. 2015; J. Šumpich; NMPC-Lep-0343; NMPC. - Tuva Republic 1 ♂; 75 km NE of Kosh-Agach, Ak-Chol Lake; 50°16'43"N, 89°36'44"E; 2230 m; rocky steppe, meadows; 2-3 Jul. 2015; J. Šumpich leg.; NMPC-Lep-0333; NMPC; 2 ♂; ca. 25 km W Erzin; 50°16-20'N, 94°54'E; 1250 m; steppe/stony slopes; 7-11 Jun. 1995; J. Jalava & J. Kullberg leg.; gen. slide 319/16, 4/18, O. Bidzilya; MZH. - Chelyabinsk region 1 ♂; S-Ural, Cheliabinsk district, near Moskovo village; 18 Jun. 1998; T. & K. Nupponen leg.; gen. slide 43/18, O. Bidzilya; NUPP.

Description. Adult. Male (Figs 10, 11). Wingspan 13.5-15.5 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae covered with grey black-tipped scales, segment II of labial palpus black mixed with white, outer and upper surface white with rare black scales, with brush of modified scales on underside, segment III black mixed with white, acute, scape black with sparse white-tipped scales, flagellum brown narrowly white-ringed; forewing greyish-black, veins and fold mottled with light brown, black touch in fold, black spot surrounded with light brown in middle and in the corner of cell, diffuse white subapical fascia at 3/4, costal margin mottled with white before apex, fringe white brown-tipped; hindwing and fringe light grey.

Variation. Ground colour of the forewing varies from blackish-grey grey to dark brown depending on the amount of brown scales. A single male from South Ural is characterized by the presence of large light brown spots, whereas the blackish-grey pattern is strongly reduced in this specimen.

Female (Figs 12, 13). Wingspan 11.0-12.0 mm. As male, but hindwing shortened to 2/3 of the length of forewing and stronger narrowed in apical 1/3, apical excavation less distinct and abdomen longer compared to male.

Variation. Forewing varies from uniformly greyish-brown with indistinct ochreous spots similar to male to more contrast, lighter appearance, with distinct dark elongated spot in the first third (Fig. 13).

Male genitalia (Figs 24, 29). Uncus moderately narrow, apex triangular, pointed; gnathos short, weakly curved, narrow, of equal width, apex rounded; tegumen broad on basal half, distal half narrow, anteromedial emargination deep, triangular, extending to about half length of tegumen; valva broad in basal third, then curved, distal portion nearly of equal width, apex distinctly broadened, rounded, curved outwardly, extending the top of uncus; sacculus broad at base, distal part narrow, coiled and strongly curved inwards forming about the closed ring; vinculum broad, posterior margin with broad medial emargination and with short, rounded hump-shaped lateral process; saccus moderately narrow, weakly narrowed towards truncate apex, extended to the top of pedunculus; phallus narrow, straight, pointed, with needle-shaped down-curved apical hook, caecum rounded, 3/4 length of phallus.

Variation. The apex of the valva varies from narrow to distinctly inflated; the outer margin of the sacculus is weakly broadened in some specimens; the saccus varies from sub-triangular and apically gradually narrowed to be nearly parallel-sided and sub-rectangular with truncate apex.

Female genitalia (Figs 38-40). Papilla analis elongate, sub-triangular, densely covered with short setae; apophysis posterioris 2.5-3.0 times longer than segment VIII; segment VIII sub-quadrangular; subgenital plates medially strongly edged, separated with broadened posteriorly membranous area covered with fine microtrichia, posterolateral sclerites sub-triangular, narrowly projecting anteromedially to the base of the apophysis anterioris, placed near posterior margin of sternum VIII; anterior margin of sternum VIII deeply concave, strongly sclerotized, medial opening distinct; apophysis anterioris about as long or slightly longer than segment VIII, straight, broadened in basal half; colliculum as long as broad; ductus bursae narrow, of even width; corpus bursae elongated, 3 times as long as broad, about as long as ductus bursae, signum on the right side near entrance of corpus bursae, stout, base elongated, distal hook broad, weakly curved, apically pointed.

Diagnosis.

The new species is defined externally by the grey forewing with veins mottled with light brown and distinct black spots in the cell. It differs from G. brachyptera by the absence of a black fascia at ¼ and the darker forewing with more distinct brown pattern. Gnorimoschema radkevichi differs in the more contrasting forewing with distinct blackish-brown spots and brown pattern along dorsal margin. Gnorimoschema steueri Povolný, 1975 is very similar but can be separated by the absence of white subapical spots and the blackish-brown rather than white subapical costal margin. The male genitalia are characterized by the sacculus, which is strongly curved inwards in the apical half, forming a nearly closed ring. Gnorimoschema hoefneri (Rebel, 1909), G. streliciella ( Herrich-Schäffer, 1854) and G. rufomaculata Li & Bidzilya, 2017 are somewhat similar in the shape of sacculus which, however, is medially not broadened, and the valva is widened towards apex in these species. The sub-triangular posterolateral sclerites placed near the posterior margin of segment VIII in combination with the stout, short and broad signum are characteristic for the female genitalia of the new species. Gnorimoschema streliciella is rather similar but the signum is much more slender. Gnorimoschema brachyptera and G. altaica differ by the shape of signum (less curved in G. brachyptera ) and shape of posterolateral sclerites (narrow in G. altaica ).

Molecular data.

BINBOLD:AAD9963 (n=10). The mean intraspecific divergence of the barcode region is 0.14%, the maximum divergence is 0.39%. The distance to the nearest neighbour, an undescribed species of Gnorimoschema from North America, is 3.53% (p-dist).

Distribution.

Russia (S Ural, Altai, Tuva).

Biology.

Host plant unknown. The holotype was collected in early August at an elevation of 2100 m, paratypes were collected from the second half of June to early July in various kinds of rocky steppes and in dry mountain steppes with plenty of Artemisia at an elevation between 600-2500 m (Figs 46-48).

Etymology.

The species name, a noun in apposition, refers to the type locality - Tabazhok River in the vicinity of Kosh-Agach village in the Altai Mountains.