Aethes kandovana, Alipanah, Helen, 2009

Alipanah, Helen, 2009, Synopsis of the Cochylini (Tortricidae: Tortricinae: Cochylini) of Iran, with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 2245, pp. 1-31 : 22-23

Aethes kandovana sp. n.

Material examined. Holotype: 3, N Kandovān, Khākak (Māzandarān Prov.), 2660 m, 9.vii.1977, Pāzuki, Mortazavihā leg. (gen. prep. N. 562, HMIM), Paratype: 13 (without abdomen), same data as the holotype ( HMIM).

Description. Adult ( Fig. 13 ). Head: White to yellowish white, except outer margin of fronto-clypeus scaleless. Labial palpus yellowish laterally and paler on internal side; length of labial palpus less than twice diameter of eye. Antenna covered with yellowish white scales dorsolaterally, brownish and scaleless ventrally, with long ventral cilia. Thorax: Tegula and dorsum of thorax yellowish. Legs cream.

Wingspan 17 mm. Forewing length 8.5 mm. Forewing elongate, costa straight, apex rounded, with some brownish strigulae proximally; termen oblique and convex. Ground colour yellowish with groups of glossy pearly scales; two slender rust-brown fasciae parallel to termen, almost complete; fringes concolorous with ground colour. Hindwing pale brownish grey; fringes whitish. Underside of forewing dark brownish grey, darker than underside of hindwing. Abdomen: Dirty cream to pale brown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 14 ) with socii large, hook-shaped, at base convex and hairy; median part of transtilla well developed, terminating in pair of thorns; its length almost as long as that of juxta; tegumen broad; juxta simple. Vinculum arms not coalesced ventrally. Valvae broad, convex at distal 2/3; ventral margin of sacculus concave, projected apically; small sclerite present medially on disc of valvae. Aedeagus bent, with a wide, pointed ventral process; caulis long, parallel to ventral process; no cornuti in vesica.

Female. Unknown.

Bionomy. Foodplants and early stages unknown.

Distribution. Iran: Mazandaran, Kandovan.

Etymology. Aethes kandovana is named after the collecting site of the holotype.

Diagnosis. The new species is placed in Aethes on basis of the characteristics of this genus ( Razowski 1987, e.a. the presence of the thread like socii extending from their bulbous, hairy base). This is the case unique in Palaearctic Cochylini and is a synapomorphy for Aethes and Neotropical Aethesoides Razowski, 1964 which differs from Aethes in a separate costal part of the valva. Other characters are less important, however, the facies of kandovana fits exactly that in fagellana and its allies.

Externally A. kandovana is similar to A. flagellana (Duponchel) but kandovana has complete and rather pale fasciae on the forewing. In the male genitalia, kandovana is close to the group of species related to A. bilbaensis (Rössler) but kandovana is distinguished by the presence of the free termination of the sacculus and the simple, slender median part of the transtilla.

Figures

FIGURE 13, 14. Aethes kandovana sp. n. Holotype, male. 13, habitat; 14, genitalia. FIGURE 15. Aethes persica Razowski (adult female) (Kordestān, 25 km E. Bāneh)