Zarcinia stshetkini, Mey, 2022

Mey, Wolfram, 2022, Taxonomic notes on Palearctic taxa of Galacticidae, a little-known family of Lepidoptera (Galacticoidea), Nota Lepidopterologica 45, pp. 169-190 : 169

Zarcinia stshetkini sp. nov.

Figs 11-12 , 15 , 27-32

Material examined.

Holotype ♂, [ Tajikistan], Pristan , 12 km south of Dschlikulja, on Vahsh River, at the lights, 38.442494°N, 69.559346°E, 24.vi.[19]49, leg. Y. Stshetkin, genitalia slide Mey 2/04 ( MfN).

Paratypes: 4 ♀, same locality: 30.vii.148; 3.xi.1948, genitalia slide Mey 3/04; 31.v.1949; 14.vi.1949, genitalia slide Mey 22/21; 16.vi.1949, all leg. Y. Stshetkin ; 1 ♀, Lower Vahsh River , Tigrovaja Balka, 9.x.1949, leg. Y. Stshetkin ; 1 ♀, Vahsh River valley , Molomovabadskyi rayon, 30.viii.1953, leg. Y. Stshetkin , genitalia slide Mey 21/21 (all in MfN) ; 1 ♂, Tajikistan, South : Dusti vill. 10 km E Tigrovay Balka, res. Vahsh river, 330 m, 8.-12.v.2017, leg. D. Goschko , genitalia slide 4154 KL (coll. K. Larsen);

2 ♂, Kazakhstan, Almaty, Shengeldy, 10 km SW of Almatinskiye, Sun Mare , 43°56'32"N, 77°20'49"E, 7.-9.vi. 2018, 480 m leg. Knud Larsen , genitalia slide 4147 KL (coll. K. Larsen); 4 ♂ 1 ♀, Kazakhstan, Almaty: Bakbakty, 6 km W, Jeppesen Party , 44°33'41"N, 76°38'20"E, 30.v. -2.vi. 2018, 410 m leg. Knud Larsen , genitalia slide male 4148 KL (coll. K. Larsen);

Paratypes: 2 ♀, Afghanistan, Nuristan, 25 km north of Barikot , 1800 m, 12.-17.vii.1963, leg. Kasy & Vartian , 1 ♀ without abdomen, genitalia slide Mey 26/21 ( NHMW).

Diagnosis.

Zarcinia stshetkini sp. nov. resembles Z. walsinghami . It can be distinguished by characters of male and female genitalia. In the male, the new species differs from Z. walsinghami by the dorsal process of the valva, which is directed caudad and shorter than the apical part, whereas it is directed distad and longer in Z. walsinghami . The pallus is as long as the valva and double twisted in contrast to Z. walsinghami , whose phallus is simply curved and shorter than half length of the valva. The distal tip of the tergal plate is lobe-like and rounded with a short, median tip in the new species, but triangular and acute in Z. walsinghami . In the female genitalia, the bulla seminalis is absent and the ductus bursae much longer than the bursa in the new species

Description.

Adult (Figs 1 , 15 ). Length of forewing 6-7.5 mm, wingspan 13-16.5 mm (n = 11); head white, frons with appressed scales, vertex and scapes with semi-erected scales; labial palpi as long as eye-diameter, straight, white and with a brown patch on second segment; unscaled proboscis pale brown; antennae filiform, 0.5 of forewing length, finely ciliated on ventral side; fore-tibia with epiphysis, tarsomeres of fore and mid-legs brown on dorsal side, hind legs white, spurs 0.2.4.; forewing white, with small black spots on termen and costa, forming short, oblique streak in basal half; hindwing white, fringes white; wing venation (Fig. 32 ) with accessory cell in forewing and M present in cell, hindwing with M3 and Cu1a shortly stalked or from a point; one frenular bristle in male, four to five in females; white scales of retinaculum on underside of Sc.

Male genitalia (Figs 27-31 ). Tergal plate of segment VIII with broad base and narrow, lobe-like distal part, apex bifid in lateral view; pleurae membranous, with long, spreading, bristle-like scales; segment IX vestigial, gnathos a pair of asymmetrical, triangular pieces, valvae long, dorsal process trapezoid, directed caudad, apical part short, broadly rounded; phallus tubular, thin and twisted, as long as valvae, connected sub-basally with bifid anellus.

Female genitalia (Figs 39-41 ). Tergum VII with median, shallow groove extending beyond caudal margin; distal margin of sternum VII in ventral view asymmetrical, ostium bursae with sclerotised rim, on right hand side in intersegmental membrane, close to sternal margin, ductus bursae longer than bursa, signa in oval bursa copulatrix absent.

Biology.

Host plant unknown. Adults have been collected from May to October at elevations of 1000-1800 m.

Distribution

(Fig. 17 ). Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan, Afghanistan.

Etymology.

The specific name is dedicated to the memory of Yuri Leontovich Stshetkin (1919-1995), a Russian lepidopterist, who lived and collected Lepidoptera mainly in Tajikistan. He intensively explored the Lepidoptera fauna of the upper Vachsch valley ( Stshetkin 1981), where he collected the new species.

Figures

Figure 17. Distribution of Homadaula punctigera (Rebel), Zarcinia stshetkini sp. nov. and Z. walsinghami (Caradja) in Central Asia.

Figures 9 - 16. Adults of Zarcinia spp. 9 - 10. Z. ghorella (Amsel), holotype and label; 11 - 12. Z. stshetkini sp. nov., male holotype and label; 13 - 14. Z. walsinghami (Caradja), male paralectotype and label; 15. Z. stshetkini sp. nov., female, Afghanistan; 16. Zarcinia sp., female, Iran (photos by W. Mey).

Figure 27 - 35. Zarcinia spp., male genitalia of Z. stshetkini sp. nov., holotype; 27. Lateral; 28. Phallus and anellus, ventral; 29. Segment VIII, caudal; 30. Ventral; 31. Dorsal; 32. Wing venation; 33 - 35. Male genitalia of Z. walsinghami (Caradja); 33. Tergal plate, dorsal; 34. Valva, lateral; 35. Genitalia of paralectotype, caudal (genitalia slide Friese 863).

Figures 1 - 8. Adults of Homadaula spp. 1 - 2. H. caradjae (Walsingham), male paralectotype and label; 3 - 4. H. punctigera (Rebel), male and label; 5 - 6. H. schaeuffelei (Amsel), female paratype and label; 7. H. schaeuffelei (Amsel), female, Iran; 8. H. schaeuffelei (Amsel), male, Pakistan (photos by W. Mey).

Figures 36 - 48. Female genitalia of Zarcinia spp., 36 - 38. Z. ghorella (Amsel), holotype; 36. Lateral; 37. Ventral; 38. Segment VII, dorsal; 39 - 41. Z. stshetkini sp. nov.; 39. Ventral; 40. Lateral; 41. segment VII, dorsal; 42 - 44. Z. walsinghami (Caradja), Kzyl-Orda; 42. Lateral; 43. Ventral; 44. Segment VII, dorsal; 45 - 47. Z. nigrosignatella (Chretien); 45. Ventral; 46. Lateral; 47. Segment VII, dorsal; 48. Zarcinia sp., Iran, ventral view.