Vartiania zaratustra Yakovlev, 2004

Alipanah, Helen, Yakovlev, Roman, Falsafi, Hossein, Witt, Thomas & Saldaitis, Aidas, 2021, 5062, Zootaxa 5062 (1), pp. 1-100 : 59-61

Vartiania zaratustra Yakovlev, 2004

( Fig. 15F )

Vartiania zaratustra Yakovlev, 2004a , Atalanta 35 (3/4): 367.

LT: Hormozgan Prov., Beshagerd Mts. [S. Iran]. Type material (holotype) in MWM .

Material examined. HMIM : Hormozgân Prov.: 7 ♂♂, Bashâgard , 20 km E Senderk, 300 m, 11.v.1977, leg. Safavi, Pâzuki , 5 ♂♂, Bashâgard , Senderk , 220 m, 12.v.1977, leg. Safavi, Pâzuki (gen. prep. No. HA-2355, HMIM), 6 ♂♂, Bandar Abbâs, Geno Mt. , 1500 m, 6.vi.1997, leg. V. Nazari (gen. prep. No. HA-2352, HMIM), 1♂, Bandar Abbâs, Geno Mt., 450 m, 21.v.2001, leg. Osten, Ebrâhimi, Mofidi-Neyestânak, 2 ♂♂, Geno Mt., Bâgh Tang, 410 m, 7.–8.v.1977, leg. Pâzuki; Kermân Prov.: 1 ♂, Jiroft, Dalfârd, N 29˚00.0΄14.3˝, E 57˚36΄45.3˝, 2112 m, 27.iv.2012, leg. Afsariân, Moghaddam, Mozaffariân (gen. prep. No. HA-1898, HMIM) .

MWM: Holotype (♂) and 2 ♂♂ paratypes, S Iran, Hormozgan (= Hormozgân) Prov., Beshagerd (= Bashâgard ) Mts., N 26˚34΄, E 57˚54΄, 600 m, Davari, 6.–11.iv.2000., leg. Sinyaev et Plutenko, ex coll. A. Schintlmeister.

Distribution. S Iran, Iraq, Oman ( Yakovlev 2011a ).

Distribution in Iran. Hormozgan (Bashagard) ( Yakovlev 2004a ) and Kerman (Djiroft [= Jiroft], Anbar Abad) Provinces ( Fig. 33D ).

Remarks. As stated by Yakovlev & Saldaitis (2016), the main genital characteristics of this species, which might be helpful to separate it from its closely allied species, V. beludzhi Yakovlev & Saldaitis, 2016 , are as follows: The strongly sclerotized protuberance at the costal margin of valva, the narrow juxta and its apically pointed lateral processes, and the thick phallus with developed preapical spinous processes. These two species, as here revealed, also differ from each other in the shape of gnathos and length of the phallus. In V. zaratustra gnathus is relatively wide (slightly wider than the tip of uncus), with a clear medial notch at the upper edge ( Figs. 19A, B ); while in V. belutzhi gnathus is distinctly narrower than the tip of uncus, and it is pointed at the middle part of the upper edge. The latter character has also been illustrated by Yakovlev & Saldaitis (2016: 394). Moreover, in V. zaratustra the phallus is slightly longer than the valva comparing to being slightly shorter in V. belutzhi (see also Yakovlev & Saldaitis 2016: 394).

It is worth mentioning that among the studied material, there was a male specimen collected in Geno Mt., Hormozgan Province, which was similar to V. senganensis in the forewing pattern, but its genitalia exactly mached with V. zaratustra .

Figures

FIGURE 15. A) Holcocerus zarudnyi Grum-Grshimailo, male (paratype). B) Kotchevnik tapinus (Püngeler), male. C) Mormogystia reibellii (Oberthür), male. D) Paracossulus thrips (Hübner), male. E) Vartiania senganensis (Daniel), male. F) V. zaratustra Yakovlev, male (scale bar= 10.0 mm).

FIGURE 19. Male genitalia of Vartiana zaratustra Yakovlev. A) Uncus. B) Gnathos, both in ventral view.

FIGURE 33. Distribution of Cossidae species in Iran. A) Mormogystia reibellii (Oberthür). B) Paracossulus thrips (Hübner). C) Vartiania senganensis (Daniel). D) Vartiania zaratustra Yakovlev. E) Eremocossus vaulogeri blanca (Daniel). F) Eremocossus erebuni (Yakovlev).