Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006

Arnscheid, Wilfried R., Rajaei, Hossein & Sobczyk, Thomas, 2021, A taxonomic review of the genus Amicta Heylaerts, 1881 in North Africa, Near and Middle East (Lepidoptera, Psychidae, Oiketicinae, Acanthopsychini), Zootaxa 5071 (3), pp. 349-368 : 364-365

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5071.3.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:74E07AE5-68E0-42D9-8F53-C0776EBACC2C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5736421
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A04687E4-FF98-FFE0-0396-FB85FB3CFEE1
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006
status

Treatment

Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006 View in CoL

Figs 16 View FIGURES 2–18 , 29

Amicta sericata Hättenschwiler & Alemansoor, 2006: 80 View in CoL . Type loc.: Iran, Ghatrouyeh, Neyriz GoogleMaps , 1580 m, Fars Provinz GoogleMaps , 54°42’E, 29°08’N, ex l. 29.viii.2005, leg. Hasan Alemansour. Holotype in NML (not examined).

Material examined. 2 ♂, 2 ♀, 6 larval cases (all paratypes) Iran, Ghatrouyeh, Neyriz, 1580 m, Fars Provinz , 54°42’E, 29°08’N, ex l. 29.viii.2005, leg. Hasan Alemansour ( MTD, CTS) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Male wingspan 25–28 mm, forewing length 12.5 mm, width 5.4 mm forewings wide, apex rounded. FI. 2.3. Veins r3, r4, and r5 extremely variable, normally with one stem and divided in various ways, can differ on left and right wings of same specimen, m2+m3 stalked. Scales hair-like, short, (class 1 after Sauter & Hättenschwiler 1999), dark brown, mixed with longer, whitish scales, loosely attached and set widely separated from one another (therefore wings appear light coloured), easily lost with first wing movements (therefore wings become naked and fully transparent). All wing margins with dark brown, nearly black scales or hairs remaining attached during flight; narrow, hair-like scales located on front and rear margins and wide, toothed scales on apex and outer margin. Hindwing venation m2+m3 stalked, rr fused with sc over a large part of wing, scales and fringes as on forewing. Antenna 6.0 mm, with 40–45 segments. Eyes large and roundish, EI 0.54. Face with long, brown hair tuft; forehead and thorax with mixture of brown and grey hairs. Foreleg longest, with long epiphysis; mid and hindlegs without spurs or only very small apical spurs; all legs coated with appressed dark hairs. Abdomen dark brown to black

Male genitalia. Elongate in general appearance, tegumen slightly indented distally, slightly folded laterally and distally, covered with short hair. Valvae short, not extending beyond the distal end of tegumen, roundish apically and covered with short setae. Clasper of sacculus elongate, slender, slightly bent, narrower distally and covered with short spines apically. Anellus short, pointed. Vinculum broad, bulging laterally. Saccus long and more or less roundish caudally. Phallus very long, longer than whole genitalia.

Larval case. Differs distinctly from all other species of the genus. Male: 32–38 mm long, round in cross section, width 10–12 mm; female 35–48 mm long with diameter of 11–16 mm, round, slightly tapered to nearly cylindrical. Covered with short, thin sections of branches of food plant. Outside covered with layer of silver-grey silk. Therefore, it remains on larval cases of Phalacropterix or Megalophanes .

Distribution. Probably an endemic species, known only from the Fars province in Iran.