Lygephila minima, Pekarsky, Oleg, 2013

Pekarsky, Oleg, 2013, Taxonomic and morphological survey of the Lygephila lusoria (Linnaeus, 1758) species-group with description of a new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Toxocampinae), ZooKeys 351, pp. 49-81 : 60-61

Lygephila minima sp. n. Figs 21-24

Type material.

Holotype: Male (Fig. 21), [Russia], Stavropolskiy krai, NW suburbs of station Podkumok, 26.06.2008, leg. E. Tsvetkov, slide No.: 0329Matov (coll. ZISP)

Paratypes. Males. 1 ♂, [Russia], Stavropolskiy krai, suburbs of Pyatigorsk, station Podkumok, 20.07.2007, leg. E. Tsvetkov; slide No.: OP1607m (coll. O. Pekarsky). 2 ♂♂, [Russia], Stavropolskiy krai, suburbs of station Podkumok, 43°57'43''N, 42°46'18''E, leg. E. Tsvetkov, 20.07.2007; 1 ♂, [Russia], Stavropolskiy krai, suburbs of Piatigorsk, station Podkumok, 18.07.2007, leg. E. Tsvetkov; 1 ♂, Armenia, Daralagez, 12.VIII.[19]63, slide No.: 0341Matov (coll. ZISP).

Etymology.

The name “minima” refers to the small size of the moth in contrast to the largest representative of the genus, Lygephila maxima (Bremer, 1861).

Diagnosis.

The new speciesresembles Lygephila pallida by its small size and pale brown ground color of the forewing. Lygephila minima differs from the related species by its better developed noctuid pattern, more rounded wings and pale grey-brown ground color of the forewings. Apical dilatation of uncus wide, valva wide with rounded apex, ampullar tip not sharp, 1st medial diverticulum reniform; 2nd medial diverticulum hemispherical, membranous, without sclerotized areas, whereas Lygephila pallida has narrower dilatation at the top of the uncus, longer, narrower valva with acute apex, fine tipped ampulla, 1st medial diverticulum very wide at base, swelling-like; 2nd medial diverticulum large, tubular, with sclerotized area on the top.

Description.

Male (Figs 21-24). Wingspan 33 mm, length of forewing 17 mm. Head and collar coffee brown. Palpi short, relatively narrow, beige; antenna filiform. Thorax and abdomen beige. Forewing beige with silver shining, irrorated with a few blackish-brown scales; forewing short, wide; costa straight; outer margin rounded; wing pattern indistinct: basal, subbasal and antemedial lines hardly recognisable; medial line represented by large costal patch and some darker spots medially; postmedial line indistinct; subterminal line curved, composed by blackish-brown scales; terminal line marked by large triangular patches; cilia long, uniformly light brown; orbicular stigma dot-like, as coffee-brown colored as V-shaped reniform; claviform stigma indistinct. Hindwing beige brown, discal spot narrow. Female unknown.

Male genitalia (Figs 35-38, 60-67). Uncus stem short, broadly dilated distally with fine tip; valva short, wide, rounded apically with rather parallel margins in distal two-thirds, slightly narrower at base; ampulla spine-like with long base and pointed tip which does not reaching margin of valva. Aedeagus short, curved medially, with heavily sclerotized field on carina and spinulose area on lamina. Vesica globular, everted forward and recurved laterally; medial part membranous; basal cornutus ridge interrupted without sclerotized base, subbasal diverticulum medium sized; 1st medial diverticulum large, reniform; 2nd medial diverticulum hemispherical; 3rd medial diverticulum tapered, 1st distal diverticulum large, subconical, 2nd distal diverticulum with wide base and crooked tip; opening point of terminal tube located at base of medial part of vesica, terminal tube membranous with sclerotized ribbon at base and weak scobination at end near gonopore.

Distribution.

The species is known from south Russia, Stavropol region and Armenia.