Arnia nervosalis Guenée, 1849

Alipanah, Helen & Slamka, František, 2023, A revision of the subfamily Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) in Iran with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5248 (1), pp. 1-70 : 51-52

Arnia nervosalis Guenée, 1849

( Figs 23C‒E , 24A )

Arnia nervosalis nervosalis Guenée, 1849

Arnia nervosalis nervosalis Guenée, Achille, 1849 , Lépidoptères. Explor. Sci. Algérie Zool.: Animaux articulés: pt. 3: 399, pl. 4 fig. 7. TL: Algeria, Tonga Lake, surroundings of Lacalle [El Kala].

Arnia nervosalis hyrcanalis Amsel, 1961 syn. n.

Arnia nervosalis hyrcanalis Amsel, 1961 , Ark. Zool. (N.S.), Stockholm (ser.2) 13 (17): 410–411. TL: Iran, Bender Tchahbalar.

Material examined. 10 ÔÔ 14 ♀♀: Hormozgân Prov.: 2 ÔÔ 1 ♀, Bandar Abbâs- Minâb Rd. (km 15), 150 m, 1.vi.1973, Abâi leg. , 4 ♀♀, Bandar Abbâs- Sirjân Rd. (km 70), 500 m, 2.iv.1973, Abâi leg. , 1 ♀, Geno Mt. , 14.vi.1992, Mirzâyâns, Badii leg. , 1 ♀, Geno Mt. , 1550 m, 18.iv.1994, Parchami-Arâghi, Ebrâhimi leg. , 1 Ô, Gohreh , 12.iii.1972, Mirzâyâns, Borumand leg. , 1 ♀, Isin , 240 m, 5.iv.1973, Abâi leg. , 1 ♀, Minâb , 23.iv.1971, Safavi, Zairi leg. , 1 Ô 1 ♀, 20 km S Minâb , 8 m, N 27°00 ΄36.8″, E 57°05 ΄06.5″, 1.i.2008, Zahiri, Lehmann, Stadie leg. , 1 ♀, Minâb, Senderk, Gru , 150 m, 29.iv.1996, Ardeh, Badii, V. Nazari leg. , 1 ♀, Minâb , 50 m, 22.xi.1997, V. Nazari, Barâri, Mofidi-Neyestânak leg. , 2 ÔÔ, Minâb Research Sta., 3 m, N 27°10 ΄42.1″, E 57°03 ΄47.9″, 1.i.2008, Zahiri, Lehmann, Stadie leg. ; Kermân Prov.: 1 Ô, Esfandagheh, Jiroft , 20.iv.1971, Safavi, Zairi leg. , 1 Ô, Fâriâb , 5.iii.1972, Mirzâyâns, Borumand leg. , 1 ♀, Jiroft, Narâb , 15.–17.xi.1999, Badii, Mofidi-Neyestânak, Barâri leg. ; Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad Prov. : 1 Ô, 15 km SE Yâsuj, 15.vi.1972, 2050 m, Ebrâhimi, Pâzuki leg. ; Sistân and Baluchestân Prov.: 1 Ô, Ghasr-e Ghand , 25.xi.1997, V. Nazari, Barâri, Mofidi-Neyestânak leg. , 1 ♀, 18 km W Irânshahr, Rig Kabud , 500 m, 15.v.1972, Abâi, Ebrâhimi leg.

Diagnosis. So far, this species is represented by two subspecies among which, A. nervosalis hyrcanalis is described by Amsel (1961) based on 11 males and six females collected in Chabahar (holotype and one paratype (♀); Sistan and Baluchestan Province), Sarzeh (paratype; Hormozgan Province) and Karaj (paratype; Alborz Province). Members of this subspecies have darker gray ground colour compared with the nominotypical one, with more distinct, longitudinal yellow spots on the forewing ( Slamka 2013).

Among the examined specimens, only a single specimen collected in Gohreh was dark gray with several longitudinal yellow spots ( Fig. 23C ), in most of the remaining specimens the yellow colour was dominant except the dark gray areas along costal, dorsum and external margins of the forewing, with dark-gray spots inside the yellow spaces and more or less visible postmedial line ( Figs 23D‒F , 24A ). The specimens collected in Sistan and Baluchestan Province were even brighter ( Fig. 23E ). Additionally, there were more or less darker and partly brighter forms, even within a single population (i.e. the specimens collected in Bandar Abbas- Sirjan Rd.) with the same genitalia structure ( Figs 23F , 24A ). Considering this intraspecific variation, A. nervosalis hyrcanalis is here being regarded as an infrasubspecific taxon, and a junior synonym of A. nervosalis nervosalis .

Distribution. Spain, Canary Islands, Portugal, S France, Baleares, Corsica, central and S Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, N Africa ( Algeria [type locality], Morocco, Libya), Palestine, S Iran,? Afghanistan ( Amsel 1961; Slamka 2013).

Genus Diasemiopsis Munroe, 1957

Figures

FIGURE 23. A) Metasia octogenalis Lederer, male. B) M. subtilialis Caradja, male. C‒F) Arnia nervosalis Guenée, female, Hormozgan, Gohreh (C), male, Hormozgan, Fariab (D), female, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iranshahr (E), and female, Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas- Sirjan Rd. (F) (scale bar = 10.0 mm).

FIGURE 24. A) Arnia nervosalis Guenée, female, Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas- Sirjan Rd. B) Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Duponchel), male. C) Mecyna flavalis (Denis & Schifferm̧ller), female. D) M. lutealis (Duponchel), male. E, F) M. trinalis (Denis & Schifferm̧ller), female, East Azarbaijan, Kaghazkonan (E) and male, Razavi Khorasan, Aladagh (F), (scale bar = 10.0 mm).