Blastobasis tarda Meyrick, 1902

Landry, Jean-François, Nazari, Vazrick, Dewaard, Jeremy R., Mutanen, Marko, Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos, Huemer, Peter & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2013, Shared but overlooked: 30 species of Holarctic Microlepidoptera revealed by DNA barcodes and morphology, Zootaxa 3749 (1), pp. 1-93 : 33

16. Blastobasis tarda Meyrick, 1902 ( Blastobasidae : Blastobasinae)

Blastobasis tarda Meyrick, 1902: 169 . Type locality: Australia, Queensland.

= Neoblastobasis ligurica Nel, & Varenne, 2004: 25 . Type locality: France, Alpes Maritimes: Cagnes-Sur-Mer, Moulin du Loup. New synonymy.

BOLD:AAJ8258

Palearctic distribution. Possibly native to Australia where it was first described ( Meyrick 1902); introduced to North America where it was found in southern California; also introduced in New Zealand ( Dugdale 1988), as well as Europe (where it was unwarrantedly re-described as Neoblastobasis ligurica ). The recent discoveries in Europe and North America likely indicate recent introductions.

New North American records. USA: California, San Diego area ( USNM, CNC), at light on several dates between April and September 2009 .

Diagnosis. This is a pale grey species with a couple of dark dots in the distal third of the forewing. Like many Blastobasinae it is not easily recognizable on external features and genitalia must be examined. The male genitalia is unique among the North American fauna with the greatly enlarged and rounded dorsal (membranous) lobe of the valva with a long, slender, inwardly directed spine extended from its dorsal margin to its base, markedly recurved apical process of the sacculus, and proximal flange with a row of short, stout setae and without microtrichia; in glandulella , maroccanella , and other Blastobasinae, the dorsal (membranous) part of the valva is narrowly digitiform, and the apical process of the sacculus is less recurved, and the proximal flange bears patches or rows of microtrichia and spinules. The female genitalia is not so distinctive and has the anterior section of the ductus bursae looped and finely spinulate like many species of Blastobasis , but the ovipositor is slightly shorter than S1–S7 and the S7–S8 intersegmental membrane has zones of coarse microtrichia laterally.

Larval host. unknown.

Note. Meyrick stated that the type series from Australia comprised specimens from Rosewood and Brisbane, Queensland, and Newcastle and Sydney, New South Wales. Only specimens from Sydney are in BMNH. Meyrick did not state the number of specimens in the type series. The type material of tarda was studied by David Adamski, who generously provided the data and lectotype designation below, and confirmed the species identity as well as the synonymy of ligurica . Probably suspecting an alien species newly introduced in France, Nel & Varenne (2004) hesitated before describing N. ligurica as a new species, but finally did so after consultations with several taxonomists failed to establish a match to any known species.

Lectotype designation for Blastobasis tarda Meyrick, 1902 . Lectotype, ♂, present designation by D. Adamski, “ Lectotype ” [round purple-bordered label]; “Sydney, N[ew] S[outh] Wales, 25−10−[18]79”; “ Blastobasis tarda Meyr. , 1/8, Meyrick det., in Meyrick Coll [ection]”; “ Meyrick Coll [ection], B.M. 1938−270”; “ tarda Meyr. ,”; “ BM ♂ Genitalia Slide No. 31958”, [ BMNH]. A lectotype is being designated in order to maintain stability of usage of the name of a taxon with congeners that look similar . Paralectotypes, 4 ♂, 3 ♀, all from New South Wales .