Bryophila barbaria Schawerda, 1934

Vargas-Rodríguez, Suraya M., Fibiger, Michael, Honey, Martin R., Ronkay, Gábor, Yela, José Luis, Zilli, Alberto & Ronkay, László, 2020, Bryophila perloides Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Bryophilinae), an overlooked member of the European Noctuidae fauna, with upgrading of Bryopsis Boursin, 1970 to generic level (Taxonomic studies on the western Palaearctic Bryophilinae, No. 1), Zootaxa 4845 (1), pp. 53-70 : 60-61

Bryophila barbaria Schawerda, 1934

( Figs 2a to 2d, 6c and 8c)

Material examined: A large number of specimens of both sexes from the high altitude parts of the High Atlas (mainly from Oukaimeden). Apart from the lectotype and paralectotype ( Figs 2a and 2b ), the data of the dissected specimens are as follows: RL12467m—Morocco, Haut Atlas Mts , Oukaimeden, 2700 m, 10.VII.1986, leg. F. Fernandez-Rubio (coll. GR) and RL 12477m and RL12479f—Morocco, High Atlas Mts, Oukaimeden, 2400-2700 m, 5-21.VII.1971, leg. G. Friedel (coll. HNHM) .

Lectotype designation: Male, “Mauretania central, Atlas major, Sidi Chamarouche, Reraia-Tal, 2300 m, 27.6.1932, H. Dürck leg.”, “collectio Schawerda”, “ Bryophila muralis var barbaria Schaw. , Type. ♂. Abgebildet ” (pink label), “PREPARATION | W.M. 409 | CH. BOURSIN” (coll. NHMW) (illustrated in Fig 2a ).

Taxonomic notes: The date of description is cited in most references as 1935, the date printed onto the volume is 1st December, 1934. It is a well-known species of the Atlas Mts in the North African Mediterranean. Schawerda (1934) wrote: „Im Grossen Atlas ( Mauretanien = Barbaria) von Dr. Dürck (München) erbeutet. Sidi Chamarouche, Reraia-Tal, 2300 m, 27.6.1932. Types in my collection“. Despite the statement of Schawerda, arguing that one was male and the other female, the syntypes are both males .

External diagnosis: This species has longer and broader wings than B. perloides and lighter forewing colouration, and the dark costal markings are always clearly visible ( Figs 2a to 2d); the two species are well-separable by their external features.

Genital diagnosis: In the male genitalia ( Fig 6c ), this species has, within the species complex, the longest uncus and strongest clasper, this longest too and with sharp apex. Also the valva is slenderest at the middle, with broadly rounded cucullus, compared to B. perloides . B. barbaria shows no cornuti in the vesica. In the female genitalia ( Fig 8c ), the ductus bursae is dorsally swollen at his posterior half ( Fig 5c ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. 2a. Bryophila barbaria. Lectotype male, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. NHMW. 2b. Bryophila barbaria. Paralectotype male, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. NHMW. s 2c. Bryophila barbaria. Female, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. HNHM. s 2d. Bryophila barbaria. Female, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. HNHM.

FIGURE 6. 6a. Male genitalia of Bryophila perloides, male, Finca La Molina, Casares, Málaga, Andalusia. Genit, prep. MF, ZMC. 6b. Genitalia of the syntype of Bryophila perloides, designated here as lectotype. Andalusia, Spain. Genit, prep. Gyula M. László, NHMUK, specimen labelled as 010918082. 6c. Male genitalia of Bryophila barbaria. Lectotype male, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. Slide No.: RL12477. NHMW.

FIGURE 8. 8a. Female genitalia of Bryopsis muralis. Slide No.: RL9676, Sardinia. Italy. HNHM. 8b. Female genitalia of Nyctobrya simonyi. Slide No.: VM19489, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. NHMW. 8c. Female genitalia of Bryophila barbaria. Female, High Atlas Mts, Morocco. Slide No.: RL12479. NHMW. 8d. Female genitalia of Bryophila katiba. Female, Morocco, Anti Atlas Mts. Slide No. RL12446f. Coll. GR

FIGURE 5. 5a. Male genitalia of Bryophila domestica, as figured in Noctuidae Europaeae, vol. 11 (Fibiger et al., 2009). 5b. Male genitalia of Bryopsis muralis. Slide No.: RL9677, Sardinia, Italy. HNHM. 5c. Male genitalia of Nyctobrya simonyi. Slide No.: VM19488, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. NHMW.