Gnopharmia colchidaria sinesefida Wehrli

Sh, Hossein Rajaei, Stüning, Dieter & Trusch, Robert, 2012, Taxonomic revision and zoogeographical patterns of the species of Gnopharmia Staudinger, 1892 (Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 3360, pp. 1-52 : 11-13

Gnopharmia colchidaria sinesefida Wehrli , stat. nov.

( Figs. 25, 26 & 36 ; Map 1B)

Gnopharmia sinesefida Wehrli, 1941: 880 . Syntypes 4 3, 2 Ƥ, in coll Brandt, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm (examined), 1 3, 1 Ƥ in ZFMK (examined). Type locality: Fort Sine-Sefid, Süd-Iran, Fars. Gnopharmia sinesefida: Wehrli, 1953: 567 ; Parsons et al., 1999: 406.

Gnopharmia colchidaria: Rajaei, 2010 .

Type material examined. Syntypes 1 3, ‘ Iran Fars | Straße Chiraz-Kazeroun | Fort Sine-Sefid | ca. 2200 m, 4.5.1937 | coll. Brandt’, ‘ sinesefida Wehrli Gnopharmia Dr. Wehrli , 3 Type’, ‘ G. colchidaria sinesefida Wehrli, 1941 , stat. nov. | det. H. R., 2009’; 1 Ƥ, same locality, 2.– 4.5.1937, ‘ sinesefida Wehrli Gnopharmia Dr. Wehrli, Ƥ Type’; gen. preps 3 414, Ƥ 413/2008 H. R.; in ZFMK.Further topotypical material: 1 3, ‘ Iran Fars | Straße Chiraz- Kazeroun | Fort Sine-Sefid | ca. 2200 m, 30.4.1937 | coll. Brandt’, Wehrli gen. prep. No. 7405, specimen figured in Seitz Suppl. 4, pl. 47 f (1 Ƥ, figured on the same plate 47f, erroneously depicted with male antennae, collected at: Iran, Fars, Strasse Ardekan-Talochosroe Comée, 2600 m, VII.1937, coll. Brandt, gen. prep. 899/2009 H. R., in ZFMK); 1 3, ‘ Iran Fars | Straße Chiraz-Kazeroun | Fort Sine-Sefid | ca. 2200 m, 30.4.1937 | coll. Brandt’, SEM preparation no. 20/ 2010 H. R. Additional material studied: 481 3, 330 Ƥ, see appendix.

Description. Wings and body ( Figs 25 & 26 ). Frons strongly conical, with a separate central protrusion set into a distal depression. Genae antero-ventrally with an acute process. Free apical flagellomeres in male antennae 12. Fore tibia with a rather long, acute spine (fig. 2-d), but length a little variable even in specimens from same locality. Wingspan highly variable: 21–30 mm. Ground colour of wings varies from light yellowish brown to light sand-coloured and sometimes to dark brown. A majority of specimens has the basal 2/3 of the wings lighter than the broad, dark greyish-brown distal band, reaching from the margin to the postmedial line, but often separated longitudinally into a lighter distal and a darker proximal half by an indistinct submarginal zigzag-line (which may be absent, however). Antemedial, medial and postmedial lines replaced by indistinct grey or brown dots, those on costa not much clearer. Apical patch rarely visible on upperside of forewings, discal dots small, black. Under side also variable, in most specimens with basal 2/3 whitish, with a well contrasting dark brown marginal band, containing a white apical patch; others have the basal part suffused with light brown and the marginal band reduced or almost absent. Discal dots clear, black. Male genitalia and pre-genital abdomen ( Fig. 36 ). Aedeagus long, slightly curved, with long coecum penis and a small ventral fin; with one, two or three short, proximal subapical spines of different size (the most distal one always the largest or the only one, if the other two are reduced), arranged dorso-laterally as a straight row. Also one short, conical, often strong distal subapical spine present, both groups of spines rather close to each other. A rather large, compound cornutus (two, three or more short spines of different size fused basally) present. Other genitalia characters highly similar to G. c. colchidaria (see diagnosis).

Diagnosis. To distinguish G. c. sinesefida and G. c. colchidaria see the diagnosis of the nominate subspecies. Both subspecies are geographically well separated (see map 1B), only approaching each other in the north-western part of Iran. But in many parts of its geographical area of distribution, G. c. sinesefida occurs sympatrically with G. kasrunensis and G. irakensis . Both species have also been collected together with the type series of sinesefida . Externally, irakensis may be very similar to sinesefida , mainly to specimens with darker ground colour, distinct pattern and clear dark marginal band on under side. Both can be distinguished by the longer unpectinated distal part of the antennae in males (12 segments in sinesefida , 18 segments in irakensis ). Males and females of irakensis have a moderately extended frons, rounded distally, whereas sinesefida has a strongly extended frons with a round additional process set into a distal depression. To see this clearly, the frons sometimes has to be a least partly descaled. G. kasrunensis is distinguished by its mostly greyish-white ground colour and the distinct dark grey spots replacing the transverse lines. Moreover, as already described by Wehrli (1953: 567) the proximal margins of the dark marginal bands on the under side of both wings are curving into the tornus and are not, as in other species, continued to the hind margin (but not always). Dark specimens of kasrunensis , however, may be mistaken as sinesefida , as also antennae and shape of frons are the same. Characters of the male genitalia can help to determine the species correctly: males of irakensis have a very broad sacculus with tooth-like processes of which the distal one is strongly reduced in size. The dorsal arm of the valva is narrow. The long aedeagus has no ventral fin and the (proximal) subapical spines are arranged in a dense group of longer and shorter ones, diverging from a common base and arising latero-ventrally on right side. Distal subapical spines are absent, the cornutus on vesica is very small (fig. 39-c). In kasrunensis , sacculus and dorsal arms are shaped as in sinesefida and all other species (except irakensis ), the aedeagus is short and stout, the ventral fin is present, the 2–6 (proximal) subapical spines are of different size, 1–2 very long, curved, the others shorter, decreasing in size, the group arranged dorso-laterally. Distal subapical spines absent, a large compound cornutus present on vesica (fig. 41-c). Genitalia characters of sinesefida see above. Barcoding results indicate that sinesefida is conspecific with colchidaria (genetic distance 0.22%).

Taxonomic notes. Wehrli (1941) described this taxon as a separate species, based on a series of five males and three females from “Fort Sine Sefid” (South Iran, Fars, vicinity of Mt. Dena, Central Zagros Mts.). He characterized it as “the largest of all Gnopharmia species” and gave a detailed description of specimens more or less looking like the male syntype figured (fig. 25). More topotypical material in the ZFMK collection (not mentioned by Wehrli, perhaps achieved later) shows, that at the same time also much smaller, but otherwise similar specimens have been collected. Specimens collected later in the year (July, September) at the type locality have a quite different appearance and the ample material collected later by other collectors show a wide range of variation in size, ground colour and the presence or absence of dark marginal bands on under side (see figs 25 & 26). Comprehensive studies of a high number of genitalia preparations from different localities revealed that all of these belong to the same taxon. Also results of barcoding studies confirmed this, and they confirmed also that sinesefida is conspecific with colchidaria and objectaria . The high variability may be explained as geographic variations in this huge range of distribution, as seasonal differences or even adaptations to certain habitats (e.g. calcareous rocks), or as a combination of all. But this is speculative at the moment and has to be investigated more thoroughly in the country.

Life history and habitat. Larval stages and biology of sinesefida have been described by Rajaei (2010; as G. colchidaria ). Host plant: Prunus (Amygdalus) scoparia (Rosaceae) . This subspecies has more than one generation, most probably two, but perhaps even three, judged from collecting data and different appearances at different times. But it was not possible to separate the generations clearly. The earliest record was on the 7th March (specimens from Hormozgan, South Iran, altitude 850 m a.s.l.). The majority of the material has been collected during May, June and July, and the latest record is from 26th October (Lar in South Iran, at an altitude of 830 m a.s.l.).

Distribution (Map 1). Populations of this subspecies occur nearly in the whole Zagros Mts. in South, West and Northwest Iran, also in the western part of Alborz Mts. in N. Iran. The subspecies is observed in a wide range of altitudes from sea level up to about 3000 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 25 – 26. G. colchidaria sinesefida. 25: syntype, male, 26: male from Lorestan (W Iran); FIGURE 27 – 29. G. rubraria. 27: lectotype, male (Israel), 28: paralectotype, female, 29: male from central Turkey. a, upperside; b, under side; c, original label. Scale bar: 1 cm.

FIGURE 35 – 36. Male genitalia and abdominal sternites. 35: G. colchidaria objectaria, lectotype, gen. prep: 679 / 2008 R. Trusch, SEM prep. 10 / 2009 H. R., 36: G. colchidaria sinesefida, syntype, gen. prep: 414 / 2008 H. R. a: genital capsule; b: aedeagus; c: distal part of aedeagus (SEM; with scales) SEM prep. 20 / 2009 H. R.; d: sternite A 8. Scale bar: 1 mm.