Hissarica postalbida Viidalepp, 1988

Viidalepp, Jaan & Kostjuk, Igor, 2021, Taxonomic notes on two endemic geometrine genera from Middle Asia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 5052 (1), pp. 137-144 : 139

Hissarica postalbida Viidalepp, 1988

Description of Hissarica postalbida . Wingspan 24–25 mm ( Figs 1, 2 ). Frons smooth, brown. Male antennae pectinate ( Fig. 17 ), rami up to 0.43 mm long; rami shorter in female. Palpi shorter than diameter of eye in male, longer, reaching frons in female. Haustellum vestigial. Forewing venation: R1 from near to discal cell apex, fuses with Sc and R2, creating subcostal and radial accessory cells; R2–M1 stalked from cell apex, R2 diverges after M1, anastomoses with R1 and reaches costa. Veins M3 and CuA1 separate. Hindwing with frenulum lacking, Sc free, M2 tubular, Rs and M1 stalked, lower discocellular incurved, M3 separate. Hindtibia slender, with distal pair of spurs, without a hair pencil and without sexual differences. Forewing vivid blue-green, a white fascia slanting from near 4/5 of costa to near 2/3 of hindmargin. Hindwing white, with yellowish tint. Forewing costal edge is lined brownish yellow; the blue pigment fades in sunlight.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 14 ): Uncus hooked, socii small, visible from lateral view, gnathos looped. Valva broad with flat, folded medial harpe, ventral margin angulate at middle, saccus rounded, longish. Juxta a plate between sacculi, laterally connected to the broad plate of transtilla: the anellar complex present. Aedeagus (phallus) slender, tubular, with small cornuti and external sclerotization. Sternite A8 posterior edge convex. Female genitalia ( Fig. 15 ) membranous, antrum small, ductus bursae membraneous, longer than corpus bursae, signum as irregular trapezoid plate with a long dark stripe of unclear function ( Fig. 15a ) (a mutation in this population).

Figures

FIGURES 1–13. Adult moths of the studied taxa. 1–2: Hissarica postalbida: 1—male, Tajikistan, Kondara 2—female, Kondara; 3–4: Xenochlorodes albicostaria: 3—male, Iran, Comèe, 4–female, Comèe; 5–6: Xenochlorodes olympiaria: 5—male, Dalmatia, Gravosa, 6–female, Griechenland, Delphi; 7–8: Hierochthonia pulverata, 7—male, Syria, 8—female, Syria; 9–11: Ratsa alexandraria: 9—Holotype, female, “Alexandergebirge”, 10—male, Kazakhstan, Kentau, 11—female, Kentau; 12–13: Ratsa? petitaria: 12—Lectotype, female, “Askhabad” 13—female, Turkmenistan, Imam-Baba.

FIGURES 17–21. Some morphological characters of Hissarica and Ratsa, gen. nov.. 17—male antennae of Hissarica postalbida; 18–antennae of Ratsa alexandraria (a—male, b—female); 19–female antennae comparison of Ratsa? petitaria (a) and Ratsa alexandraria (b); 20—wing venation of Ratsa alexandraria; 21—hindleg of Ratsa alexandraria. Scale bar, 17, 18, 21—1 mm, 19, 20—not in scale.

FIGURES 14–16. Genitalia structures of Hissarica and Hierochthonia. 14–15: Hissarica postalbida. 14a—male armature with aedeagus, 14b—VIII sternite of male; 15—female genitalia (15a–part of bursa with signum enlarged); 16: Xenochlorodes olympiaria: 16a—male armature, 16b—aedeagus, 16c—VIII sternite of male. Scale bar, 1 mm.