Cteipolia isotima Püngeler, 1914

Titov, Sergey V., Gorbunov, Pavel Yu., Černila, Matjaž, Matov, Alexey Yu & Volynkin, Anton V., 2024, New data on the distribution of Cteipolia murina (Ménétriés, 1848) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae: Xylenini), Ecologica Montenegrina 71, pp. 269-283 : 280-283

Cteipolia isotima Püngeler, 1914

( Figs 5–8 , 15, 16 , 23 )

Cteipolia isotima Püngeler, 1914 , Deutsche entomologische Zeitschrift Iris, 28: 41, pl. 2, fig. 11 (Type locality: [SE Kazakhstan, foothills of Dzhungar Alatau Range] “Tien- shan, Dscharkent”).

Type material examined. Syntypes: male ( Figs 5 , 19 ), “Tien- schan | (Dscharkent) | Rückbeil 1903” / pink label “Type | isotima Püng. ♂ ” / “Zool. Mus. | Berlin ” / “Préparation | № M.B. 296 | Ch. Boursin ” ( MfN); female ( Figs 6 , 20 ), “Tien- schan | (Dscharkent) | Rückbeil 1903” / pink label “Cotype | isotima Püng. ♀ | abgebildet Iris 1914 / Püng.” / “isot / 1904 v. R. Tancré Püng.” / “my section II | Hmpsn. i. l. | 7-1914” / “Zool. Mus. | Berlin ” / “4301 ♀ | gen.prep.No. | det. L.Ronkay ” ( MfN) .

Additional material examined: 1 male, 4.X.2015, SE Kazakhstan, Almaty [currently Zhetysu] Region, Dzhungar Alatau, Cherkasay Valley , 1580m, 44°46'33''N 78°55'59''E, S. V . Titov & M. Černila leg. ( CAV); 2 males, 05.X.2023, E Kazakhstan, Monrak Ridge , N slope, 24 km W of Karabulak vill., N 47°33'54.0'' E 84°21'18.4'', 735m, gorge with scree slopes, S. V . Titov leg. ( CAV); 5 males, 2 females, 9.X.2023, E Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan Reg., Saur Mts , 753m, 3 km SE of Saryterek vill., 47°27'46.6''N 85°12'41.5''E, S. V . Titov leg. ( CAV); 1 male, East Kazakhstan, Saur Mts, 20 km S of Zaisan town, Bol’shoi Zhemenei River , 1600m, 47°17'N 84°54'E, 5.X.2018, P. Gorbunov leg. ( PGC) ; 1 female, same data as previous but S. Melyakh leg. ( SMC) ; 2 males, East Kazakhstan, Manrak Mts, 20 km SW of Tugyl settl., Kusty River bank, 900m, 47°34'N 84°04'E, 6.X.2018, P. Gorbunov leg. (BBС) ; 5 males, East Kazakhstan, Tarbagatai Mt. Range, Bazar River bank, 32 km S of Kyzykesik, 1000m, 47°35'N 82°04'E, 7.X.2018, P. Gorbunov leg. (BBС, SMC) .

Diagnosis. See above under C. murina .

Distribution. Currently known from Southeast ( Püngeler 1914) and East Kazakhstan (present study) ( Fig. 25 ). Both the specimens from the south-eastern Balkhash Basin examined are males and it is currently impossible to identify them with sure as they may belong to C. murina . In the present paper, those specimens are provisionally assigned with C. isotima but the identification of this population requires confirmation through the study of female genitalia and molecular methods. In the East Kazakhstan, the known species’ range reaches the Saur Mountains and the occurrence of C. isotima in the Altai Mountains is also expected but there is still no material collected in that region yet. In the Russian part of the Altai Mountains (Altai Republic, Ongudai District), a male specimen probably also belonging to C. isotima was observed and imaged (K. Romanov, pers. comm., and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70874914). Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to identify the Russian Altai population due to the lack of the material available for examination.

Bionomics and behavior. In Dzhungar Alatau and Saur-Tarbagatai massifs, C. isotima is found in gorges with steppe and rocky slopes sparsely overgrown with various bushes. ( Figs 33–35 ). In the south-eastern Balkhash Basin, C. isotima was found in a sand desert overgrown with sparse bushes and low trees of the genera Halimodendron , Calligonum , Haloxylon , Tamarix , Populus and Elaeagnus ( Fig. 36 ). Adults of both sexes fly in October; by analogy with other species of the genus, females apparently overwinter and are active in March–April. In the Saur-Tarbagatai massif, the peak activity of adult individuals was observed by the senior author of the present paper in the evening twilight, all the specimens were attracted to the light of the MV bulb while no one specimen was collected with use of the traps equipped with 8W actinic tubes. The aforementioned male from the Russian part of the Altai Mountains was observed on 8 March 2021 flying in the day time during a thaw (K. Romanov, pers. comm.). Due to the lack of observations made during the thaw in other habitats of Cteipolia , it is impossible to say if this remarkable behavior was an accident due to the lack of snow cover (winters at the observation area in the central Russian Altai are usually snowless) or (less likely) is typical of the genus also in areas with established snow cover.

Acknowledgements

Sergey Titov acknowledges the Bayanaul State National Nature Park ( Kazakhstan) (director Suyindik B. Akhmetzhanov, deputy director for science Yergalym U. Kayerdenov, senior researcher Dinara N. Kunshuakova, Sergey M. Reznichenko (former research fellow), the late Venera T. Tuleubekova (former research fellow), and the late Kuantay K. Abukenov (former head of the Department of Science, Ecological Education and Tourism )) for kind assistance in organising the research; Timur N. Smagulov, director of Institute of Archaeological Research, Margulan University (Pavlodar, Kazakhstan), for organising the collecting trip in the Saur and Monrak Mountains ; and Talgat J. Abylkhasanov (Pavlodar, Kazakhstan) for pictures of the Zhartas natural landmark landscape. Sergey Titov and Matjaž Černila thank Alexander Belousov and Yulia Belousova (Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan) for their kind hospitality and assistance in organising the collecting trips in the south-eastern Balkhash Basin and Dzhungar Alatau Mountains . Sergey Titov and Matjaž Černila are also deeply grateful to the tragic deceased Sergey Ruzanov, director of the Cherkasai Tourist Center, for his warm welcome and kind assistance in organising the research in the Dzhungar Alatau Mountains . Anton Volynkin expresses his sincere thanks to Wolfram Mey ( MfN, Berlin, Germany) for his kind assistance during the work at MfN collection; Sergey Gordeev and Tatyana Gordeeva ( IGEB, Ulan-Ude , Russia) for pictures of Cteipolia amissa paratypes. Balázs Benedek (Mohács, Hungary), Sergey Melyakh (Yekaterinburg, Russia), and the late Kari Nupponen (Espoo, Finland) are acknowledged for data from their research collections provided .

The study of Sergey Titov was funded by Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Program No. BR21882199, “Inventory of wild animals of arid territories of the Balkhash-Alakol basin with an assessment of threats to their conservation and sustainable use.”). The study of Alexey Matov was performed in the frames of the research project №122031100272-3 “Systematics, morphology, ecophysiology and evolution of insects”. The study of Pavel Gorbunov was partly financed by the project FUWU-2022-0007 “Interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors in the formation of biological diversity of the Ural flora and fauna” of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural branch of the RAS. Matjaž Černila and Anton Volynkin had no funding.

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Figures

Figure 25. Distribution map of Cteipolia murina and C. isotima in Kazakhstan and Russia.

Figure 33. Habitat of Cteipolia isotima: SE Kazakhstan, Zhetysu Region, Dzhungar Alatau, Cherkasay Valley (photo by S.V. Titov).

Figure 34. Habitat of Cteipolia isotima: East Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan Province, Monrak Ridge, 05.X.2023 (photo by S.V. Titov).

Figure 35. Habitat of Cteipolia isotima: East Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan Reg., Saur Mts, 753m, 3 km SE of Saryterek vill., 9.X.2023 (photo by S.V. Titov).

Figure 36. Habitat of Cteipolia murina: SE Kazakhstan, Almaty Reg., SE Balkhash Basin, Kushikzhal Sands, 7.X.2014 (photo by M. Černila).

Figures 1–10. Cteipolia spp.: adults, dorsal view. Depositories of the specimens: 1 in ZISP; 2 in KNC; 3, 4, 7 and 8 in CAV; 5 and 6 in MfN; 9 and 10 in IGEB (photo by S. Gordeev).

Figures 11–16. Cteipolia spp.: adults in nature. 11, C. murina, male, Kazakhstan, Aktobe Province, 15 km NE of Emba town, 11.X.2013 (photo by P. Gorbunov); 12, idem., female, Russia, Orenburg Province, Kumak River valley at Zakumachnoe vill., 22.IV.2015 (photo by P. Gorbunov); 13, idem., male, NE Kazakhstan, Pavlodar Reg., Ulken-Akzhar, 3.X.2014 (photo by S.V. Titov); 14, idem., same locality as previous, 3.X.2014 (photo by S.V. Titov); 15, C. isotima, SE Kazakhstan, Dzhungar Alatau, Cherkasay Valley, 4.X.2015 (photo by S.V. Titov); idem., 16, male, Kazakhstan, Tarbagatai Mt. Range, Bazar River bank, 6.X.2018 (photo by P. Gorbunov).

Figures 21–24. Cteipolia spp.: male (21) and female (22–24) genitalia, ventral view. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 21 and 24 in IGEB (photo by T. Gordeeva); 22 in CAV; 23 in MfN.

Figures 17–20. Cteipolia spp.: male genitalia, ventral view. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 17 in ZISP; 18 and 20 in CAV; 19 in MfN.