Bucculatrix brunnella, Tokar, Zdenko & Lastuvka, Ales, 2018

Tokar, Zdenko & Lastuvka, Ales, 2018, Bucculatrixbrunnella sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Bucculatricidae) from Sicily and Sardinia, Nota Lepidopterologica 41 (1), pp. 113-117 : 114-117

Bucculatrix brunnella sp. n.

Material.

Holotype: ♂, pinned, with genitalia in glycerol in a small plastic vial. Original labels: "Italy, Sicily, Francavilla di Sicilia, 37.943921° N; 15.119141° E, 23.vi.2000, leg. A. Laštůvka”, "Gen. pr. ZT ♂ 10305", "DNA sample 22860 Lepid Phyl", "HOLOTYPE Bucculatrix brunnella Tokár & A. Laštůvka” (red label), coll. A. Laštůvka (will later be deposited in the Moravian Museum in Brno).

Paratypes: 5♂, same locality and data as holotype, Gen. pr. ZT ♂ 10762, 11099, AL leg., DNA samples 19427, 22861 Lepid Phyl, coll. AL (4♂) & ZT (1♂); 2♂, same locality as holotype, 14.vi.2000, Gen. pr. ZT ♂ 11098, AL leg., coll. AL (1♂) & ZT (1♂); 1♂, Sicily, Mandanici, 37.996936° N; 15.327791° E, 8.vi.1995, AL leg. & coll.; 1♂, Mt. Etna, Monte Arso, 37.688501° N; 14.933521° E, 21.vi.2000, DNA sample 24291 Lepid Phyl, AL leg., coll. ZT; 1♀, Mt. Etna, Nicolosi, 1100 m, loc. Camercia (L), 20.vi.2008, slide TRB 3993 ♀, DNA sample 24276 Lepid Phyl, P. Triberti & G. Baldizzone leg., coll. MCVR; 1♂, Mistretta, Mercuore, 700 m, 10.-20.vi.1952, Gen. pr. ZT ♂ 13162, 1♂, 21.-30.vi.1952, J. Klimesch leg., coll. ZSM; 1♀, Sardinia, Gennargentu, Desulo - Tonara, 800 m, 21.ix.1974, slide TRB 3418 ♀, F. Hartig leg., coll. MCVR. All paratypes with red labels "PARATYPE Bucculatrix brunnella Tokár & A. Laštůvka”.

Description.

Adult, male (Fig. 1). Wingspan 7.0-7.5 mm. Head: frons creamy light brown, vertex with yellow scale tufts, mixed with ochreous to dark brown. Antenna dark brown, eye-caps yellow to ochreous. Thorax, tegulae and ground colour of forewing ochreous to brown. Forewing pattern consisting of scattered dark brown scales, forming more or less diffused marks: one on costa at four-fifths to five-sixths, another on dorsum at three-quarters and a subapical spot broadened towards apex. Cilia tinged with grey. Hindwing and cilia grey.

Female (Fig. 2). Two examined females were smaller (wingspan 6.5 mm) and generally paler than males. Antenna ochreous annulated dark brown. Eye-caps creamy white. Thorax, tegulae and ground colour of forewing ochreous. Forewing with more conspicuous pattern than those of male, costa narrowly edged dark brown to three-fifths, and with dark brown spot at the end edged from creamy white to light ochreous, some brown apical scales, a conspicuous dark brown dorsal spot edged creamy white to light ochreous at three-quarters and a dark brown subapical spot.

Male genitalia (Fig. 3). Uncus and gnathos absent. Socii developed to form two slender setose lobes, moderately enlarging at the rounded apex. Vinculum relatively narrow, elongated. Valva slender, gradually tapering distad from base to a pointed apex. Several short stout setae at apex. Phallus long, slender tube swollen at base, 2.7 times longer than valva.

Female genitalia (Figs 4-5). Papillae anales modified, posterior apophyses relatively short and narrow, anterior apophyses absent. Ostium circular edged with a pair of distinct curved sclerites. Sclerotized part of ductus bursae long and relatively straight, slightly tapering towards membranous part of ductus bursae of approximately the same length. Corpus bursae oval, signum in the form of spined ribs.

Diagnosis.

The male of Bucculatrix brunnella sp. n. is externally characterized by the almost monochrome ochreous to brown forewing with only an inconspicuous scattered pattern. It can resemble a monochrome form of B. cristatella (Zeller, 1839), but the colour of forewing of the latter species is pale ochreous grey.

In the male genitalia the new species significantly differs from any known species, in particular in the shape of the valva and socii lobes.

In the female genitalia the new species closely resembles those of B. mehadiensis Rebel, 1903 but both species differ significantly externally. The forewing of B. mehadiensis is creamy white with a striking blackish pattern, whilst the forewing ground colour of B. brunnella is ochreous to brown and a darker brown pattern is inconspicuous.

Biology.

The early stages of the new species are unknown. Most of the adults were collected in light-traps between 8th and 23rd June and one specimen was taken on 21st September. The species probably has (at least) two generations a year.

Distribution and habitat

(Fig. 6). Bucculatrix brunnella sp. n. is known from the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In Sicily it was found in the north and north-eastern parts, mainly near Mount Etna. In Sardinia, it is so far only known from the Gennargentu Mountains. The species was collected from about 300 to 1100 m altitude.

Etymology.

The specific name brunnella is derived from the forewing colour of the new species.

Molecular data.

An attempt to obtain DNA barcode sequences for five specimens of Bucculatrix brunnella sp. n. was conducted at the Canadian Centre for Biodiversity Genomics. The records with BOLD sample IDs of MM19427, MM22860, MM22861, MM24276, MM24291 are preserved within the BOLD project " Bucculatricidae of Europe" (BUCEU) and are presently named as " Bucculatrix sp. 2". The voucher specimens are labelled with green labels, the codes without the prefix “MM” (Marko Mutanen), but only with the string of five numbers as shown above followed with "Lepid Phyl". However, the attempt at retrieving molecular data from the COI barcode region was unsuccessful.